Fiddler on the Roof

male ensemble dancing in wedding  scene

The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is presenting the Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof  through   October 28, 2018 at the Academy of Music. In keeping with the underlying theme of “tradition” which runs throughout the production, Broadway Philadelphia’s opening night production of Fiddler was preceded by a Philadelphia tradition - the march of the Quaker City String Band parading down Broad Street from the Kimmel Center to the Academy of Music strumming highlights from the show. Fiddler on the Roof revamped is fresh and delightful. The simplicity of the sets is ingenious. Against a stark background, buildings are dropped from the ceiling to denote a new scene and free-standing doors fire up the imagination. In contrast, the dream sequence, is bedecked with outrageous costumes. It is simply brilliant with its special effects of billowing smoke and lightning. Yehezkel Lazarov gives an exceptionally strong performance as Tevya.  Maite Uzal,(Golde) shines in "Do you love me?". When the entire cast sings together, the result is rapturous. Additional highlights of the production are the extraordinary dance numbers of the male ensemble. Their routines are breathtaking. Fiddler on the Roof ends with a new beginning as the entire cast is onstage circling around in spectacular silhouette while the orchestra plays strands of the overture. For more information or tickets to perhaps the best musical of all time,call 215-893-1999, visit www.kimmelcenter.org or Kimmel Center Box Office.

Sweat

 Matteo Scammell, Rich  Hebert,
Walter DeShields & Kittson O'Neill

The Philadelphia Theatre Company, housed in the Suzanne Roberts Theatre at 480 S. Broad Street, is presenting the Pulitzer Prize winning drama, Sweat through November 4, 2018. Based on the hardships a blue-collar town faces when it loses a good percentage of its industry, Sweat gives an intimate look at several members of the community and what they have to do individually and collectively to try to stay afloat when jobs are lost and the choices put on the table are to quit or take a pay cut.  The brilliant nine-member ensemble cast, with their combined Barrymore awards and nominations, directing credits, major film spots and recurring TV roles, greatly contribute to the excellence of this production. The acting is superb. Another commanding cog in the wheel is the outstanding choreography of the intricate fight scene. Yet a third item that will have theatre-goers running out to get tickets for this performance is the multi-media approach employed by scenic and projection designer Christopher Ash. Although most of the action takes place in a bar, playwright Lynn Nottage weaves between the time periods of 2000 and 2008, setting up a mystery of sorts. The multi-media presentations of TV broadcasts and projection collages help to define the politics of the times in which the mystery occurs. For more information or tickets to this exciting production, call 215-985-0420, visit the box office or visit online at philatheatreco.org.

Broken Biscuit

Michael Macri,  Leigha Kato &
Amanda Jill Robinson

1812 Productions, Philadelphia’s all comedy theatre comedy, is presenting the American premiere of Broken Biscuits through October 28, 2018 at Plays & Players Theater, 17^th and Delancey Street. Written by Tom Wells, Broken Biscuits toured the UK in 2016. Set in a working class neighborhood of Yorkshire, England, three 16 year-old outcasts plan their last summer together before college. Megan (Amanda Jill Robinson) is fed up with being branded “the fat one”. Her friend Holly (Leigha Kato) is shy and Ben (Michael Macri) is gay. Megan decides the group will become “cool” by forming a band, even though none of them is a proficient musician. This piece is an excellent study of teenage leadership and how fragile it is. Ms. Robinson’s character portrays strong leadership skills. She is very persuasive to her reluctant friends and sets up a weekly band rehearsal in her shed. Ms. Kato’s Holly is like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. Shy in the beginning of the performance, her character blossoms near the end, singing a song she has written about a boy who comes to her cash register at work. Michael Macri’s character, Ben, comes to terms with his character’s sexuality. Megan does not react well to her friends’ independence. The set is very creative. The shed has a multitude of items hanging on its walls, some of which are useful to Megan and her friends; some of which are useful only to anyone storing tools in a shed. A poster with rip-off numbers indicates the passage of time. Characters leaving by the rear door of the shed and making quick costume changes indicate time passage as well. This is a first-rate production demonstrating the trials of coming of age. For more information or tickets, call 215-5923-9560 or visit www.1812productions.com