Choir Boy

                                                                      Ensemble Choir

Philadelphia Theatre Company, located at 40 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pa. is presenting Choir Boy,  the Philadelphia Premiere of a TONY® Award-winning play from Academy Award winning writer Alvin McCraney. The show runs through March 13. Crystal Monee Hall is the composer and musical director of this phenomenal ensemble cast of  acapella singers engaged in gospel and R & B. Jeffrey Paige is responsible  for the direction and choreography of the production. The musical numbers will leave you breathless with their intensity. The drama that plays out on the stage is gut-wrenching. The Charles R. Drew Prep School for Boys has been dedicated to the education of strong, ethical Black men. Pharus (Justin Ross),  the most gifted boy in choir, struggles to fit in with his classmates. Bobby (Jeremy Cousar) and Junior ( Tristan Andre) are quick to bully him. David ( Dana Orange ) has dreams of becoming a preacher and AJ (Jamaal Fields-Green is content to stay out of conflict as his roommate. Pharus’ feelings of isolation become real and palpable as his senior year approaches. This is a stunning work on many levels. Tickets are available at www.philatheatreco.org or by phone at 215-985-0420. For the health and safety of patrons, cast, crew and staff, PTC will require that audience members present proof of vaccination with booster (if eligible) and wear a mask while in the venue.

 

                                                New Choreography by John Heginbotham

The Kimmel Cultural Campus, in partnership with the Shubert Organization, will proudly present  the  Philadelphia premiere of the reimagined Rogers & Hammerstein’s OKLAHOMA!, running  March 8 through March 20 at the Forrest Theatre. This production of OKLAHOMA is reimagined for the 21st century. It tells the story of a community banding together against an outsider and the frontier life that shaped America and is the Tony Award Winner for Best Revival of a Musical. The Kimmel Cultural Campus is requiring masks to be worn at all times for guests attending on-campus events. Proof of vaccination is required for all guests older than five. Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-212-239-6200, visiting telecharge.com, or online at www.kimmelculturalcampus.org.

A Streetcar Named Desire

 

                                                            Katherine Powell as Blanche

A Streetcar Named Desire is appearing on the Arden’s F. Otto Haas Mainstage after a break of almost two years, Originally slated for a March 2020 opening, this Tennessee Williams classic had only one performance before Covid 19 forced the theatre to shut down. It is back again with all its brilliance. Scenic Designer Paige Hathaway has transformed the stage into a  a small apartment snuggled in the streets of the French Quarter of New Orleans. Daniel Ison provides the powerful original music and Sound Design which, along the with the lighting change  provided by  Lighting Designer Ann G. Wrightson, signals the end of each scene. Exceptional costume changes are provided by Costume Designer Olivera Gajic. Katherine Powell is phenomenal as Blanche DuBois, a woman who .struggles to hold onto dreams of the past and ignore the realities of the present. Emilie Krause gives a credible performance as her younger sister Stella, as does Akeem  Davis as her love interest, Mitch. Matteo Scammell, Stella’s husband Stanley, gives an excellent performance as the man you grow to hate. Overall, it is Blanche who steals the show from her very haughty entrance in the first act  to her sad downfall at the end of Act 2. The glimpse Katherine Powell shows us of a woman’s total emotional collapse is heartbreaking. Tickets for A Streetcar Named Desire are available for purchase online at ardentheatre.org  A digital version will be available to stream February 14-27. Visit ardentheatre.org for details.

 

 

 

Disney's The Little Mermaid

                                                     Ariel- Diana Huey

                                                                 
Walnut Street Theatre is producing the Philadelphia professional regional premiere  of Disney’s The Little Mermaid on its Mainstage through January 2, 2022. This is a knock-your-socks-off production for kids and adults alike. It is a perfect show to introduce your children or grandchildren to the theatre or to accompany them if they are experienced theatre goers as my 13-year-old granddaughter is, but adults do not need a child to accompany them to enjoy this show. Twenty-three delightful songs ring out through the rafters. Some may be familiar like “Part of your World,” sung in a breathtakingly beautiful voice by Ariel (Diana Huey) and “Kiss the Girl” sung pleadingly in calypso by Sebastian (Dana Orange). Another audience favorite is “Positoovity” cheerfully sung by Scuttle (Ellie Moonie) and  “Les Poissons” energetically sung by  Chef  Louis ( Ben Dibble). The costumes and sets are electrifying. Flotsam (Adam Hoyak) and Jetsam (Jessie Jones) are “eye-popping” as they glide across the stage effortlessly to help Ursula (Rebecca Robbins). Rebecca brings down the house with several of her numbers as well although the audience isn’t cheering her on but appreciating her talent. The choreography is well done and the costumes are unique. Costume Designer Mary Folino created many colorful costumes to produce “Under the Sea” and additionally made the mermaids seem believable with the addition of long scarves attached to their sides.. Ariel is frequently swimming. Diana Huey is  perfect for this role. Her body movements when swimming replicate the mermaid’s movements in the animated movie version of The Little Mermaid. For more information or tickets to this brilliant holiday production, call 215- 574-3550 or visit online at WalnutStreetTheatre.org. Guests must be fully vaccinated and show proof of vaccination before entering the theatre. All must wear a mask.

Lantern Theater Company's The Plague

            

                           Ensemble Cast        

                          

The Plague, adapted  from Albert Camus’ La Peste, will be live-streamed as filmed from Lantern Theater’s main stage through Nov. 7. An all-star cast featuring Anthony Lawton as Dr. Rieux, Peter  DeLaurier as Jean Tarrou, Kirk Wendell Brown as Grand, J. Hernandez as Raymond Rambert, and Amanda Schoonover as Cottard certainly does not disappoint. I would go anywhere to see Anthony Lawton perform; the other four members of the cast give memorable performances as well. Following words hurled onto the stage in quick succession – “odd” “out of place” “out of the ordinary,” "ugly”-  Dr. Rieux recounts  the tale of two dead rats found in a hallway in the middle of April. By the end of April there is a death count of 8,000 people in the town and in the beginning of May one of the characters announces that no one is qualified to isolate anyone who is sick. There is an urge to avoid a panic. Camus wrote La Peste as a reminder of a cholera epidemic but also as a metaphor for rising fascism. Camus continues with death tolls, madness in the streets and looting. Eventually, when a serum is finally developed, there are some deniers who refuse to have the hope that is offered. Written in the 1940’s, it is all too uncomfortably a mirror for our present-day lives. Neil Bartlett’s adaptation, The Plague, is haunting. This stellar cast presents a performance that reverberates long after the final words are spoken.

Felicia Boswell and Company

 

The Walnut Street Theatre, located at 825 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pa. has opened its 2021-2022 season with an exciting musical tribute to some of the greatest musical voices of our time: Beehive – The 60’s Musical. Created by Larry Gallagher and directed and choreographed by Richard Stafford, the show will be presented through October 31. The show begins with a black and white video from the 60’s as the 6 girls enter the stage- Jasmine- ( Ayana Major Bey ), Alison-( Lindsey Bliven ), Wanda-( Felicia Boswell ), Laura- (Sara Gallo ), Gina – (Karissa Harris ) and  Pattie – ( Bonnie Kelly ). They introduce The Name Game to the audience and ask for volunteers. The entire audience becomes involved as it is played three times and then again with each actor. The entire first act is high energy as there are quick costume and wig changes  off stage while one actor has a solo or three sing together on stage. Everyone has a chance for a solo, whether it is “Where the Boys Are “ against a curtain with a gown that matches its color in a shimmering blue, or “My Boyfriend’s Back” against a background of a video showing snapshots of a myriad of young men. The second act features tributes to individual performers  such as Tina Turner, Janis Joplin, and Aretha Franklin. The talent of these young actors is extraordinary. The audience wants to sing along with old-time favorites and roars appreciatively along with each rendition. Costume designer Mary Folino had an enormous task supplying an abundance of costumes and she accomplished it superbly. For more information or tickets to this toe-tapping show, call 215-574-3550 , 800-982-2787 or visit www.walnutstreettheatrer.org ticketmaster.com

BRT Presents...

                                                                      Joe Kinosian

Bristol Riverside  Theatre, located at 120 Radcliffe Street in Bristol, Pa, is presenting Murder for Two, a wickedly funny murder mystery musical through October 10, 2021. In it, one actor plays the detective, and another actor portrays a myriad of suspects. Joe Kinosian not only co-authored the book along with Kellen Blair and composed the music while Blair composed the lyrics, but he also brilliantly portrays a wide variety of suspects, both male and female. Martin Landry portrays  Marcus, “the detective.”  They take turns accompanying each other on the piano. Both men not only have an excellent sense of comic timing, but they are also accomplished musicians as well. Marcus has a limited amount of time to solve the mystery of who murdered Arthur Whitney. There are a few running “gags” throughout the 90-minute performance that have the audience roaring in their seats. Other funny lines are more subtle, and you can find yourself laughing out loud when you least expect it. The ending has a twist. Who knows who has seen it coming? Proof of vaccination and ID was checked at the theatre’s entrance and the whole procedure went very smoothly. For tickets or  more information visit brtstage.org or call 215-785-0100.