Author Archives

University administrator and teacher by day, theater and arts critic by night.

DF Reviews Hedda Gabler (Laurel Tree Theater Company)

Scholars of Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler will continue to debate why the protagonist (that’s Hedda, of course) is so profoundly unhappy. But there’s […]

Cabaret, perhaps our most intimate live art form, gets a new series – and a new venue – courtesy of the Arden Theatre Company.

If you go to Steve at Signature Center, by all means, get there early. There’s a captivating preshow concert of musical theatre […]

Ken Ludwig’s comic take on Sherlock Holmes gets a dazzling visual production, though suspense is in short supply.

It could hardly be a more difficult time to open a comedy – even one as popular as This Is the Week […]

Sometimes, a moment can bring into focus something I’ve idly pondered for months. In this case, that thing is Showtime’s hit serial, […]

New idea for a Ticket / Philadelphia Magazine column — snippet reviews of New York shows, along with links to longer reviews (also […]

In December 1980, the Met’s telecast of its first production of Berg’s Lulu went ahead, despite a last-minute crisis – the cancellation […]

In the 1980s, America collectively fell head over heels in love with Dr. Ruth Westheimer. And why wouldn’t we? The diminutive German-born […]

It’s an odd thing about holiday season musicals. On one hand, they’re often very successful – at least between November and January […]