Tom Stoppard’s first full length play, “A Walk on Water,” was staged in 1964. Two years later, he gained worldwide fame with his play, “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead,” about two minor characters in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.”  Besides the two dozen plus plays he’s written, Stoppard’s adapted lots of plays and books for film and television

            “The Real Thing” came to the stage in 1982 in London before a revised edition played on Broadway two years later with Jeremy Irons and Glenn Close, directed by Mike Nichols. It is that version that Lantern Theater has put on its stage. Directed by the multi-talented Peter DeLaurier, it is an extraordinary look at relationships and love through the eyes of his four main characters in England in the early 1980’s.

            It begins with Max (Adam Howard) confronting his wife Charlotte (Brett Ashley Robinson) saying that her supposed trip to Switzerland was a coverup for a clandestine affair that she was having. But in the second scene, we are momentarily confused as the two are in a room with Henry (J Fernandez) and Annie (Cambell O’Hare) and we are not sure who is partnered with whom. Henry is a playwright, and the others are stage actors.

            It gets more complicated as we see that love exists outside these marriages and we watch the four trying to cope with the desires and ideals of the others. “Is jealousy warranted” and “Is fidelity needed,” the characters ask. We watch them bicker and we watch them love, but we wonder if each is telling the truth.

            And then there is the absent character of Brodie who is incarcerated for burning a memorial wreath during a protest. They support his goals, but Henry wonders if his wife has fallen in love with Brodie, or for that matter with Billy (Trevor William Fayle), with whom she is in a play in Scotland.

            Though it is a bit confusing at first, we feel for each character as they try to find their way to happiness which one character equates with equilibrium.  Stoppard’s words are powerful and profound as they not only analyze sex, but the very verb, “know,” which in biblical times meant to have sexual intercourse. Henry ridicules writers- particularly Brodie who has written a piece- who can’t write because they don’t know how to use words effectively.

            The cast was superb with special kudos going to J Fernandez for handling the range of emotions in a very real sense. My only issue with the production was the manner in which the actors spit out their lines so fast that I missed some important information that would have made it less challenging for me. And though I never imagined I would say this-  I wish that the two-and-a-half-hour production were longer so that it would give more bite to this extraordinary play… and I wouldn’t miss a line. As Harry says, “words deserve respect.”

We are constantly asking ourselves what the real thing is- about love, commitment, AND sex. It was a great season opener for Lantern Theater.

“The Real Thing” by Tom Stoppard at Lantern Theater Company at St. Stephen’s Theater, 923 Ludlow St., Philadelphia, PA 19107. 215-829-0399   lanterntheater.org   extended thru October 5, 2025

With the summer upon us, I hadn’t seen a play in six weeks as many theaters took a hiatus. So, I was glad that Act II Playhouse’s first play of the 2025-26 season had a show on its intimate stage in Ambler in August. “Theatre People” is a play by Paul Slade Smith, author of “The Outsider,” a political farce that ran successfully last season at Act II. This too is billed as a farce. In fact, much of the first act was an absurd, silly comedy and it felt like so many of the tv comedies that I don’t watch. I am so glad I am a reviewer and don’t leave at the act break because the second act was superb!

            It revolves around husband-and-wife playwrights who are meeting with a young novelist Oliver (Carl Nathaniel Smith), to show them the play they created from his novel. But they can’t proceed until he signs a contract with the publisher and the book is produced. They discover that he has not signed it because he is waiting to show it to Margot, after which the romantic story was based. He had met her 18 months earlier and has fantasized about her ever since.

            Margot (Renee McFillin) is coming to this mansion in Newport, Rhode Island, where they each have a room. She has gotten there a day early and is in the adjoining room (set up by the writers, Charlotte (Morgan Everitt) and Arthur (Joe Mallon) Sanders to spur on the romance between Oliver and Margot on which the novel and play were based). But when the Sanders and Oliver arrive, they hear Margot through the door, making love with the dim-witted Victor Pratt (Kevin Toniazzo-Naughton), the man she is to sing with the next night on stage. Oliver is distraught. He wants to tear up the novel.

            The story is actually pretty good, but the over-the-top slapstick is too much and becomes tedious. It’s not necessary to turn every third line into a laugh line with some ridiculous behavior. Arthur’s fast blabbering and Oliver’s overly childish behavior acting like a six-year-old having a tantrum, become annoying. You would never believe that he can write a good novel. Charlotte provides a measure of sanity to hold the story together. I enjoyed her performance the most.

            Why, I ask myself, are they playing it so broadly? Director Tony Braithwaite has been for years, my favorite comedic actor and director. But I think he went too far with this opening act. On the other hand, Braithwaite captures the comedy, the cleverness,and  the nuance of Smith’s writing as the story becomes more intriguing after the intermission. It is fascinating how they connive to fix things. I won’t reveal that here.

            There is one more character I enjoyed. Throughout the play, Olga, the housemaid observes the goings on of these theatre people and offers her funny, and often strange interpretations of what she sees. Sabrina Profitt masters this role she almost seems born to play.

            Maybe you will enjoy and laugh through the whole play as many in the audience did. You will definitely do that in the second act.

“Theatre People” by Paul Slade Smith” at Act II Playhouse, 56 E. Butler Avenue., Ambler, PA 19002, 215-654-0200,   act2.org   thru Sept. 7,, 2025

“Little Shop of Horrors” is defined as a horror, comedy, rock musical when I Googled it. The original movie opened in 1960. Then, it was turned into a musical which opened off-off Broadway in 1982 before it moved to off-Broadway where it ran for five years. After that, the musical was made into another film starring among others, Rick Moranis, Steve Martin, Ellen Greene, John Candy, Bill Murray, and Christopher Guest. That’s the one I remember. People’s Light is presenting the off-Broadway hit on its stage in Malverne, Pa, and the production is spectacular!

From the very beginning, When Ciffon, Crysal, and Ronette (the chorus) come down the steps from the audience to sing the prologue (“Little Shop of Horrors”), we know we are in for a special treat. What voices!!!

The story revolves around a flower store worker, Seymour, who works beside Audrey in a rundown shop on skid row that is doing no business. Mr. Mushnick is going to close up the shop when Audrey tells him that Seymour has a plant that might attract customers if they put it in the window of the store. Seymour brings in the plant, which he has named Audrey II (he is secretly in love with Audrey who is in an abusive relationship). It works. Business booms.

Wonderful songs by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken like “Skid Row (Downtown),” “Grow for Me,” and “Ya Never Know” are so much fun to listen to and watch as they move the story along.

The plant is a success! The flower shop thrives.  But there is a problem. The only nourishment that works for Audrey II is human blood, which Seymour discovers when he accidentally cuts himself near the plant. How to keep her alive? And the plant keeps demanding “Feed me Seymour.” The second act gets even crazier.

There’s not a dull moment in the extraordinary production directed by Molly Rosa Houlahan who made some very creative casting decisions that you wouldn’t expect but work perfectly! I don’t want to give it away. She has brought the play to life. Will the plant survive? How will they deal with Audrey’s abuser, a cruel dentist. (There’s a fabulous song, “Dentist,” in the first act). Will the shy and awkward Seymour express his love for Audrey?

Whether you come for the play, which has entranced audiences for over 40 years or come to see these amazing singers and actors on the stage or just to experience this exquisitely told story, you have to see it.  It’s easily the best musical of the year!

“Little Shop of Horrors,” book and lyrics by Howard Ashman, music by Alan Menken. Thru August 3, 2025.  People’s Light and Theatre Co., 39 Conestoga Road, Malverne, PA 19355 610-644-3500  peopleslight.org   610-644-3500   thru August 3, 2025

“Small Ball” is a new musical about sports but it’s not your usual musical. It doesn’t have the grandeur of “Damn Yankees,” that famous musical of the 1950’s. Rather, it is a quirky story about a basketball player who winds up on an island called Lilliput, where the people are six inches tall. The coach loves basketball and wants a team, which is how Michael Jordan winds up there… No, it’s not THAT Michael Jordan as he keeps reminding us.

            We are drawn in immediately with a song about losing after the first pre-season game as they wait for the inevitable visit from the reporter. But I can’t say any of the subsequent musical numbers were memorable. The story itself revolves around the losing team and how Jordan refuses to pass the ball to any other team members. They don’t understand why and neither do we.

            The coach’s wife is also frustrated with her husband and the team. She is bothered by the fact that on this island, they don’t recognize the number 5. She leaves him and works to prove that the number 5 IS significant.

            We meet the other team members- all three of them, one being Lily, the daughter of the coach. Through projections, on a screen where we see the characters in shadows, we understand the difference in size between Jordan and his teammates. They have all taken on the names of basketball legends- Magic (Johnson), Bird (Larry), and Phil (Jackson). It is amusing, as there are references to other fantasy tales- Horton (from Dr. Seuss) and Lilliputian (from Jonathan Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels”).

             Jordan (Jordan Dobson), who has not been paid yet, develops a crush on Lily, (Nadina Hassan) though he won’t pass the ball to her. And how can a 5’11” man have an affair with a six-inch woman?

             There were a few fun moments, like the scene where the Lilliputians appeared holding tiny dolls in front of them. But the play was not compelling. The characters lacked substance. Though I understood the genre, the play needed more truth that went beyond the style. The weak jokes got few laughs in the half empty theater.

            I believe that theaters are trying to stage plays that appeal to younger audiences but there weren’t many young ones in the house. A theater ticket is not cheap these days. Despite fine acting and good ingredients in the play, it simply didn’t develop into the production it might have been.

“Small Ball” with book and lyrics by Mickle Maher and music by Merel van Dijk & Anthony Barilla at Philadelphia Co. at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19146, 215-985-0429  boxoffice@philatheatreco.org   thru June 29, 2025

“Franklin’s Key” is billed as a thrilling sci-fi adventure weaving Philadelphia history, science, discovery, and magic.  Pig Iron Theatre is presenting the world premier by Dan Rothenberg and Robert Quillen Camp at Plays & Players Theatre.

We all know the story of how Benjamin Franklin flew a kite with a key attached in a lightning storm and developed the lightning rod to protect buildings from lightning strikes. This tale begins with a science fair, the “Teen Design Challenge,” where Temple (Jameka Monet Wilson), a self-taught young scientist of 18 or 19, exhibits her creation, which fails and causes a blackout in many places in Philadelphia. She is told that despite it, she has won the first place prize. So begins her strange journey with her younger brother, Arturo (Alton Alburo).

            It turns out that the lights went off in places that were in some way connected to Benjamin Franklin- from Franklin Square (which is real) to the secret building where he did his scientific studies (not real).

            When Temple’s project goes awry, she decides to visit that building to see what is going on. She goes with her brother, who is carrying his cello because he has a rehearsal that day. Inside the secret place, she discovers a box with some strange powers. It is called a pyre and has a metaphysical power of its own. And when combined with the three other missing pyres, she later learns that the person who possesses it, can control things in the world. And a key can add to that power.

            She learns that there is a group of Prometheans, literally hiding under the ground seeking that same power. Also seeking it is Fordhook (Chris Thorn), a man who has befriended Temple and Arturo. But who can she trust in this surrealistic world? On top of that, a painting of Franklin has been stolen from the Art Museum showing Franklin with kite and key as it is struck by lightning. In time, people will search for the key, not knowing exactly what they are looking for.

            I will admit that at times I had difficulty following what was happening on the stage. At the intermission, I asked an audience member a few questions to be sure I wasn’t missing anything. But that is me, not a big fan of science fiction. The younger crowd, of which there were many, seemed to be enjoying it immensely. Then, there were many moments when the Gogglers (they wore goggles and a strange outfit) moved the set around with wonderfully choregraphed moves. It was a treat to watch them with the great lighting effects that followed them.

            As the play moves into the second act, we are brought to the underground crypt of Fordhook and to the Wanamaker pipe organ which will play a significant role.

            Pig iron Theatre has staged an unusual piece of theater with fine actors.  It WILL hold your attention as you try to unravel the strange events.

“Franklin’s Key” by Dan Rothenberg & Robert Quillen Camp at Pig Iron Theatre Company, , 1714 Delancey St., Philadelphia, PA 19103, 215-425-1100, pigiron.org   Thru June 29, 2025

James Baldwin wrote the novel,” Giovanni’s Room” in 1956.  It is about an American man in Paris, waiting for his fiancé. He meets an Italian man named Giovanni, which brings back all the homosexual feelings he had growing up. The novel deals with sexual identity, masculinity, and bisexuality long before it was in mainstream literature. It was never turned into a play until recently when co-playwright Benjamin Springer convinced the Baldwin Estate that he would use as much original dialogue as possible. With Paul Oakley, Stovall as co-playwright, “Giovanni’s Room” is getting its world premiere on the Quintessence stage. It is extraordinary!

David is in Paris alone. He had asked Hella a to marry him but unsure, she took a side trip to Spain to think about it. Meanwhile, he gets invited to go out drinking to a bar- a gay bar. As David is a very attractive young man, he gets hit on by almost everyone there. He resists them all until he meets Giovanni, the Italian bartender, who he falls for. He is confused as he thought he left that attraction for the same sex long ago. He moves into Giovanni’s room but still questions his own sexuality and even has a brief encounter with another woman.

            Who is he? There is no lengthy monologue which we don’t need anyway. We watch him as he interacts with the different people he meets. Some tell him that he needs a woman to guide him while others push their male sexuality on him. He even interacts with his past self. What does he want? Is he just playing it safe? So many questions raised in the first act as we closely watch his face trying to understand his situation and his life.

            At the intermission, I chatted with a gay guy who told me that he lived a “straight” life until he came out when he was 31 years old. Is that what David is facing? When his fiancé arrives in the second act, it is clear that he loves her. He desires her. What is he to do? Can he remain friends with Giovanni?

            This is such a powerful story as it explores not only the life of David, but also of Giovanni. The transformation of the novel into the play is seamless. And Stovall, who also directed the play, does an extraordinary job shuffling the 16 characters played by 11 actors on and around the stage that is surrounded by three sides of audience seats. The characters range from absurd to painfully real and they all create the environment which David has entered. Every moment is riveting!

            Ethan Check and Micheal Aurelio head the cast as David and Giovanni- they are so powerful- one subtle, the other forceful. The whole cast is outstanding as they tell a serious story with humor and panache. It’s the best play of the season!

“‘Giovanni’s Room” by James Baldwin,  adapted by Benjamin Sprunger & Paul Oakley Stovall at Quintessence Theatre, 7137 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19119, 215-987-4450, quintessencetheatre.org   in repertory with “Antony & Cleopatra” ”Extended thru  June 29, 2025

            Chelle is an artist who grew up in Baltimore in a slum across the street from a park where she just learned that they have removed the statue of Robert E. Lee.  Specializing in installation art, she applies for and receives a grant to create something to replace the Confederate Civil War monument. In time, she buys the house in which her family had rented an apartment, but she has trouble coming up with an idea for the park. The pedestal (also called plinth) on which Lee stood, remains empty.

            Chelle is a very complex person, constantly trying to come to grips with not only the world around her, but of the history for Black people that preceded her. What is freedom, she asks herself and her brother- it is not the same as happiness she exclaims at one point. He is around as he prepares for the big Juneteenth celebration in the park. And as she struggles for years to come up with an installation to replace the statue that was removed, she is trying to come to grips with the difference between a monument and a memorial. The foundation wants something now!

            When she does create a work of Barack Obama that no one recognizes, it is soon torn down by locals- this in a neighborhood that is beginning to change via gentrification. The question raised is who judges the quality of her work. Is it just the White establishment?

            She even struggles to remodel her family home and hires a decorator, but do the decorator’s ideas match her own?  It is another struggle. She toys with images of Lee and of the Confederate flag.

            There are talks with her brother who accuses her of not being Black enough and that she’s spent too much time with Caucasians. I found it fascinating when I learned that the word cowhand was altered to cowboy after the Civil War when Blacks and Latinos rose to the position.  

            There is so much power beautifully expressed in this most thoughtful play by R. Eric Thomas. But I had problems with it- not the writing but the directing and the overacting. In the first act, Chelle and her brother Willard (Danny Wilfred) are constantly shouting at each other. On two occasions, they are standing upstage and just loudly arguing while in profile. I wish they could show us more how they felt instead of telling us. And often, Wilson portrays the stereotypical representation of a gay man with affect. it took away from his own significant ideas and words.

  And Thalis (Kishia Nixon), the decorator, is also going for the comedy most of the time too as if there needed to be a laugh on every third line. It felt like a tv sitcom. Just too much silliness. Still, Jennifer Nikki Kidwell was a powerful force as Chelle as she lets us know about so much of her feelings, her challenges, and of her art.

“Glitter in the Glass” is a powerfully profound piece that needs to let it speak to us with less bravado.

“Glitter in the Glass”” by R. Eric Thomas at Theatre Exile, 1340 S. 13^th St., Philadelphia, PA 19147, 215-218-4022,  boxoffice@theatreexile.org   Extended thru June 22, 2025

Rodgers and Hammerstein created some of the greatest musicals to hit the Broadway stage in the 1940’s and 1950’s. “Oklahoma, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music” are classics that live on today. Hammerstein wrote the book for each story as well as the lyrics and Rodgers created some of the best-known music to accompany the songs. “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s A Grand Night for Singing” at Act II Playhouse is running the show which was adapted for the stage as a musical review by Walter Bobbie. I thought it would be good since I knew so many of the songs. It exceeded my expectations. With the direction and choreography by Stephen Casey, it was outstanding.

            Three women and two men perform parts of the many songs of Rodgers & Hammerstein. But they don’t just perform, they act out the songs. Though dialogue wasn’t added to this show, the body language and facial expressions tell it all. Along with the dance numbers, you can enjoy this show even without the music. And as for the music, what can I say?  Over 30 songs in 90 minutes- it was GRAND!

            I sat in my seat singing along in my head with the singers as I knew the lyrics to so many of the songs. I surprised myself in how much I remembered from movie versions of the shows that I saw sixty years ago. But the performance did another thing for me as I sat watching and listening. I paid close attention to the lyrics. They pose many profound questions that we have all contemplated. You will see each song in a new light.

            The themes of insecurity, sincerity, honesty, and of course love, as well as lack of love prevail. I’m not going to begin to name the emotional impact of the lyrics that I didn’t realize when watching them in the larger musical productions with all that was going on.

            On top of that, you could hear every word of every song on Act II’s intimate stage without amplification because of the gentle accompaniment on the piano of Dan Matarazzo.

            Casey’s direction and choreography, as I’ve already noted, was brilliant. Kevin Toniazzo-Naughton’s booming bass voice was powerful. Renee McFillin’s movement and facial expressions as well as her singing are enough reasons to attend. The whole ensemble was remarkable.

            Don’t look on this as simply an homage to Rodgers & Hammerstein. Go because it will make you sing and feel and laugh as you watch this fantastic show.

Note:  Among the songs are “I Can’t Say No, Many a New Day, Shall We Dance, The Gentleman is a Dope, Don’t Marry Me, That’s the Way it Happens, Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful?, Love, Look Away, A Hundred Million Miracles, This Nearly Was Mine”

“Rodgers & Hammerstein’s A Grand Night for Singing” adapted by Walter Bobbie” at Act II Playhouse, 56 E. Butler Avenue., Ambler, PA 19002, 215-654-0200,   act2.org   thru June 29, 2025

            Hercule Poirot was the famed detective created by Agatha Christiie in 1920 who then appeared in 33 of her novels and over 50 of her short stories. Many were adapted into plays and later, into movies. Her play, “The Mousetrap,” ran for 62 years before it temporarily closed in 2020 due to Covid. “Alibi” was the first adaptation of a Christie story, “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd,” in 1928, though it was done by Michael Morton, an established playwright of the day. Christie diddn’t like the adaptation and from then on, did them herself. Amy Kaissar returned to the original Christie story to create this current adaptation which is much truer to the original. With an outstanding cast, Ken Kaissar has directed this mystery thriller on the Bristol Riverside stage.

It begins with a bang! Mrs. Ferrars has just committed suicide. She was the widow of an abusive husband and had poisoned him. Now, she was planning to marry Roger Ackroyd, a wealthy widower in the rural town of Fernly Park, where the story takes place. It is narrated by the local doctor, James Sheppard, who will become Poirot’s assistant in the investigation. He had been asked to dinner by Ackroyd who wanted to discuss with him things that may have led to Ferrars’ death. But then, Ackroyd is discovered later that evening with a knife in his neck. Ackroyd’s niece enlists the help of Detective Poirot who has retired and recently moved to the village.

            Who would want Ackroyd dead? Poirot goes about talking to everyone as he gathers information. From Ackroyd’s financially needy nephew and his stepdaughter to his sister-in-law and others in the household, everyone has a motive. And Poirot points out that each character is hiding something of major consequence. His investigation into their stories is revealing and his style is highly amusing. He dismisses seemingly important evidence but dwells on things that others have overlooked.

            The story also pivots around time, down to the minutes, when people came and left Ackroyd’s home as Poirot tries to pinpoint the movements of every character. There are so many parallel stories that you must pay attention to every word of every character. It is a bit challenging. But the cast, led by Danny Vaccaro as Dr. Sheppard and Benjamin Lloyd as Poirot, is top notch. Lloyd IS Poirot! And the rest of the ensemble is equally strong as we understand the struggles and motivations of each.

            When I was a kid growing up in New York, I went to many plays both on Broadway and off. If a play were three hours long, it had two intermissions. I only wish this 3-hour production had two as well. So often, at the intermission, I would go into the lobby and discuss what was happening on stage with whoever I came with. But that is me and I understand that most theatergoers are not seeking the extra intermission.

            And as for Amy Kaissar’s adaptation, which remains true to the original story, Alibi”” is a most interesting and entertaining play. I’m sure it would make Agatha Christie proud.

“Alibi: An Agatha Christie Story” adapted for Bristol Riverside by Amy Kaissar at Bristol Riverside Theatre, 120 Radcliffe St., Bristol, PA 19007, 215-785-0100, brstage.org,  thru June 15, 2025

            “The 39 Steps” is one of the famous spy thrillers by Alfred Hitchcock. The 1935 film was loosely based on the novel written by John Buchan some 20 years earlier. It has been adapted many times over the years and Lantern Theater is presenting actor, comedian, writer Patrick Barlow’s creation from 2006. It is an outrageous comedy while it retains the seriousness of the story in the film. Lantern Theater is presenting it with four actors, two of whom play many roles.  

            Richard Hannay, tired and bored one evening, decides to go out to a performance at the London Palladium. In the audience he encounters Annabella, a beautiful and provocative woman who attaches herself to him, claiming that she is running from a very mysterious spy ring that is after her. In short order, she goes to his flat for what seems like a romantic encounter, but and winds up in his bed, but with a knife in her back. Suspected of murder, he flees, the police always just a step behind. He takes a train to Scotland.

            What follows are the close calls with the police and with the spies that are after him and want him dead. He winds up in several locations along the way. The story is an interesting one, but what is most compelling about this production is the incredible, creative staging of the play of Director Charles McMahon. From the very first train ride out of London, created with a screen with images for the passing countryside, to the movement of the characters as the train turns and stops and starts, we are fascinated with every moment.

            Jered McLenigan is superb as he portrays Hannay with dignity and style, but in some ways, the lead was no more than a foil for Dave Johnson and Eli Lynn, who played dozens of roles, slipping in and out of character and costumes on a dime. It was a treat to watch them as they assumed different English and Scottish roles. I never expected to laugh so much at a thriller, but the inventions created by McMahon were extraordinary. And the costumes of Levonne Lindsay were fantastic!

            Lee Minora, in a few pivotal roles, completes the ensemble of four- the best ensemble I’ve seen on any stage in years.

            Go for the story. Enjoy the flow. Sit back and be ready to be experience this most inventive piece of theater. I think Hitchcock would be laughing too.

“The 39 Steps” adapted by Patrick Barlow from the noel by John Buchan and the film by Alfred Hitchcock at Lantern Theater Company at St. Stephen’s Theater, 923 Ludlow St., Philadelphia, PA 19107. 215-829-0399   lanterntheater.org   extended thru June 22, 2025