Philadelphia Spotlight: October 2005
Theater tickets nowadays can cost as much as a small economy car. But you can attend a free night of theater this month — provided you’re free on October 20. Philadelphia is one of three pilot cities (along with San Francisco and Austin) participating in the new Theater is Alive initiative from the Theatre Communications Group. The deal is that on that one night, 17 productions will not charge for admission. And even better, 18 other companies (who don’t have productions running that evening) are offering free tickets to a future show. But to grab one of those, you must make your reservation on October 20. The only other criterion is that you choose a theater you have never patronized before. Visit www.theatrealliance.org or call 215-413-7150 for more information.
For the other 30 days in October, you’ll need to actually pay for a ticket. Fortunately, there are a slew of productions that appear to be a worthwhile investment. The versatile (and busy) playwright Christopher Durang comes to Center City with his new musical Adrift in Macao at the Philadelphia Theatre Company (Oct 19-Nov 20). A spoof of those old movies in which there always seems to be a pretty songstress who can’t sing, a savvy nightclub owner with an unexplained past, and a mysterious man who no one can find, the show features music by Peter Melnick. Director Sheryl Kaller’s production stars Tony Award winner Michael Rupert and local songbird Jennie Eisenhower.
The Lantern Theater kicks off its season with a revival of Henrik Ibsen’s The Lady from the Sea. Few male playwrights have written as richly-detailed female characters as Ibsen; Sea‘s protagonist, Ellida, must decide between her practical but cold marriage and the passionate stranger with whom she’s having a sizzling affair. Lantern is one of Philly’s few theaters to have consistent success with Ibsen’s plays, and with inventive Kathryn C. Nocero helming the production, this is a prime opportunity to see this rarely-produced bit of realism.
A reunion with an old-college buddy is always a little uneasy at first. The idealism of youth may have given way to a need (or desire) to make money and you, your buddy, or both of you have tied the knot. But a mildly uncomfortable situation can become downright unbearable if the couple hosting you is fighting. This is the scenario Joe Hortua has created in Between Us, a piercing drama that looks at how compromises affect lives and relationships. Flashpoint Theatre artistic director Eric Lucas has assembled a cast of promising young performers for the production.
Sherwood Anderson’s classic collection of tales about a small town’s residents whose ardor for life has become severely diminished has been adapted by Eric Rosen for the new musical Winesburg, Ohio. Initially staged as a one-act by Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre, this revamped and longer version at the Arden Theatre Company will feature a diverse score of ballads, patter songs, and lyric opera (Oct 11-Nov 6).
Meanwhile, Deborah Block, one of the area’s most innovative directors, will helm the Eternal Spiral Project production of Trista Baldwin’s Patty Red Pants (Oct 26-Nov 26). In this chilling yet erotic retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, Baldwin uses the well-known fairy tale to question the affects of violence on women.
By now, the kids have been in school long enough that they deserve treat. For a fun family evening out, the Media Theatre is presenting the “now and forever” Broadway musical Cats. If the kids can’t stay up late, there is a special 10am performance on Thursday, October 13 (a day some schools close for Yom Kippur).
