Jimmy Buffett's Escape to Margaritaville

Walnut Street Theatre, located at 825 Walnut Street, is presenting Jimmy Buffett's Escape to Margaritaville  through April 30, 2023. Walnut Street’s main stage is literally transformed into an island paradise and the audience is along for a fun-filled experience. The ensemble cast is very talented. Matteo Scammell, as Tulley, has several opportunities to demonstrate his  voice with his guitar. Amanda Robles, as Rachel, harmonizes very nicely with him. Dana Orange portraying Jamal,  blows everyone away with his version of Volcano, lamenting, ”I don’t know where to go when the volcano blow.” Kelly J. Mazzella as  Tammy, a few days before her wedding day, has an unlikely pairing with bartender Brick, played by Zach Kononov.  Both are delightful to watch and  listen to. The ensemble is an excellent arm of the show. Experiencing  the production is  relaxing, entertaining, and laugh-out-loud funny. One of the songs requires audience participation and the audience loves the involvement. Laughter rings out throughout the theatre. Sets are always an integral part of the production at the Walnut but Brian Froonjian’s scenic designs are incredible. Sets roll out seamlessly one in front of another and others drop from the ceiling. At one minute you find yourself on the beach during the day, then  you're in the middle of starlit- trees at night. It is glorious.  For more information or tickets, call 215-574-3550; visit online at WalnutStreetTheatre.org or visit the box office at 825   Walnut Street.

 

Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill

 

Philadelphia Theatre Company is presenting Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill  through April 30, 2023. Billy Holliday’s last performance was in Emerson’s Bar & Grill, a dive-bar in Philadelphia in 1959. Philadelphia Theatre Company has set its stage to mimic an intimate nightclub setting with small high-top tables and a bar. Seating is on a first come, first served, basis, so arrive early, get seated,  and have a drink before the show. Laurin Talese brings her classically trained voice to the stage to emulate the late Billie Holiday’s. Singing over a dozen numbers  in the persona of Lady Day, Ms. Talese captivates the audience in this intimate setting with her powerful voice and spot-on interpretation of a performer who is having a difficult time “holding on.” The numbers are  roughly a  recitation of her struggles in  life and are frequently washed down with a glass of "whiskey."  Her performance is riveting and certainly enhanced by her pianist, Musical Director, Will Brock, who portrays Billie Holliday’s right hand-man Jimmy Powers. Both performers are outstanding.

Lantern's 2023-24 Season

 

The Lantern Theater Company, located  in the St. Stephen’s Theater, 10^th and Ludlow Streets, has announced the schedule for its upcoming 2023-2024 theatre season. The first play of their  30^th Anniversary Season will be Moliere’s  TARTUFFE. directed by  Charles McMahon. It will run from September  7- October 8, 2023, with the PRESS OPENING on Wednesday 13, 2023  at 7:OO p.m. Prim and devout Orgon invites Tartuffe , a charlatan, into his household, laying the scene for social outrage. The next play is Crumbs From the Table of Joy by Lynn Nottage which will run from November 9 – December 10. 2023 with a PRESS OPENING on Wednesday, November 15, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. The Crump family is newly landed in Brooklyn from the South and are seeking their place in the Philadelphia-based Father Divine movement, but their two teenage daughters are uncomfortable with their father’s religious strictures. They  are given encouragement from their carefree and lively communist Aunt Lily. The third offering is Faith Healer  Brian Friel and directed by Peter DeLaurier from February 1-March 3. 2024 with a PRESS OPENING on Wednesday, February 7. 2024 at 7:00 P.M. The Lantern Theater Company produces one  of Shakespeare’s works every year. Next year, it will be The Comedy of Errors, directed by Charles McMahon from May 16- June 16, 2024, with the PRESS OPENING on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at 7:00 P.M. 2023-24 The Special Holiday Production is Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol from December 2-27, 2023. This is an original adaptation by Anthony Lawton in collaboration with Christopher Colucci and Thom Weaver. For tickets, call 215- 829-0395 or visit online at www.lanterntheater.org.

 

Beetlejuice

                The Kimmel Cultural Campus and the Shubert Organization will be presenting Beetlejuice  from May 30 - June 11, 2023, as part of the Broadway Philadelphia series. Based on Tim Burton’s film, this musical comedy tells the story  of an unusual teen whose life changes when she meets a recently deceased couple and a demon in stripes. The set is sure to please with over 100 special effects and optical illusions. Many members of the design team have been nominated for or have won Tony’s for work in their field. This promises to be a raucous delight. Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-895-1999 or visiting online at www.kimmelculturalcampus.org.

                            

SIX

                                                               SIX Wives of Henry VIII

 The Kimmel Cultural Campus and the Shubert Organization are presenting the marvelous musical , SIX through April 9, 2023. Inspired by the six wives of Henry VIII, this modern tale relates the woes of each wife through song, as the queens compete to re-count their misery. ….divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. The Tudor Queens try to outdo each other with their laments at the microphone and with their choreography.  The songs are high-energy and the arrangements are a delight.   The lighting design is phenomenal. The lights serve as a backdrop at the rear of the set, but they are so much more than that as they change and move about and leave the audience awestruck. This show rocks! For tickets call 215-893-1999, visit online at www.kimmelculturalcampus.org  or buy tickets in person from 10 a. m. -  6 p.m. daily at the Academy of Music Box Office located at 240 S. Broad Street.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

                                                       Alanna Smith  &  Matthew Amira

Walnut Street Theatre, located at 825 Walnut Street, is presenting  Tennessee Williams’   The
Cat on the Hot Tin Roof  through March 12, 2023. The audience is immediately taken to the sweltering Mississippi Delta, both with the large tree from the plantation, dripping with moss and with the way Maggie disrobes in the heat. Maggie (Alanna Smith) is the Cat who stubbornly tries to gain the interest of her husband Brick (Matthew Amira) who has lost interest in anything outside of alcohol. The family has gathered to celebrate Big Daddy’s( Scott Greer) birthday, but the special day  has a cloud over it. Scott Greer is phenomenal as always. This role was written for him!  Wendy Scharfman  is excellent as Big Mama. Never believing the unkind words Big Daddy speaks, she is the perfect, “little woman.” Alanna Smith has a tremendous task trying to seduce her husband and appear sexy with every move. Although the seduction may be in doubt, her role as a cat on a hot tin roof  is superb. The four young children are delightful. The design staff is brilliant. Roman Tatarowicz designed a set that had several entrances Most of the drama  centers in one room but there are accesses to the outdoors. Sound Designer Christopher Colucci  and Lighting Designer Shon Causer arranged amazing thunder and lightning events. Costume Designer Mary Folino and Wig Designer Carissa Thorlakson prepared clothes and wigs for the 1950’s era. This is a fascinating look at a dysfunctional family where each family member has its own agenda and is just trying to survive. For tickets call 215-574-2550 or visit  walnutstreettheatre.org. or ticketmaster.com 

 

EmpathitRaX

                                                    MAKOTO HIRANO & CLAIRE INIE-RICHARDS

Philadelphia Theatre Company, residing in the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, is presenting EmpathitRaX through March 5, 2023. All of the actors and designers in this production are Philadelphia based. This  futuristic one-act, in which a person can know how someone else is feeling just by swallowing a pill and touching them, has many scenes which are delineated by a blackout accompanied  by a short musical interlude. The star of the production has to be Stage Manager Leslie Ann Boyden, for while the ensemble cast of Makoto Hirano, Claire Richards and Matteo Scammell all give credible performances, the speed in which the sets are changed is nothing short of miraculous. Scenic Designer Chris Haig has cleverly designed  sets which can be placed in front of one another and then moved. Sound Designer Jordan McCree has  ingeniously designed the sound of a barking dog which appears to emanate from a dog crate on cue. Does this pill really work ? What happens when the dosages wear off? Can you have the same results  by using your imagination? See this fascinating  production for yourself and decide. For tickets, visit www.philatheatreco.org. or call 215-985-0420 or visit the Box Office , 480 South Broad Street.