Equivocation

play rehearsal for the king

The Arden Theatre, located at 40 N. 2^nd Street, is presenting Equivocation on its Arcadia stage through December 13. The production boasts an exceptionally  talented and seasoned ensemble cast. With the exception of Eric Hissom, who gives a commanding performance as Shag and Campbell O’Hare who is making her Arden debut as Judith, the rest of the cast deftly play multiple roles.  Dan Hodge, Sean Lally, Ian Merrill Peakes and Anthony Lawton so quickly morph from friends of Shag’s, to actors in the Globe Theatre Company, to members of the King’s court, and back again that it is sometimes difficult to keep track of the plot. The complex story line involves an historical event known as The Gunpowder Plot in which there was an assassination attempt on England’s King James I in 1605. The plot was discovered and many plotters were tortured and hung for treason. Shag is commissioned to write a play about the event but both he and his fellow actors have trouble finding the drama believable as they rehearse various rewrites. Fortunately the king who has commissioned the play is Scottish and loves witches, which gives Shag some last minute reprieve. If the plot of Equivocation is sometimes bothersome the acting never is. The entire cast turns in outstanding performances. For more information or tickets, call 215-922-1122, visit online at www.ardentheatre.org or walk –up to the box office at 40 N. 2^nd Street.

TORUK The First Flight

Cirque du Soliel presents

TORUK – The First Flight

Written and directed by Michael Lemieux 

and Victor Pilon

       Inspired by James Cameron’s AVATAR

    Preview in Allentown Dec 4 -6 at PPL Center!

ToruK- The First Flight will be presented by Visa Signature in cities around the world. Narrated by a “Na’vi Storyteller” and occupied by memorable characters, TORUK – The First Flight is a mythical tale set thousands of years before the events depicted in the film AVATAR.  When a natural catastrophe threatens to destroy the Tree of Souls, two young boys on the threshold of adulthood set out with their newfound friend Tsyal on a quest to find the mighty red and orange predator that rules the Pandoran sky. The prophecy is fulfilled when a pure soul rises among the clans to ride Toruk for the first time and save the Na’vi from a terrible fate. Toruk- The First Flight will have a soft opening on Nov 12 in Bossier City Louisiana.  The world premiere will be held on December 21 in Montreal Canada. In an effort to have audience members completely immersed in the show, Cirque du Soliel will be launching a first-of-a-kind app for TORUK- The First Flight. The app will enhance the overall show experience and enable audience members to be part of the action before, during and after the performance. To purchase tickets, visit https://www.cirquedusoliel.com/toruk. 

Disgraced

Amir, Emily,Isaac & Jory
making a toast

The Philadelphia Theatre Company, located in the Suzanne Roberts Theater, Broad and Lombard Streets, is presenting Ayad Akhtar’s Pulitzer Prize winning Disgraced through November 8. This stimulating and provocative drama will have your head spinning for days. When an upper class Pakistani lawyer and his American wife invite a colleague and her husband to dinner, what begins with a cordial toast ends as an incendiary evening that leaves the audience gasping for breath. Amir (Pej Vahdat) is a self-proclaimed non-believer of Muslim descent, yet he is angered that his nephew Abe (Anthony Mustafa Adair) has Anglicized his name. .Friction ensues when his wife Emily (Monette Magrath), a white American girl, is making a name for herself in the art world by embracing the symbolism of Muslim art. .Emily has kept a secret from her husband Amir; Jory (Aimé Donna Kelly) has kept a secret from her colleague Amir; but it’s when Jory’s husband Isaac, the Jewish art critic (Ben Graney) gets into a discussion about Palestinians and Israelis, that sparks start to ignite. Suddenly the evening is no longer a polite social gathering as deeply ingrained feelings bubble to the surface. :”You don’t mean to say that you felt proud during 9/11?” Isaac asks in shock. “Maybe I did, just a little bit,” Amir responds. And the wreckage mounts from there .By the end of the evening, five lives are in ruins and the audience is in a state of shock. This show is not for the faint of heart but it is so captivating and thought provoking, such a magnificent study of human nature that you must make every effort to see it before it closes. Tickets are available at 215-985-0420 or by visiting online at PhiladelphiaTheatreCompany.org. 

Bullets Over Broadway The Musical

Broadway Philadelphia, presented collaboratively by the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and the Shubert Organization, is presenting the national tour of Bullets Over Broadway through Nov. 1 at the Academy of Music. You won’t be dodging a bullet by skipping this show. .This is one stream of bullets you won’t want to miss. It is an explosive night of fun! When unsuccessful playwright David Shayne, (Michael Williams), needs funding for a Broadway production, he unknowingly accepts underwriting from mob boss Nick Valenti( Michael Corvino). There is only one caveat: Nick’s girlfriend must have a part in the play. And then all hell breaks loose. Michael William, with his many solos and his homespun little boy charm, outshines his counterpart on Broadway. Olive (Jemma Jane) hysterically portrays the “dumb blonde” wannabe actress, demonstrating her skills with “The Hot Dog Song.“ All of the female leads, Hanna Rose DeFlumeri, Emma Stratton and Rachel Bahler prove they can belt out a song to ring through the rafters (which is no small accomplishment in the Academy of Music). And while the singing is  certainly memorable, it is the dancing in this production that is mind-boggling. The female dancers are in several ensembles with an array of costumes. They waltz, tap and shimmy their way into everyone’s hearts. The gangsters are phenomenal. Never before have so many pair of male feet so completely captivated an audience by their exquisite tap routines. Cheech (Jeff Brooks) is perhaps the biggest surprise of the show. As Nick Valenti’s right-hand man, he sits in rehearsals to keep an eye on Olive and becomes a clandestine playwright. His rich voice resonates in ensemble or solo pieces (“Up a Lazy River,” “Tain’t Nobody’s business if I Do”) and his ability to enter an ongoing line of a tap routine without missing a beat is a pure delight to watch. Tickets for this Philadelphia premiere of the National Tour of Bullets Over Broadway   are available by calling 215-731-3333, visiting online at kimmelcenter.org/broadway, or at the Kimmel Center box office, Broad and Spruce Sts.( open daily 10 am to 6 om) or at the Academy of Music box office, Broad and Locust Sts. (open during performances only.

Rizzo

Scott Greer & Amanda Schoonover

The set of Theatre Exile’s production of Bruce Graham’s world premiere of Rizzo is minimalistic, but the performance of Scott Greer and the ensemble cast is anything but. Scott Greer’s performance is explosive as he portrays the volatile Frank Rizzo journeying through his years as a Philadelphia policeman, Police Commissioner and Mayor. While Damon Bonetti, as a reporter, keeps Rizzo on track throughout, the ensemble cast of Robert Daponte, Akeem Davis, Paul L Nolan, William Rahill and Amanda Schoohover weave flawlessly through Rizzo’s life-story  animatedly appearing as multiple characters front and center and dynamically interacting with Scott Greer. The Rizzo years are vividly retold by this exceptionally talented cast. Theatre Exile’s production of Rizzo, based on Rizzo: The Last Big Man in Big City America by Sal Paolantonio is being presented at the Christ Church Neighborhood Playhouse through Nov. 7. Whether you were a fan of Frank Rizzo during his tenure, couldn't abide the man, or never lived anywhere near Philadelphia during the Rizzo era and had no personal connection with the larger-than-life politico, you will be enthralled by this performance.  Tickets are available by calling (215) 218-4022 or visiting online at www.theatreexile.org. 

Metamorphoses

Wow! There is a theatrical production unlike any other appearing now at the Arden Theatre, 40 N. 2^nd Street through Nov.1. Metamorphoses is in a class of its own. To say that it is being presented on the F. Otto Haas mainstage would be somewhat of a misnomer, as most of the play’s action takes place in a pool, which holds 26,000 gallons of water and has its base temperature at slightly over 100 degrees. The imagery is exquisite.  The choreography is breath-taking. Led by director Doug Hara who performed in the first production of Metamorphoses in 1998, the ten-member cast takes on 50 different roles. Celebrated playwright Mary Zimmerman has adapted the 2000 year old classic myths of Ovid, weaving spellbinding tales of a variety of gods and their interactions among themselves as well as with mortals. There is not much time left in the run; if you haven’t seen this production yet, run to your phone, computer or Arden box office before the show leaves town. Tickets may be obtained by calling 215-922-1122, visiting online at www.ardentheatre.org or by walking up at the box office, 40 N 2^nd Street.