A Labour of Love in Central Park by Philip

           Because of its literary allusions and contemporary (Elizabethan) poetic forms, Love's Labour's Lost has never been among Shakespeare's most popular p…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 1:45pm on August 15, 2013[SHARE]

Saving Kitty…from Mom! by Philip

              The New Jersey Repertory Company press blurb for Marisa Smith's Saving Kitty poses the question "What happens when a daughter brings a young …

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 10:11am on July 30, 2013[SHARE]

Mid-summer in Holmdel with Shakespeare by Philip

             In his book "A Lifetime with Shakespeare," Paul Barry, the moving force behind and co-founder (with me) of the New Jersey Shakespeare Festiva…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 11:25am on July 25, 2013[SHARE]

American History 101 in 70 minutes: "Colin Quinn Unconstitutional" by Philip

            Clowns do comedy and comics tell comedy, but humorists create comedy. They mine subjects and situations that may not be inherently comical for el…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 1:56pm on July 24, 2013[SHARE]

There's "Trouble" in River City, but not in Red Bank by Philip

 It's hard to come up with a musical that doesn't revolve around one or two demanding roles and harder still to find people to carry those parts, especially in community theater. Phoenix …

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 1:28pm on July 18, 2013[SHARE]

Ontario Theatre Festivals: The Shaw by Philip

 Universally recognized for the quality of their namesake's plays, the (George Bernard) Shaw Festival, in scenic Niagara-on-the-Lake, 20 minutes away from wonder-of-the-world Niagara Fall…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 12:10pm on July 10, 2013[SHARE]

Ontario Theatre Festivals: Stratford by Philip

       At 61 years and counting, the Stratford Festival remains faithful to Shakespeare, despite dropping his name from their title, after only adding it in 2008. Four of t…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 11:54am on July 10, 2013[SHARE]

More Noel Coward… by Philip

 In what qualifies as a mini Garden State Noel Coward Festival, Fallen Angels has opened at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey in Madison, one week after the supreme British wit's Pres…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 5:47pm on July 5, 2013[SHARE]

A gem from the past: "Present Laughter" at Two River Theater by Philip

               Once, when asked how he would be remembered, Noel Coward replied, "By my charm." Garry Essendine, the leading man in Coward's well-man…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 10:21am on June 11, 2013[SHARE]

"The Golden Year" is 24-Carat by Philip

     Every once in a while, an off-off-Broadway limited-run showcase production jumps up and reminds you that there is some really good Theatre happening up and down the side st…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 3:45pm on June 7, 2013[SHARE]

New Play at NJ Rep: "Happy" is only the title… by Philip

  One of the four characters in Happy, Robert Caisley's new play at NJ Rep, ends up happy at the end, but you won't learn here who it is. In order of appearance, it could be 40-somethin…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 3:56pm on June 5, 2013[SHARE]

The 2013 Tony Awards: One Critic's Picks by Philip

  The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards honor theatrical excellence at the Broadway level. Quibble about commercialism or the exclusion of off-Broadway if you will, but the Tony Award…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 1:42pm on May 26, 2013[SHARE]

"The Electric Baby" at Two River Theater by Philip

              What do a Romanian mother of a sickly baby, a Nigerian-immigrant cab driver, a foul-mouthed part-time hooker and a middle-aged couple with…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 10:59am on May 1, 2013[SHARE]

"Little Women" comes up big in Holmdel by Philip

             Q: Which are more heart-warming: the four March sisters in Louisa May Alcott's 1868 novel "Little Women?" or their portrayals in Thomas Hischa…

SOURCE: sceneonstage.com at 12:55pm on April 25, 2013[SHARE]