A Woman of No Importance

Ian Merrill Peakes & Karen Peakes

Oscar Wilde’s A Woman of No Importance will be playing on the mainstage of the Walnut Street Theatre at 825 Walnut Street, through March 1, 2020. The set is magnificent with revolving rooms. It is a delightful revival of Wilde’s moralistic play in the Victorian age when women had few of the advantages of men. The times were rife with a double standard; men did as they wanted; women did as they were told…but the women are kept bedecked in long gowns,jewelry,and petty gossip. Wilde pokes fun of this society and laugh lines are sprinkled throughout the dialogue.The women seem to have everything they need until Mrs. Arbuthnot (Alice Roper) enters looking for her son Gerald (Brandon O’Rourke). Clearly she is not “one of them” but she is admitted to the salon and given a seat. Her son appears, to tell her he has been offered a significant job as secretary to an important man. When Mrs. Arbuthnot discovers who her son’s patron will be, she is horrified and asks her son to leave the room for a moment. In the argument that ensues between Mrs. Arbutnoth and the patron Mr. Kelvil (Ian Merrill Peakes), it is disclosed that Mr Kelvil is actually the boy’s father who had refused to marry the mother 20 years ago, causing her a lifetime of heartache and shame. She does not want Gerald to have anything to do with the man who had rejected both of them 20 years ago. Nor does she want him to know her reasons for objecting to his taking the position as secretary. Added to this lovely cast of characters is Miss  Hester Worley, (Audrey Ward) a wealthy American who disagrees with most of the Brit’s way of life. Gerald is in love with the American and wants to have this new job so he will be in a position to propose marriage. Wilde adds a sumptuous twist at the end of the play. Enjoy! For more information or tickets, call 215-574-3550 or 800-982-2787 or visit www.walnutstreettheatre.org or Ticketmaster

Riverdance 25th Anniversary

Riverdance Troupe

The Kimmel Center Cultural Campus presents Riverdance: 25^th Anniversary at the Merriam Theatre through January 26th as part of its Broadway Philadelphia 2019-2020 Season. The dancing is phenomenal, of course. The principal dancers have been dancing since they were between 2 and 5 years old and have won a myriad of competitions to get to where they are today. Riverdance 25 is a bigger production than Riverdance 20. Each new musical number is introduced by a magnificent projected setting. The settings are life-like and unique, making it difficult to believe they are projections on a curtain. Dancers interact with spots on the projections. There is a humorous interaction in Act Two entitled Trading Taps.  The Riverdance Male Principal and 2 male troupe members have “a challenge” by the American Tappers. Each side does a routine and the other side has to try to do one better. In the end, they end up dancing together. It is a great insight into how two different styles of dancing can merge. Music abounds throughout. When the dancers are not on the stage, the Riverdance Band is playing or singers are singing. The music is haunting. When Haley Richardson plays the fiddle the whole stage is transformed. When she gets into a musical duel with Emma Frampton on the Saxophone, you’ll wish they’d never stop playing but then it’s time for those incredible dancers. A Russian Folk Dance Troupe joins the Riverdance troupe for some numbers. All dancers dance a variety of routines with impeccable precision. The vocal and instrumental acts are extraordinary. This is an exceptional show. For more information or tickets visit www.kimmelcenter.org

The Vertical Hour

Joe Guzman & Genevieve Perrier

The Lantern Theater Company, located at 10th and Ludlow Streets, is presenting the Philadelphia premiere of British playwright David Hare’s The Vertical Hour through February 16, 2020. Genevieve Perrier brilliantly portrays Nadia, the retired American foreign-war correspondent-turned college professor engaged to a British ex-pat. Marc Levasseur  portrays Philip Lucas, her fiancé. Even though she is a successful college professor at Yale, Nadia has never quite gotten over the war in Iraq and the inequities there. Philip suggests a short vacation to meet his parents and Nadia is charmed by Lucas, Philip’s hippie father, portrayed by Joe Guzman. The two have several heart-to-heart talks about war, love, and life. Philip is unsettled by their closeness. Rounding out the ensemble cast are newcomers to the Lantern, Ned Pryce and Sydney Banks, both of whom portray Nadia’s students  at Yale. The sets are beautifully arranged and the set changes are intriguing. This is a very thought-provoking play on many levels. For more information or tickets, call 215-829-0395 or visit online www.lanterntheater.org

Ensemble Cast

The Kimmel Center, as part of its 2019-2020 Broadway Philadelphia series, is presenting The Band’s Visit at the Academy of Music through January 19, 2020. This one-act is a surprising vision of stark sets, delightful projections and phenomenal music.

 A Superscript begins with:

 No one has ever heard this story

 It is not very important.

 An Egyptian orchestral ensemble appears on the doorsteps of an Israeli cafe which is located in the middle of nowhere. Laughter ensues as the language barrier between the owner and the bandleader explains the confusion. The band has chosen the wrong destination for their expected concert the following evening. Dina, the café owner, declares that speaking in English would help everyone. Perhaps out of boredom, perhaps because she is inherently kind, Dina, (Janet Dacal) offers to feed the band in the café and later to put them up for the night. Yet we see another side of Dina as she sits in a night spot with the band leader (Sasson Gabbay). Dina sees her lover out with his wife in “their” place and becomes jealous so she calls out to him. A short angry exchange in Hebrew ensues between Dina and her boyfriend Sammy (Marc Ginsburg) as his wife walks offstage. It is brief and doesn’t matter whether or not the audience can understand the words. She then turns all of her attention back to the bandleader Tewfiq. The Band’s Visit begins with a minimalistic set with a partial circular revolving stage. This leads to the ease of multiple set changes by adding chairs, lamps and tables. The bare walls are a surprising set-up for future projections which play an integral part of this beautiful production. As scenes progress, they become progressively more complex. Bare walls turn and rooms have a small amount of furniture. Egyptian band members  interact with Israelis, finding common ground. Music is the universal language that connects them. Walls turn again and Dina is magnificently shadowed on a back wall as she slowly moves across the stage, singing “Omar Sharif". Underlying everything is the music. There is always the band’s music, either accompanying the singers or playing in groups of two or three in the corner of the stage or solo as part of the script. It is delightfully both Middle Eastern and contemporary. The music sets a basis for commonality in the two distinct cultures. There is a comedic note running throughout the story. A Telephone Guy (Mike Cefalo) waits by a phone booth for a girl to return his call. As various characters pass him, some will ask “Has she called yet?” to which he always replies, “Soon.” He tries to fend off others from using the phone booth in case he should miss his call. What a joyful moment when the phone rings! After the band has departed the following day, Dina closes the café with a parting, “This is not a very important story.” It is, however, a very important story. It is a story of people from one culture helping to solve problems in another; it is the story of people forgetting their differences and joining together over their similarities.  To see the wonderful acting of this ensemble cast, the marvelous blend of melodies in their singing, and the breathtaking music of the band, visit www.kimmelcenter.org for tickets or more information. It is not music that you will sing on your way out of the theatre but it is music that you will revel in while you are there.