Indecent

Ensemble cast

The Arden Theatre Company, located at 40 N. 2^ND Street, is presenting Indecent on its F. Otto Haas stage through June 23, 2019. Indecent tells the true story of Yiddish playwright Shalom Asch who wrote the controversial play God of Vengeance at the turn of the 20^th Century in Eastern Europe. Central to the play is the love story between a brothel owner’s daughter and a prostitute and the anger that consumes the owner when he discovers their romance.  Although the play is a smash hit in Europe, it is surprisingly met with censorship when it travels to the American stage. Indecent is a magnificent production. Jorge Cousineau’s superscript images provide English and Yiddish subtitles to the many songs that are sung accompanied by violin, accordion and clarinet. The superscript also serves to delineate the passage of time and the cities where God of Vengeance is touring. Indecent is beautiful while unfolding its nuances of God of Vengeance. Each time the play is shown in another city, a new line or two is heard. As if peeling layers from an onion, the audience members get a more complete understanding of Shalom Asch's play. Indecent is a brilliant and  powerful portrayal of how immigration and LGBTQ concerns that were a problem over 100 years ago are still a concern for society today. For more information or tickets to this wonderfully moving piece, visit ardentheatre.org.

Legally Blonde

Kathryn Brunner & ensemble

The Walnut Street Theatre, located at 825 Walnut Street, is presenting Legally Blonde: The Musical on its mainstage through July 14, 2019. The setting of the opening number, “Omigod You Guys” is reminiscent of a cross between two smash hits of the '60's… “Bye Bye Birdie” and “Laugh-In”. When Elle’s sorority sisters pop out of their dorm rooms and sing to each other in exuberant fashion, a hit certainly seems to be on the horizon. The choreography done by veteran choreographer Richard Stafford is electrifying and the musical numbers are exciting. The female leads are excellent. Both Elle Woods (Kathryn Brunner) and Paulette (Rebecca Robbins) belt out a song with vitality and verve. Prepare yourself to be blown away as you are transported from a college dorm room in Southern California to a Harvard Law School lecture hall. Elle Woods decides to follow her ex-boyfriend to Harvard law school when he tells her he is looking for someone more “serious”. After studying all summer and making 3 attempts at passing the LSATS, she is enrolled in Harvard Law, only to find that Warner Huntington III (Scott Langdon) has a new girlfriend. Encouraged by her new law school friend Emmett, Elle develops keen legal insights and demonstrates honor and brilliance in the courtroom and loyalty to her client. When the audience isn't laughing at her antics, it is loudly applauding her spunk. Kathryn has been nurtured in the Walnut Street Theatre. As a child of seven she was in The Sound of Music followed by Evita and Annie two years later at the age of 10. Thanks to Jack Mehler the lighting design of Legally Blonde is brilliant. Peter Barbieri’s set design is brilliant as well. There are numerous, excellent, quick set changes, many of which take place while a musical number is being sung center stage. For more information or tickets to this delightful production, call 215-574-3550, 800-982-2787 or visit online at www.walnutstreettheatre.org or Ticketmaster.  

June Events at the Kimmel

The Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia (JOP) will return to Verizon Hall under the leadership of artistic director Terell Stafford on Saturday, June 1, 2019 at 8:00 p.m. The performance will feature special guest, four-time Grammy® Award-nominee and Philadelphia native Joey DeFrancesco on the Fred J, Cooper Memorial Organ. The Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia is a non-profit organization affiliated with Culture Trust Greater Philadelphia and is dedicated to bringing high quality jazz to the greatest number of people. DeFrancesco has toured with renowned artists and has received numerous accolades worldwide. He also hosts a weekly program on SiriusXM Radio’s Real Jazz channel titled “Organized.”

The Kimmel Center Cultural Campus welcomes Italian composer and pianist Ludovico Einaudi for his Seven Days Walking Tour at the Merriam Theater on Saturday, June 1, 2019   at 8:00 p.m. Einaudi has played piano on an Arctic glacier, performed at huge pop music festivals and has become the most streamed classical  artist in the world, but the composer and pianist’s new album may be his most ambitious project to date. Seven Days Walking is comprised of 7 albums, released over  a 7 month period of time.  The themes are an imaginary itinerary that relate to walks that Einaudi took in the Alps. His original music has appeared in countless films.  For more information or tickets, call 215-893-1999 or visit www.kimmelcenter.org. 

The Kimmel Center Cultural Campus welcomes the game show Freakonomics Radio Live! to the Merriam stage on Thursday, June 6, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. in association with AEG.  Coming from NPR’s popular podcast Freakonomics Radio, award-winning journalist, author and host Stephen J. Dubner takes the stage to play “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know.” In this game, contestants get a chance to try and wow Stephen and his co-host with a fascinating fact - a historical wrinkle, a new line of research – anything as long as it’s factual, useful and true. It is complete with human fact checkers; an audience vote decides the winner of this outrageous and educational night.  There will be prizes.  In 2010 Dubner launched his weekly podcast Freakonomics Radio, winning multiple awards. It is now heard by millions on public radio stations throughout the United States.

The Kimmel Center Cultural Campus will be presenting Philadelphia hip-hop legend Rennie Harris with his new work Funkedified at the Merriam Theater on Friday June 7 and Saturday, June 8, 2019. Narrated by Harris, Rennie Harris: Funkedified is a visual navigation of Harris’ journey into funk music and culture which ultimately evolves into hip-hop. In 1992 Lorenzo “Rennie” Harris founded Puremovement, a hip-hop dance theater company dedicated to preserving and disseminating hip-hop culture. Voted one of the most influential people in the last 100 years of Philadelphia history, Mr. Harris has received several accolades, including the Herb Albert Award in the Arts, the Governor’s Arts Award and an honorary doctorate from Bates College. He was a member of several dance groups who have opened and performed with Salt-n-Pepa, Madonna, Sister Sledge and others. He has worked on two dance TV shows and had his own show as well. His acclaimed work, “Lazarus” was presented by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Company in the Academy of Music in February 2019. His most recent work appeared on the Kimmel Center Cultural Campus as part of PHILADANCO: Dance Philly Style in April 2019.

The Improvised Shakespeare Company will be appearing at the Perelman Theater on Friday, June 7 and Saturday June 8, 2019. The company creates a fully improvised play in the Elizabethan style. The improvised Shakespeare Company has received many awards since originating its critically acclaimed show for sold-out audiences in 2005. They are based out of Chicago and have been featured at festivals and events around the country. They are often called the most successful improv show in the history of the art form. Performances will be at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, and 4:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.  For more information or tickets call 215-893-1999 or visit www.kimmelcenter.org.

Patti LuPone will perform her one-woman show Don’t Monkey with Broadway on Sunday, June 9, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. Interpreting the classic Broadway tunes of Richard Rogers, Lorenz Hart, Julie Styne, Stephen Schwartz, Charles Strouse, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Cole Porter and Irving Berlin, LuPone explores how her lifelong affair with Broadway began. Patti LuPone made her Broadway debut in Three Sisters in 1973. She is a two-time Grammy® Award winner, a two-time Tony Award ® winner and a Laurence Olivier Award winner, the first American actress to receive the honor. She is probably best known for her Tony Award winning performance as Eva Peron in the 1979 original production of Evita. LuPone won her second Tony for Best Lead Actress in a Musical in 2008 for her role in Gypsy:A Musical Fable. She has garnered a total of seven Tony Award ® nominations.

Kimmel Center Cultural Campus is hosting an all-female troupe from The Second City. The World famous Comedy troupe’s all-female show is She the People:The Girlfriends’ Guide to Sisters Doing It For Themselves. The show will appear at the Perelman Theater from Thursday, June 13 through Saturday, June 22,  2019. The Second City has been well known for fostering top comedic talent including Tina Fey, Gilda Radner and Stephen Colbert, Since its inception in 1959, it has grown to become the world’s premiere  comedy club theater and school of improvisation, entertaining over 1 million theater-goers a year around the globe. Performances are at 8:00 p.m. on June 13, and 14, 2019; at 4:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on June 15, 2019;  at 7:30 p.m. on June 20 ; at 5;30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on June 21 and at 4:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on June 22, 2019. For more information or tickets, call 215-893-1999 or visit online at kimmelcenter.org.

CATS will be coming to the Forrest Theatre from June 18 – June 30 as part of Kimmel Center’s Broadway Philadelphia 2018-19 season, presented collaboratively by  the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and the Shubert Organization. Since its world premiere, CATS has been presented in over 30 countries, has been translated into 15 languages and has been seen  by more than 73 million people worldwide. It is the fourth longest running show in Broadway history. CATS returned to Broadway in 2016 and closed a year and a half later.  This is the first tour of the Broadway revival. The first ever live-action film adaptation of CATS, produced by Universal Pictures will debut on Dec. 20, 2019.  The revival of CATS is produced by The Shubert Organization, James. L. Nederlander, The Really Useful Group and Cameron Mackintosh.

The Kimmel Center  Cultural Campus  is presenting Iyania Vanzant for her Acts of Faith Remix Tour at the Merriam Theater on Thursday, June 20, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. The show is presented in association with Mills Entertainment. Iyania Vanzant is a New York Times Best - Selling Author and Emmy® Award winning television personality. She is among the most influential, socially engaged and acclaimed spiritual life coaches of our life time.

Hollywood superstar John Cusack will be at The Academy of Music Saturday, June 22, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. for John Cusack: Say Anything.  Say Anyhing, fhe 1989 comedy/drama made a star out of John Cusack who went on to success in multiple films including High Fidelity and Becoming John Malkovich among others. For this evening, join John for a screening of the film Say Anything, followed by a LIVE conversation regarding his career and the making of the film. Audience members will have an opportunity to ask questions as well. For more information or tickets, call 215-893-1999 or visit online at kimmelcenter.org.

Australian Comedian Hannah Gadsby will present her new stand-up show, Douglas at the Merriam Theater on Sunday, June 23, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. and at 8:00 p.m. presented in association with WestBeth Entertainment. Hannah came to the world’s attention through her multi-award winning stand-up show Nanette. The show took top prizes at the Melbourne and Edinburgh festivals and played to sold out houses across Australia, London, Edinburgh, New York and Los Angeles before launching on Netflix in June 2018 as the first Australian Netflix Original Comedy Special. Nanette was a random barista and Douglas is a very specific   dog.

Make-up artist  and online  cultural phenomenon James Charles will be appearing at the Academy of Music for his Sisters tour at the Academy of Music on Wednesday, June 26, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. This engagement is presented in partnership with Right Angle Entertainment. This interactive show will make the audience feel as if they are part of the production, with on-stage beauty tutorials, live music, games, an interactive Q & A session, surprise giveaways, exclusive merchandise and more. Made famous by his You Tube channel, James Charles has over 16 million subscribers.  In 2016 Cover Girl announced Charles was their newest face and  “Cover Boy”.

The Christians

Ensemble cast

Bristol Riverside Theatre Company, located at 120 Radcliffe Street in Bristol, Pa, is presenting Lucas Hnath’s The Christians. Set in a church, the production begins with hymns sung by a 24-member choir, with each voice part comprised of local community members discretely intermingled with professionals. Pastor Paul (Anthony Lawton), after shaking hands with audience members and asking his assistant pastor Brother Joshua (Akeem Davis) to give a financial report, prepares his sermon. “There are three parts to my sermon,” he tells his congregants. as part one is flashed upon a screen. “Where are we today?” Pastor Paul continues to talk about the strength of the congregation which had grown from a very few families to one of thousands in a big beautiful church which had just gotten itself debt-free.  His second point is a powerful urge that had come over him on an airplane when he had first seen his wife .  He had acted upon it by giving a note to a stewardess to deliver to her and they waved to each other from opposite ends of the plane, not letting the distance hinder them. Point three is The fires of Hell... At this point he tells about a young boy he had seen in his travels  who was not of the Christian faith. Huts were burning and the young boy ran right into the fire. No one was around to put out the fire. A few minutes later the boy ran out, cradling his sister in his arms. The sister was protected but the boy's skin just burned right off his body.  A missionary declared how sad it was that he hadn’t had time to “save” the boy before he died. Pastor Paul replied that surely God would have a place in Heaven for a child that did such a righteous act. The missionary replied that he would go to hell. At that point, Pastor Paul had his own private conversation with God and God told Paul that the boy was sitting right beside him.  He said that all were forgiven their sins and that Hell did not  exist. This is the message that Pastor Paul took back to his congregation. For some congregants, a very real question ensued: “What is the point in being good if the bad don’t get punished?”    This is a very interesting piece and some questions which arise are never really resolved.  Anthony Lawton is excellent as Pastor Paul. as is Akeem Davis as Brother Joshua.    K. O’Rourke gives a very convincing performance as a faithful, shy young congregant  and Susan McKey rocks the audience with her tough performance as she argues with her husband while church membership is dwindling and turning to Brother Joshua's new church.

For more information or tickets, call 215-785-0100 or visit online at brtstage.org.

The God Project

Joliet Harries, Sean Close &
 Jennifer Childs 

The God Project, an original comedy,  is presented by 1812 Productions, Philadelphia’s all comedy theatre company.  The show will be performed through May 19, 2019 at the Plays and Players Theatre, 17^th & Delancey Streets.   Co-written by Sean Close and Jennifer Childs,  the story-line follows Sheila and Drew, two employees in a Scandinavian warehouse  that stacks box after box of KD furniture.  Sheila is continually trying to connect with God, seeking meaning in her life . Drew ridicules her efforts while trying to find his  meaning with a guitar  in as series of open-mike nights. Joliet Harris, their boss in the assembly warehouse,  seldom makes her presence felt outside of the intercom. Additionally, she is  the music producer who visits stage shows and an annoying audience member who heckles Drew’s open-mike nights as well the awe-inspiring embodiment of a god-like presence with a magnificent voice. The God Project is over two hours of fun, spoof  and good-natured laughter.  For more information or tickets, call 215-592-9650 or visit  www.1812productions.org