Groucho : A Life in Revue

                                             Dreya Weber, Frank Ferrante & Matt Roper

Groucho: A Life in Revue  The Musical  graces the mainstage of the Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut Street, through March 10, 2024. Written by Robert Fisher and Groucho Marx’s son, Arthur Marx, the show is a tribute to Julius Henry aka “Groucho” Marx, America’s beloved comedian , vaudeville star and star of radio and television. The revue is bursting with one-liners from Groucho’s  storied life  - “There’s no such thing as an old joke if you’ve never heard it before.”  Comedic actor Frank Ferrante is no stranger  to “Groucho”, having performed this role nearly 40 years ago off-Broadway and again 20 years ago at the Walnut .  His representation of Groucho is superb from the time Julius is a young man through his many career changes as Groucho Marx.  The Walnut Street stage rotates so the sets change and Groucho  appears  to be in different places at various times. Matt Roper does an excellent job of portraying both Chico and Harpo. He treats the audience to a comedic  harp “solo” by Harpo and a piano “solo” by Chico.  Dreya Weber is the woman of many faces and voices as she beautifully portrays a multitude of characters. For more information to this delightful treat of non-stop chuckles,  or to purchase tickets, call 215-574-3550, or visit online at walnutstreettheatre.org or ticketmaster.com

 

March events at the Kimmel

 

Ensemble Arts Philly presents comedian. actor and writer, Alex Edelman  in his one-man show Just for Us  at the Miller Theater on March 3, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. He comes to Philadelphia following a hit run on Broadway  and international engagements in London, Edinburgh, and Melbourne. Directed  by Adam Brace, this theatrical experience is an exploration of identity and our collective capacity for empathy. After a spate of anti-Semitic language pointed at him online, stand-up comic Edelman decides to go straight to the source- Queens- where he covertly attends a meeting of White Nationalists. What happens next forms the backbone of these relevant, hilarious stories that are the basis of Just for Us. He appeared on The Later Show with Stephen Colbert, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and Jimmy Kimmel Live! and others. Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999 or online at www.ensembleartsphilly.org. In person ticket sales can be conducted daily from 10 a.m.- 6.p. m at the Academy of Music Box Office, located at 240 S. Broad Street.

Ensemble Arts Philly  and the Philadelphia Orchestra present international drag superstar RuPaul on his international book tour to celebrate the release of the highly anticipated memoir The House of Hidden Meanings. This one night only event will take place inside the Kimmel Center’s Perelman Theater on March 6, 2024, at 7:00 p.m.  RuPaul is a force in pop culture, challenging norms, and inspiring millions to embrace their individuality. The Emmy Award-wining host, producer and performer is renowned for his pioneering efforts to bring drag culture into mainstream popularity through his hit T.V show, RuPaul’s Drag Race.Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999 or online at www.ensemblephilly.org.. In person tickets can be purchased  between 10:am – 6p.m. at the Academy of Music Box Office, located at 240 S. Broad Street. The House of Hidden Meanings by RuPaul goes on sale March 5, 2024.

Ensemble Arts Philly and the Philadelphia Orchestra welcome one of the mist dynamic young musicians today , Emmet Cohen, leading the Emmet Cohen Trio inside the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts’ Perelman Theater on March 14, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. Emmet Cohen became a recognized prodigy at a young age.  He is part of  the jazz season, representing young artists. While he is an excellent solo performer, he also leads his ensemble trio through an extensive repertoire. He is both producer and pianist for each of his albums. Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999 or online at www.ensembleartsphillyorg   

Ensemble Arts Philly presents Tay Tay Dance Party  set to the electrifying beats of DJ SWIFTIE at the Kimmel Center’s Perelman’s Theater on March 16, 2024, at 8 p.m. This two -hour themed dance party comes with a professional laser show crafted around everyone’s favorite Taylor Swift songs. DJ SWIFTIE has received acclaim for his remixes of Taylor Swift’s hits and never fails to create a memorable fusion of beats that will keep fans moving all night. Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999 or online at www.ensembleartsphilly.org . In person tickets can be purchased daily from 10: a.m. - 6p.m.  at the Academy of Music Box Office, located at 240 S. Broad. Street.    

Ensemble Arts Philly, in association with Outback Presents welcomes KevOnStage and  That Chick Angel in their comedy tour Here’s The Thing at the Miller Theater on March 30, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. Here’s The Thing is a podcast co-hosted by Kevin Fredericks aka KevOnStage and Angel Laketa Moore, aka That Chick Angel. The podcast has been described as a ” live comedy show with a little podcast." Both Kevin and Angel are actors and comedians. The duo brings a unique mix of humor, insight, and raw honesty incorporating their firsthand experiences and the African American perspective. They each have multiple TV series experiences to their credit. Tickets can be purchased by calling 215 893 1999 or online at www.ensembleartsphilly.org.  In person ticket sales can be purchased daily from 10 a.m – 6 p.m. at the Academy of Music Box Office, located at 240 S. Broad Street.
   

Ensemble Arts Philly and the Philadelphia Orchestra,  in partnership with  the Shubert Organization and Disney Theatrical Group will present Disney’s Frozen the hit Broadway Musical, for a three- week engagement at the Academy of Music, March 21- April 7, 2024.  Disey’s Frozen has played to rave reviews all across the country. There are currently four productions playing around the world, including Tokyo, London, and Hamburg.  Frozen has been created for the stage by an award-winning team and features songs from the original Oscar-winning film plus a dozen new numbers by the film's song songwriters, Oscar winner Kristen Anderson-Lopez and EGOT winner Robert Lopez. The entire creative team has won a total of 16 Tony Awards. For information, visit FrozenTheMusical.com/Tour. Tickets may be purchased by calling 215-893-1999 or online www.ensembleartsphilly.org. In person ticket sales can be purchased from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. at the Academy of Music Box Office, located at 240 S. Broad Street.

 

                                                                             
             

Faith Healer

                                              

                                                        

                                                                     Ian Merrill Peakes

The Lantern Theater Company is presenting Faith Healer through Sunday, March 3, 2024, at St. Stephen’s Theater in Center City Philadelphia. The play is a series of monologues in which each character relates a story from their perspective. The drama is surprising , but even more astounding are the diverse accounts for the same events. Frank Hardy ( Ian Merrill Peakes) is a Faith Healer who doesn’t always have faith in his ability to heal. He is accompanied on his British Isles tour by his manager Teddy ( Anthony Lawton) and Grace, (Genevieve Perrier), whom he refers to as his mistress. Frank frequently finds comfort in the bottle and can be verbally abusive to Grace. Grace’s monologue is an eye-opener. She resents Frank and calls him a liar for referring to her as his mistress rather than his wife. After seven years on the road with him and his abuses,  Grace returns home to face her ailing father who cannot forgive the fact that she gave up a promising career  in the legal field to run away with Frank. She tells of fleeing her father’s house and  returning home to Frank where she gets pregnant and delivers a stillborn 9 months later in Scotland .The end of this second monologue foreshadows the end of the fourth.  Gracie yells to come quick to see Frank. Teddy (Anthony Lawton) is the Faith Healer’s promoter and begins the third monologue.  He sells tickets for the events and tries to have large audiences of people who need to be healed. He tells of one night that had 10 cures by the Faith Healer although he wasn’t sure if it was the actual cure or the audience’s faith that promoted the cures. Teddy’s love for Grace is evident as he relates her child labor in Scotland and his calling out to Frank who runs away up a hillside. Teddy laments a father-to be leaving Grace and when the child is still-born, he follows her directions; buries the child; and marks the spot with a small wooden cross. In the fourth monologue, Frank is warned to leave a pub where he had bragged that he could heal someone in a wheelchair. He was told if he didn’t cure the man, the crowd would kill him. He said he would wait for the wheelchair to arrive. Lights out. The three actors portraying Frank, Grace and Teddy are among the best in their field. Anthony Lawton has perfected the monologue with his productions of Charles Dicken’ A Christmas Carol, but Ian Merrill Peakes and Genvieve Perrier give excellent performances as well. For more information or tickets, call 215-829-0395 or visit online at www.lanterntheater.org.

Stepmom Stepmom Stepmom

                       

                                                             Abdul Sesay & Jessica Johnson

InterAct Theatre Company, located at the Proscenium Theatre at the Drake . 302 S.  Hicks  Street, is presenting the World Premier of Stepmom, Stepmom, Stepmom through February 18, 2024. Known for its commitment to diversity and promotion of dialogue on  societal issues, InterAct does not disappoint in producing this play.  Kaila, (Jessica Johnson) is a Black woman unsatisfied with the sex-life in her marriage. She wants her husband Louis ( Scott R.  Sheppard) to be rough and hit her. Louis , a white male, has lived his life  respecting women and can’t imagine the optics of his raising a hand to his wife. Kaila fantasizes about what her life would be like with her very good-looking ex. After hearing some of her fantasies which were accidentally recorded on his laptop, Louis begins to wonder if perhaps he might be able to accommodate his wife and still stay true to himself. Abdul Sesay  is very convincing as Kaila’s ex-boyfriend, Marc. Donovan Locket does an excellent job of portraying Tichelle, Kaila’s  best friend, who tries to get Kaila to determine what she really wants in life. InterAct hosts discussions for audience members almost every day of the week after the show. For tickets and show times, visit https://www.interacttheatre.org/step-mom-step-mom-step-mom.

The Flatlanders

                                                               Scott Greer & Jennifer Childs

Bruce Grafham’s, The Flatlanders, produced by 1812 Productions, Philadelphia’s All Comedy Theatre Company, can be seen at Plays and Plays Theatre, 1714 Delancey Place. Be sure to catch A Bright Comedic Duo of comedy in this hysterical rendition In it, artistic director and founder of 1812 Productions, Jennifer Childs, and Scott Greer, her real-life husband are stranded in a blizzard in the Poconos the night before their wedding. Bruce Graham has written a marvelous one act play that is replete with laugh lines which Jen and Scott deliciously deliver deadpan. There is  also slapstick which generates  streams of laughter from the audience as well as some kink with hidden sex toys. The show is uproarious. This  excellent gem is a must-see for all Jennifer Childs and Scott Greer fans in addition to anyone else who enjoys a good laugh. The play can be seen through February 18, 2024 in Philadelphia and will open in March through April in Delawatre.