Charlotte's Web

 

                                        

                                                     Ensemble Cast of Charlotte's Web

Arden’s Children Theatre is presenting its 4^th iteration of Charlotte’s Web on its F. Otto Haas main stage through January 29, 2023. It was adapted from E.B White's book by Joseph Robinette. Casie Girvin is a beautiful Charlotte and trained with the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts for this role. She makes her entrance into Wilbur the pig's barn by sliding upside down on silk scarves and then walking backwards like a spider followed by a few tumbles. She vows to save her friend’s Wilbur life. “If I can fool a bug, I can fool a man,” she muses and then spins “Some Pig” in her web. Of course it is seen as a miracle by Wilbur’s owner, and when it is replaced by “terrific, and “radiant,”  Mr. Zuckerburg decides to spare Wilbur's life and take him to the County Fair. The farm also has a  Goose and Gander who speak everything in triplicate and a rat who scavenges everywhere for bits to eat. Wilbur befriends all but his best friend is Charlotte who is works very hard to save him but becomes exhausted while doing so. When she spins a sack with over 500 eggs and tells Wilbur she will die before they are hatched, Wilbur promises to watch over them. Wilbur ends by contemplating that “It isn’t often that someone comes along who is a good friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.” This is a show that can be enjoyed by audiences of all ages. The young children present asked very serious questions of the actors. My 14 year-old granddaughter, who had seen the show in 2018, really enjoyed it, and I thought the performance was very well done.  Tickets may be purchased at the Arden Box Office or online at ardentheatre.org. 

This Is The Week That Is

                                                      Patsy ( Jen Childs ) on her stoop

1812 Productions, Philadelphia’s only All Comedy Theatre Company, is presenting its annual political satire This Is The Week That Is  at Plays and Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey Place, through December 31, 2022. The extremely talented 7-member ensemble cast is composed of both veterans and new members, all of whom have demonstrated talent in singing, dancing, writing, and being outrageously funny. Jennifer Childs is the head writer; Sean Close heads the news desk and Pax Ressler is the music director when not performing. Benson Thomas, Jackie Soro, Lexi Thammavong, and Robyn Unger round out the cast, all of whom open the show with banter back and forth about why 2022 is not an ”idyllic” year. A humorous sketch follows: Biden in Jeopardy which has 3 ages of Biden competing for the correct answers. The audience roars at the final jeopardy question “Where is Kamala?”

This is the 17^th year for this production, and it is one of the freshest and most clever that I have ever seen. ( I have seen all but the  initial one. ) Instead of bringing audience members up to the stage and perhaps embarrassing them, this year all audience members are asked to answer a brief survey and place their answers in a box. Cast members later take a few of the papers, call out the audience member's name and comment on what is written or compose songs on the spot incorporating the information. The audience members can be embarrassed right in the comfort of their own seats!

Perhaps the most original part of the evening was four Christmas songs vying for most popular: “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” and “Frosty the Snowman.”  The first was represented by a Santa; the second by a woman in a nightgown using a walker to gets around; the third was dressed in brown fur with a red nose and the fourth had a hat, a carrot nose, and two branches for arms. An audience vote was taken between the first two and Santa won. In the contest between the next two, Frosty won. It was announced that the audience would get a chance to vote between Frosty and Santa in the second Act. 

The Philadelphia take on the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy is excellent. The little girl rejects a nutcracker and instead happily takes a “Gritty “ doll to bed with her and dreams of a life-sized Gritty who dances with her.

Unexpectedly a negative ad is projected onto one of the three screens. Two legs are shown. “Is this what you want your children to see? VOTE NO for I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.”

The Second Act determines the winner of the favorite Christmas song, has all of the up-to date news and of course, Patsy from her stoop on Schunk  Street.

If you have seen This Is The Week That Is before, you will probably be thinking about seeing it this year. If you are hesitating, don’t, because this year the show is fabulous. If you have never seen it, you must. You won’t be sorry. For more information or tickets, visit 1812productions.org.

Jagged Little Pill

The Kimmel Cultural Campus and The Shubert Organization will present the Broadway hit Jagged Little Pill at the Academy of Music from January 3 – 15, 2023. Inspired by the rock album of the same name by seven-time Grammy Award winner Alanis Morissette , Jagged Little Pill is part of the 2022-23 Broadway Series. 

 

Jagged Little Pill is a jukebox musical featuring Alanis Morissette’s groundbreaking hit songs such as “You Oughta Know,” and “Head Over Feet.” It interweaves the songs with the pain of the fictional Healy family and ultimately tells their story of healing and empowerment. The Healy’s appear to be an ideal suburban family – but when the cracks beneath them begin to surface, they must choose between maintaining the status quo, or facing the jarring truth about themselves, their community, and the world around them. 

 

Jagged Little Pill officially opened on Broadway on December 5, 2019, at the Broadhurst Theatre after beginning previews November 3.  Heidi Blickenstaff will reprise her role from the Broadway production as Mary Jane Healy; she is joined by Lauren Chanel  as Frankie Healy, Chris Hoch as Steve Healy and Dillon Klena as Nick Healy. The cast also includes Jade McLeod as Jo and Allison Sheppard as Bella. 

  

In the fall of 2020, the musical garnered a season-leading 15 Tony Nominations – including Best Musical – and Grand Central Publishing released a coffee table book that followed the journey of Jagged Little Pill to Broadway, with behind-the-scenes photos and stories from Alanis Morissette, Diablo Cody, the cast, and more. Following the show’s big Grammy Award win in 2021, Jagged Little Pill also won Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical (Diablo Cody) and Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Lauren Patten).  

  

Follow @jaggedmusical on Twitter, @jaggedlittlepill on Instagram, and @jaggedmusical on Facebook 

 

CINDERELLA

     Kathryn Brunner & Rebecca Robbins

 

Walnut Street Theatre at 825 Walnut Street is presenting CINDERELLA through its now extended date of December 31, 2022. Originally written for television, this Rogers and Hammerstein’s musical has been updated to include messages of kindness and care for the common folk of the prince’s realm. This production is an absolute delight for audiences of all ages. My 14-year-old granddaughter who has grown up with the theatre since attending the WST children’s theatre as a tot, was enamored with the sets , the costumes, the dancing, and the music. Kathryn Brunner is a marvelous Cinderella. With wondrous stage presence, a beautiful smile, and a gorgeous voice, she sings many solos as well as duets with Prince Topher ( Brent Thiessen ), Marie ( Rebecca Robbins) and songs with Madame (Mary Martello) and her stepsisters. Not only are the solos and duets delightful, but the ensemble numbers are also incredible both vocally and with the beautiful choreography of Gerry McIntyre. The most astounding moments of the production are the two times that Marie takes a wand, tells  CINDERELLA to twirl around and her everyday dress becomes a ballgown. It defies explanation! For more information or tickets to this amazing show, call 215-574-3550 or 800-982-2787, or visit online at www.walnutstreettheatre.org or ticketmaster.com.

A Soldier's Play

 The Kimmel Cultural Campus and the Shubert Organization will be presenting the Philadelphia Premiere of Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of  A Soldier’s Play January 24 - February 5, 2023, at the Forrest Theatre. This show  not only won the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, but it also received a 2022 Tony Award for best revival of a play. A Black sergeant is murdered on a Louisiana  Army base in 1944. An investigation leads to questions about service and loyalty to the country. Emmy, Tony, and SAG Award nominee Norm Lewis will star as 'Captain Richard Davenport.’ Joining  him will be Broadway, TV and film star Eugene Lee who originated the role of ‘Corporal Bernard Cobb’ in the original 1981 Off-Broadway production of  A Soldier’s Play.  In this production he will have the role of 'Sergeant Vernon C. Waters.'  Tickets can be purchased by calling 212-239-6200, visiting telecharge.com or appearing in person, beginning on January 3, 2023, at  the Forrest Théâtre box office, 1114 Walnut Street.

Tina - The Tina Turner Musical

                                                                        Naomi Rodgers

Tina – The Tina Turner Musical, part of the Kimmel Campus’ and The Shubert Organization’s Broadway series, is appearing at the Academy of Music through December 4, 2022. This extremely energetic show is double cast with Naomi Rodgers and Zurin Villanueva sharing the title role, starring in four performances each, every week. Naomi has phenomenal stage presence, and her voice resonates throughout every tier of the Academy of Music as she belts out number after number.  Ayvah Johnson, who portrays a young “Anna-Mae” has a powerful voice that belies her pint-size. Through an impressive amount of musical and dance numbers,  Tina – The Tina Turner Musical  reveals the heartache Tina endured from the time her mother abandoned her, through her 16 years of an abusive marriage to Ike Turner (Garrett Turner), through  her difficulties in getting established as a solo artist. The choreography is excellent not only for Tina, but for the Ikettes who accompany her, and for the ensemble dancers as well. Interestingly to note, that while there is a small orchestra on stage for several of Ike and Tina's song and dance numbers, local musicians are used to enrich the core orchestration. Costume and wig changes are brilliantly done. Tina frequently has one costume covering another which is stripped away while the audience’s attention is elsewhere. Projections are an important part of this production. They are innumerable and extraordinarily effective. The finale is nothing short of fabulous. It has people clapping, dancing in the aisle, and bringing forth two encores. For tickets to this excellent show, call 215-893-1999, visit online at www.kimmelculturalcampus.org or visit the Box Office of the Academy of Music,  240 S. Broad Street from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

The Tattooed Lady

                                                          Jackie Hoffman et. al. in rehearsal

The Philadelphia Theatre Company is presenting the World Premiere Musical  of The Tattooed Lady through November 20, 2022, at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 South Broad Street. Starring Jackie Hoffman, the musical is based on a book by Erin Courtney and Max Vernon with music, lyrics, and orchestrations by Max Vernon. This is a very innovative show. Based on some of the history of the tattooed ladies in circus side-shows in the19th Century, The Tattooed Lady  uses songs, dance, and humor to make a plea for accepting differences in bodies and embracing those differences. Jackie Hoffman portrays a Grandma, dressed in sweats and sneaks, who is against any art that is not “normal” and is bothered by an exhibit at the library which probably has some tattoos displayed. She encourages her granddaughter, Joy (Maya Lagerstam)   to have her views. When Bob, ( Anthony Lawton) an old friend of  Grandma’s, appears on her doorstep with a huge trunk, lives are about to change. Joy gets sent upstairs. (This is a beautifully constructed, two- story set. ) Then Bob begs Ida to return to her old life. After she refuses, he opens the trunk to try to convince her, and out climb several tattooed ladies, including a younger version of herself. Through song and dance the story of her life is told in retrospect. There are many enjoyable musical numbers in this rock musical. Joy returns downstairs and sings a powerful solo of her own, The  show is a fast-paced two-and one-half hour production. It is light and humorous yet  generates some strong truths about the importance of the acceptance of one’s own body and beliefs. Tickets and more information are available at 215-985-0420, online at www.philatheatreco.org or in person during box office hours.