Author Archives: burdreviews

The press release says that “Homo Economicus” is a “multi-disciplinary performance featuring music, striptease, and heaps of garbage.” The venue is God’s Automatic Body & Spa in West Philadelphia. Even the title of the play and the producer (Obvious Agency) was strange. Clearly, I had no idea what to expect. When I arrived at whatContinue reading “Homo Economicus at Obvious Agency”

The spirit of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920’s and 30’s comes to life on the Theatre Horizon stage this Spring with the production of the Tony Award winning musical revue, “Ain’t Misbehavin’.” With more than 25 songs, an ensemble of five, and a six-piece band, it’s a very unique look at the world ofContinue reading “Ain’t Misbehavin’ at Theatre Horizon”

Jennifer Childs is at it again. This time, she is cleaning out her closet. In a solo comedy, she shares with us her thoughts that are triggered by the many outfits she sees.  But it is far more than memories. In 90 minutes, while changing clothes about two dozen times, she gives us a brief,Continue reading “She Gets Around at 1812 Productions”

Moliere was a famous French playwright of the 17th century who wrote about 30 plays during his 14 years in Paris. They dealt with the hypocrisy of the society he inhabited and were full of smart dialogue and as well as slapstick jokes. Most famous among those plays were “Tartuffe, The Miser, The Misanthrope, TheContinue reading “The Hypochondriac at Quintessence Theatre”

I am always fascinated by the remarkably wide range of plays discovered by Artistic Director Seth Rozin for the InterAct stage. This time, it is one of three plays in “The Philly Cycle” that Rozin commissioned with Philadelphia themes. Written by Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay, a Lao American poet, essayist, and playwright, it takes place insideContinue reading “Seng’s Hair Salon at InterAct Theatre”

“Man of La Mancha” opened on Broadway in 1965 and besides four revivals there, it has played at theaters around the world in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. This musical, with the story written by Dale Wasserman, the music by Mitch Lee, and the lyrics by Joe Darion, which is NOT a faithful renderingContinue reading “Man of La Mancha at Montgomery Theater”

What was theater in America like in the new republic? Did George Washington go to plays? “The Contrast,” being staged at the Louis Bluver Theatre at the Drake by Philadelphia Artists’ Collective, is purported to be the first American comedy. It was written in 1787, and it deals with money and marriage and what value,Continue reading “The Contrast at Philadelphia Artists’ Collective”

In this new play by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright James Ijames, four cousins meet at their grandmother’s house to pack her things because she is moving to a smaller senior condo and selling the house. It is in the Tidewater South, and this is the home they visited regularly and loved. Ironically, she is offContinue reading “Wilderness Generation at Philadelphia Theatre Company”

Jennifer Marcus is a brilliant, Chinese-born 22-year-old woman who was adopted by an American family as an infant. She is a computer genius. But she is  struggling with an obsessive-compulsive disorder, which her mother doesn’t understand. She also suffers from agoraphobia, wherein she is terrified to go outside her home. Although she was brought upContinue reading “The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow at Stagecrafters”

In 1927, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were executed in the electric chair in Charlestown State Prison for being convicted of murdering two men during a robbery, some seven years earlier. They were Italian immigrants, and they were anarchists. Protests around the world delayed their execution for seven years as many thought they were beingContinue reading “Sacco and Vanzetti: A Tragedia Dell’Arte at Curio Theatre”