Etched in Skin on a Sunlit Night

Olafur, Jonsi and Jules in Iceland

InterAct Theatre located at 2030 Sansom Streets is presenting the World Premiere of Etched in Skin on a Sunlit Night through June 24.  This brilliant piece of theatre has intricately woven plots and subplots that keep the audience glued to the edge of their seats.  Just when the story line seems somewhat clear, one more layer of the onion is peeled away to display yet another portrait of the tortured Jules, the artist in question and the pictures she is giving birth to... Phyllis Johnson portrays Jules, a black ex-patriot American who has fled to Iceland to make a new life for herself.   Johnson does exceptional work as Jules is simultaneously mired down with three conflicts... with her husband Olafur, portrayed by Ian Bedford, with Warton, another black American visiting Iceland who is portrayed by Akeem Davis, and most acutely with herself, as is sometimes is shown by an Icelandic spirit or alter ego Jonsi, portrayed by Jared McLenigan.  Warton and Jules are both hiding secrets that they only share with each other and Olafur has secrets of his own which are known only by the man in the street. Thrown into the mix is the innocence of an 8 year old, the beautiful and talented Aria Jones who portrays Kina, the biracial daughter of Olafur and Jules. This outstanding production asks more questions than it answers.  Why would a white father give his biracial daughter a book that clearly denigrates blacks?  Of all the characters, who has the most to atone for? Would it make a difference in their lives if the whole truth were known? Can you ever  “go home” again?  Most playwrights tie up all the loose ends very nicely by the end of their work.  Kara Lee Corthron leaves you thirsting for more. For tickets or further information call 215-568-8079 or visit online at   wwww.InterActTheatre.org.

Etched inSkin on a Sunlit Night

Olafur, Jonsi, Jules

InterAct Theatre located at 2030 Sansom Streets is presenting  the World Premiere  of Etched in Skin on a Sunlit Night through June 24.This brilliant piece of theatre has intricately woven plots and subplots that keep the audience glued to the edge of their seats.. Just when the story line seems  somewhat clear, one more layer of the onion is peeled away to display yet another picture of Jules, the artist in question and the pictures she is giving birth  to... Phyllis Johnson, portrays Jules a black expatriot American who has fled to Iceland to make a new life for herself. Johnson does an outstanding  job as Jules is mired down in three conflicts.. with her husband Olafur, portrayed by Ian Bedford, with Warton, another black American visiting Iceland who is portrayed by Akeem Davis and most acutely with herself, as is sometimes is shown by an alter ego Jonsi, portrayed by Jared McLenigan.  Warton and Jules are both hiding secrets that they only share with each other and Olafur has secrets of his own which are known only by the man in the street. Thrown into the mix is the innocence of an 8 year old , beautiful and talented Aria Jones who portrays Kina, the biracial daughter of Olafur and Jules. This outstanding production asks more questions than it answers. Why would a white father give his biracial daughter a book that clearly denigrates blacks? And why, if he had no prejudice at all as he claimed, would he ask the question, “Why would I marry a black woman in a white country like Iceland if were prejudiced?” It made me wonder why that question would even enter his head. And of all the characters, who had the most to atone for and would it make a difference in their lives once the truth was known. Most playwrights tie up all the loose ends very nicely by the end of their work.  Kara Lee Corthron  leaves you thirsting for more. For tickets or further information visit online at  wwww.InterActTheatre.org. or  call 215-568-8079.

Tulipomania : The Musical

The Arden Theatre, located at 40 N. 2^nd Street, is producing Tulipomania: The Musical through July 1.  The orchestra is effectively seated on a deck making a slight overhang  above the rear of the stage. Some of the best  work in the show can be attributed to Scenic Designer James Kronzer and Sound Designer  Jorge Cousineau.  The plot of Tulipomania, although drawn from an actual tulip bulb craze which consumed the Netherlands in 1634, is a bit too thin to support a musical, even a one-act one.  The songs, while a bit contrived, do serve to move the story along. Solos by Alex Keiper as the young Woman and Joilet F Harris as Woman are strong. The dance routine by Adam Heller as Man is well executed.  The actors perform well while taking on multiple roles. For tickets or further information call 215-922-8900 or visit online at www.ardentheatre.org.

The Dybbik

EgoPo Classic Theater has done it again!  The company has made a brilliant choice by closing its Festival of Jewish Theater Season with A Dybbuk. The production can be seen through June 17 on the 2^nd floor stage of The Prince Music Theater. A Dybbuk tells the spellbinding story of a young Yeshiva student, greatly interested in the Kabbalah, and his all-consuming   love for the daughter of a rich man. When her father refuses to consider him as a suitable mate for his daughter, the student stops eating and eventually dies with unfulfilled desire. Death, however, does not end his quest and his ghost enters the young girl on the day of her proposed wedding to a bridegroom of her father’s choosing.  It is because it was destined that the two young people be wed that a dybbuk is born and refuses to leave the body of his loved one. Can a rabbi’s exorcism separate the two souls living as one? EgoPo’s strong ensemble cast of 10, while creating over 40 characters in this tale of Jewish mysticism, brings comic relief to an otherwise dark stage. Ed Swidey’s rock-solid performance as Messenger who oversees all events in the tale sets the tone for the presentation.  Robert DaPonte’s transformation from an introverted Yeshiva student to an angry dybbuk is stellar. Rachel Kitson’s performance as Leah, the young woman possessed by a dybbuk, is electrifying. For information on how to catch a glimpse of life in a small Polish village and its roots in Jewish superstition and mysticism, call 267-273-1414 or visit online at www.egopo.org.