Anne Coleman

Modern Bye Bye Birdie shoots far, overreaching its origins

Albert Peterson may want the audience to “put on a happy face,” but they are far more likely to shudder. That is because Michael McCormick, who plays Albert in The Players Club of Swarthmore’s current…

Method acting feeds into spectrum of theater's past

There is an old comic of a man trapped in a box next to a mime, who is behaving as though he is trapped in a box. The caption cites the hazards of being a “method actor.” The idea of a “method actor,”…

Miss Martha Graham Cracker redefines drag theater

The squeals and roars emitted by the audience when Miss Martha Graham Cracker sauntered onto the stage last Friday belied the identity of the audience. The sounds we associate with boy band concerts …

Previews continue to pack a punch, despite criticism

Last Friday, the Wall Street Journal ran an article titled “Are Broadway Previews Outdated?” which explored the ways in which amateur theater bloggers and soaring ticket prices have rendered the Broad…

In Mamet's newest play, a failure to disquiet

David Mamet delights in making his audience nervous. He laces his scripts with gratuitous profanity and coarse language that most of his theatergoers would be embarrassed to overhear, much less use, i…

Thinking outside the box and into the box office

When it comes to finding the right gifts, it helps to think outside the box. Every metropolitan area has at least one theater company and the gift of theater tickets is bound to surprise any recipient…

Newfound chemistry breathes life into the Bard

Last year, the Tri-Co saw a surge in Shakespeare productions. A certain amount of Shakespeare is to be expected every year in the Tri-Co, since the Bryn Mawr Shakespeare Troupe puts on at least one of…

Testing Facebook’s promotional potential for theater

Viral videos and social networking sites have been advertising destinations for years. Multi-million dollar international corporations have tried to create video advertisements that are clever enough …

In the ring, a nuanced examination of identity

Two people in the program for InterAct Theatre Company’s latest play stand out for their unusual names — unusual, at least, for actors. Eric “The Smoke” Moran and Tony “Hitman” Stetson. Hitman and The…

Celebrities’ screen personas too big for Broadway

Open the Arts section of The New York Times and without peeking at the section headings, try to guess from the article titles and pictures whether you are looking at the film or theater section. If yo…

It may be schadenfreude, but we still can't resist

Winnie is trapped inside a mass of rock and earth from the waist down, and has been for quite some time, but you couldn’t lose at misery poker to a happier person.

The lead character in Samuel Beck…

Nathan the Wise

Is it possible for a play written in Germany in 1778 about Jerusalem in 1192 to be worth watching in Philadelphia in 2009? The People’s Light and Theatre Company is betting on it, kicking off their 35…

‘Rumors’ offers a farce too heavy in its realism

Located just off of Route 320, on the way to the all-important late night destination of Wawa, the Players’ Club of Swarthmore is presenting an infrequently produced Neil Simon play, “Rumors.”

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'Fame' – one play that might not translate to film

When the new film adaptation of “Fame” hits theaters on Sept. 25, it is entirely possible that the critics will run screaming from the theaters. Though the production began as a film, it made a pit-st…

Senior art highlights charcoal drawing

Sofia Lopez:

Sofia Lopez ’09 will be bringing a small taste of life on a Texas ranch to Swarthmore this week, when her senior art exhibition opens on Thursday. Calling herself a “transplant” to Swarth…

‘American Buffalo’ is Mamet at his meatiest

David Mamet likes to keep things ambiguous. If you don’t like plays that leave you conflicted, he’s not the man for you. If, however, you like your art with a dash of social commentary and a lot of mo…

Criminally stellar cast enlivens flawed ‘Hearts’

Jennie Eisenhower makes a great crazy lady. In the current production of “Criminal Hearts” at the Walnut Street Theatre’s Independence Studio on 3, Eisenhower plays Ata, a delightfully screwy, recentl…

New ‘Tale’ falls faster than the French monarchy

Transforming a book into a play can be just as risky as turning it into a screenplay. Where film adaptations are at the mercy of the fans, play adaptations not only risk accusations of straying from t…

Hedgerow builds theater around community

Nestled among quiet, towering pines of the Main Line, #64 Rose Valley Road is unremarkable to those hurrying by. With its unassuming entry arch and unadorned façade, the only hint that this building i…

'Arms and the Man' provides entertaining satire

George Bernard Shaw was a satirist by definition, but his play “Arms and the Man” is gentle in its commentary, proving that you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. The title is the only…

‘Scorched’ transcends politics

Correction Appended

Wajdi Mouawad’s play “Scorched,” playing now through March 29 at the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia, is aptly named, though the quality of the play itself is anything but parched. V…

Senior women present stripped-down ‘Tempest’

Shakespeare in a space station? Check. Shakespeare underwater? Check. Shakespeare in a ritzy restaurant? Check.

As directors struggle to breathe new life into Shakespeare, these 400 year-old plays hav…

Shinn’s ‘Hedda Gabler’: mess or masterpiece?

In 2008 he was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize, he has an Obie Award in playwriting and his newest work is currently playing at Broadway’s American Airlines Theater starring Mary-Louise Parker (“Weeds…

‘About Face’ tackles white identity

Stephen Graf ’09 thinks that theater should be more like video games. At least in his own work. When Graf’s honors thesis in Solo Performance opens on Friday, Feb. 13, the structure and pace will be …

Modern Jewish identity richly explored in “Asher Lev”

National Jewish Book Award-winning author Rabbi Chaim Potok may be the only Orthodox Rabbi to have ever painted a crucifixion. But his numerous critically acclaimed writings are, perhaps, less surpris…