Philadelphia

REVIEW: After the Parade: Hello, Dolly! at the Academy of Music (for Parterre Box)

This charmless, shrill Dolly did not have me at Hello!

Seen and heard here, Donizetti’s late work was stronger on vocal power than bel canto nuance.

The electric current that needs to run through Sam Shepard’s great play is curiously low-voltage here.

Pretty is its own reward, but it has its limits. This recital showed both.

Director Eric Tucker’s production seems like an exercise in “épater la bourgeoisie” smart ass-ness.

I’ve heard starrier performances, but none that made a more powerful case for this masterwork.

Cameron and David consider Lucy Kirkwood’s taut drama that considers how society reacts to a fallout of its own making.

Politics and culture here are ultimately filler, suggesting but not delivering dramatic weight.

Don’t miss this superb show, which returns for a run this December!

The great Amanda Schoonover makes the ordinary extraordinary.