All stories by Philip on BroadwayStars

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

No wall between “The Immigrant” and George Street Playhouse by Philip

Ever wonder what happens to the inhabitants of Anatevka after they are driven from their village at the end of “Fiddler on the Roof”? We know that some of Tevye’s family will be stayin…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 11:47AM
Friday, March 15, 2019

Want some journalistic intrigue? Go to “The Source” by Philip

There is some real good acting on display these days at New Jersey Repertory Company. Not only do the three cast members of “The Source,” Jack Canfora’s trippy excursion into the world…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 02:19PM
Wednesday, March 6, 2019

A family talks it all out in “Theo” at Two River Theater by Philip

Criticizing a play for being too wordy might seem counter-intuitive. Character dialogue, after all, is words. But unlike narrative stories or essays, plays need to balance telling with showi…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 01:36PM
Thursday, February 28, 2019

Along Roll We Merrily by Philip

I am a charter member of the Spoilers Avoidance Association, but it is impossible to write about “Merrily We Roll Along” without revealing – to those not already aware – that the 198…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 03:32PM
Wednesday, February 20, 2019

“The Play That Goes Wrong” Goes Right Off-Broadway by Philip

Something funny happened to “The Play That Goes Wrong” on the way from Broadway to off-Broadway. Fear not; everything that was funny during its nearly two-year run in the 922-seat Lyceum…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 03:07PM
Tuesday, February 12, 2019

A blazing performance as Nina Simone in “Little Girl Blue” by Philip

My memories of seeing Nina Simone perform in Philadelphia and Atlantic City jazz clubs in the late 1950s/early 60s are soft-focus, because, well, do the math. What does remain sharp, though,…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 03:28PM
Wednesday, February 6, 2019

“Ain’t Misbehavin'” at Westchester: The Joint Is Jumpin’ by Philip

To describe a play or musical as ‘dated’ might indicate that the piece is no longer relevant by virtue of evolved social or moral standards. (You won’t see Neil Simon’s play about th…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 02:15PM
Tuesday, January 22, 2019

A walk on the farce side: “Noises Off” at Two River Theater by Philip

One can imagine the Two River Theater staff meeting to select a catch-phrase for their “Noises Off” advertising campaign. It is fitting that they settled on “One of the funniest plays …

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 04:23PM
Wednesday, January 16, 2019

It’s “Apple Season” in Long Branch New Jersey by Philip

At one point in E. M. Lewis’s “Apple Season” at New Jersey Repertory Company in Long Branch, one of the play’s several contemporaneous ‘Rolling Premiere’ productions, Lis…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 05:04PM
Saturday, January 12, 2019

Take Someone to “The Prom” (Formal Wear Optional) by Philip

A couple kissing in front of Macy’s in Herald Square is hardly newsworthy, but one at last year’s Thanksgiving Day Parade actually marked a milestone in live TV – and was also a spoile…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 02:05PM
Thursday, December 20, 2018

Adventures in the Santa trade… by Philip

[Some of what follows was originally posted a few years ago. This holiday season, I invite new readers and returnees to share the memories.] Like many a New York actor back in the day, I dro…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 04:26PM
Thursday, December 13, 2018

“ART” is in the eye of the beholder… by Philip

The term ‘bromance,’ referring to a close, non-sexual relationship between men, had not been coined when French playwright Yasmina Reza wrote “ART” in 1994, but a bromance fuels her …

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 08:41PM
Wednesday, December 5, 2018

#AmericanSonMatters on Broadway by Philip

“American Son” premiered in 2016 at Barrington Stage in Massachusetts and was staged at George Street Playhouse in New Jersey in February 2017. In those recent years, its theme of racial…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 12:30AM
Thursday, November 29, 2018

“Holiday Inn” Open For Business At Paper Mill Playhouse by Philip

The musical now officially titled “Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn” is based on the 1942 movie “Holiday Inn,” which was updated on screen as “White Christmas” in 1954, which in tur…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 03:14PM
Monday, November 19, 2018

“King Hedley II” Reigns at Two River Theater by Philip

In the play running through December 16 at Two River Theater in Red Bank, NJ, a 35-year old African-American woman defends her decision to terminate her pregnancy in an impassioned speech. �…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 04:01PM
Monday, November 12, 2018

“Annie” gets a makeover (with Andrea McArdle aboard) by Philip

With a few minor (and one not-so-minor) modifications, producers Andrew De Prisco and Jess Levy and director/choreographer Al Blackstone have given “Annie” a fresh appearance without sac…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 05:39PM
Tuesday, November 6, 2018

A solo show evokes Lenny Bruce: Comedian…and so much more by Philip

You are unlikely to ever see the theatrical title “I’m Not a Comedian…I’m Richard Pryor.” Or George Carlin. Or Chris Rock. Or Sarah Silverman. But appending the name Lenny Bruce is…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 12:49PM
Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Elaine May astonishes in “The Waverly Gallery” by Philip

It is generally true that the decline into dementia is a gradual process. From early symptoms – forgetting names or dates or where one left the keys – to a failure to connect with the re…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 12:12PM
Monday, October 22, 2018

Unresolved Mother-Son Issues: “Apologia” off-Broadway by Philip

Line readings are a generally under-valued (and under-credited) facet of the actor’s craft. As many times as you see “Hamlet,” for example, is how many different readings of the “To …

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 03:14PM
Friday, October 5, 2018

Bernhardt/Hamlet/McTeer by Philip

In 2017, Elizabeth Marvel appeared as Marc Antony in the Free Shakespeare in Central Park “Julius Caesar.” In 2018 women are playing Caesar as well as Antony and Cassius at the Stratford…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 04:59PM
Wednesday, September 26, 2018

“Phantom” in Westchester (not that one, the other one) by Philip

While some introductory background is a de facto requirement in a review of the “Phantom” musical that does not append “of the Opera” to its title, be advised upfront that the produc…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 02:28PM
Wednesday, September 19, 2018

A Two River Theater premiere: “Pamela’s First Musical” by Philip

With eight musicians and a cast of fifteen, “Pamela’s First Musical” is the most elaborate musical produced by Two River Theater Company over its illustrious twenty-five years. The Ste…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 02:44PM
Friday, September 14, 2018

A playwright and play to reckon with: “Agnes” off-Broadway by Philip

“I don’t think I know the difference between sexual harassment and flirting” might not seem like a ground-breaking admission, but as spoken by Charlie in Catya McMullen’s outstanding…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 04:14PM
Thursday, August 30, 2018

“Gettin’ the Band Back Together” makes noise on Broadway by Philip

Near the end of “Getting’ the Band Back Together” the (fictional) mayor of (real) Sayreville, New Jersey asks “Who would have thought at the beginning that the Battle of the Bands wo…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 03:00PM
Wednesday, August 22, 2018

“Blithe Spirit” at Shakespeare of NJ will lift yours… by Philip

Considering the running time of some I’ve seen, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s “Blithe Spirit” comes in at a relatively compact two and three-quarters hours, including inter…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 09:13PM
Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Stellar Cast in World Premiere of “Fern Hill” at NJ Rep by Philip

The six actors appearing at New Jersey Repertory Company in Long Branch have amassed thirty-five Broadway credits among them, with six Tony Award nominations (and a win) to boot. Lured to th…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 02:42PM
Monday, August 6, 2018

Shaking up Shakespeare in Central Park – and Shaw in Ontario wine country by Philip

There is so much about the The Public Works Shakespeare in the Park’s musical adaptation of “Twelfth Night” to praise, it’s hard to know where to begin. Kwame Kwei-Armah and Shaina T…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 05:45PM
Sunday, July 29, 2018

High body-count in “Titus Andronicus” at Shakespeare of New Jersey by Philip

More people are killed in Shakespeare’s “Titus Andronicus” than in his Scottish play and Danish plays combined. “Titus” also preceded “Sweeney Todd” in the bad-guy-pie departme…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 05:35PM
Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Oldies but goodies: “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever” at Irish Rep and “Anything Goes” in Westchester by Philip

The phrase ‘less is more’ is never more apt than when applied to Irish Repertory Theatre’s musical productions. Artistic director Charlotte Moore’s thirty-year old company, devoted t…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 11:23AM
Friday, July 6, 2018

The Stratford Festival: Shakespeare and More by Philip

Theater-goers who venture to Stratford, Ontario for the Shakespeare might want to check out the “supporting” plays and musicals as well. While both “The Tempest” and “The Comedy of…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 08:55AM
Sunday, June 24, 2018

“Half Time” hip-hop at Paper Mill Playhouse: Never Fresher by Philip

You’ll know how “Half Time” ends about five minutes in. So what; getting there is the fun part. And “Half Time” is fun. Its premise is simple enough (even to a fault, but anyway): …

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 03:32PM

All that Chat

2024-2025 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 05, 2024: Home - Todd Haimes Theatre
Jul 11, 2024: Oh, Mary! - Lyceum Theatre
Jul 30, 2024: Job - Hayes Theater
Sep 12, 2024: The Roommate - Booth Theatre
Nov 14, 2024: Tammy Faye - Palace Theatre
Dec 12, 2024: Cult of Love - Hayes Theater
Dec 19, 2024: Gypsy - Majestic Theatre
Mar 17, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 10, 2025: Smash - Imperial Theatre
TBA: Titanic
TBA: Ragtime