Alyssa Biederman - Page 2

As audience members pile in, the set up for Philly Artists' Collective's 'Tis Pity She's a Whore seems more than promising.

When the lights went up at Walnut Street Theatre's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, my worries dissolved almost immediately. It's true, Christopher no longer narrates his own story, but his voice and all its nuances gleam through in Ryan O'Gara and Christopher Ash's artful lighting and projection design.

When you strip away the beautiful lighting, iconic helicopter, and glowing harmonies, you're left with a musical that has lost its lustre with time.

Grab a glass of the house wine from the bar, sit back, relax, and enjoy Bob: A Life in Five Acts.

How do you make a classic play with just two characters and one set fresh and new? Pick a relevant time, put it against a minimalist background and cast two people who would not be considered for a traditional production.

It's February 14th, you just got home from a freezing commute, and are finally able to put your feet up and relax. Your significant other walks in all gussied up. They circle around you, acting suspiciously similar to Samantha Baker in Sixteen Candles. Then you realize: it's Valentine's Day and you have nothing planned! Time to improvise.

Imagine rehearsing a show with a Tony Award-winning score for months, only to learn you'd have the opportunity to sing the part for the man who made it. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity became reality for Sarah Gliko and Greg Goodbrod, who play Francesca and Robert in Philadelphia Theatre Company's upcoming production of The Bridges of Madison County.

When you hear about trials, you get the facts presented in the trial: jury selection, witness testimony, opening and closing arguments, and the verdict. What you never see, however, is what goes on when the jury is let off the record to decide the case. You can never really be sure what led those jurors to come to the verdict they did.

The curtain opens on a lavish hotel room, stacked with gifts and flowers. But there's lingerie on the floor, the couch cushions are astray, and a bedraggled producer is yelling about the fate of his one-night-only opera extravaganza… and that's just the start.

Mercutio raps. Tybalt bumps coke. This is not your grandmother's Romeo and Juliet.

"Everyone's got dreams, but I've got plans," a line from Eleventh Hour Theatre Company's Bonnie and Clyde, rings almost ironically true.

For the first ten minutes of Completeness at Theatre Exile, I was bored out of my mind. "Oh god, these next two hours are going to suck," I thought. Despite my initial distaste, as the play unraveled I was faced with a beautiful presentation of the universal human experience.

At Walnut Street Theatre's Matilda, revolting children will steal your heart and more importantly, your respect.

Bold choices. Beautiful staging. This is Arden Theatre Company's production of A Doll's House Part 2.