Wendy Rosenfield

Wendy Rosenfield is a freelance writer who has reviewed theater and written arts and lifestyle features for the Inquirer since 2006. She was chief theater critic for the Philadelphia Weekly from 1995 to 2001. Wendy holds a B.A. in English literature from Bennington College, has participated in the Bennington Writer's Workshop, and was a 2008 NEA Fellow in Theater and Musical Theater. She is also the proud mother of two young children who often fight over the extra reviewer's ticket, which leads her to believe that theater is alive and well and breeding new enthusiasts all the time.

Read "Drama Queen," Wendy's blog on arts and culture

Kash Goins (right, as John Henry) breaks the shackle held by Chuck Beishl to escape the chain gang, with Maurice Tucker (left), Richard Stevens. The play is based on the tale about the "steel-driving man who died with a hammer in his hand."

'John Henry,' a legend-busting play

By Wendy Rosenfield, For The Inquirer

Posted 11/10/2009

The refrain "A man ain't nothin' but a man" shows up in several variations of John Henry's legend. It's also the theme of Iron Age Theatre's world premiere of Chris Braak's The Life of John Henry.

The "I Love You" cast (from left) Christine Toy Johnson, Renee Rakelle, Kevin Duda, and Greg Mills.

Or perhaps one could call them 'narcissicals'

By Wendy Rosenfield, For The Inquirer

Posted 11/10/2009

I've got it! The proper name for those plotless musical melanges - Bristol Riverside Theatre's production of Joe DiPietro's I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change being approximately the fifth such show to roll through this year - is the "yousical."

'Angels in America' features talented cast, terrible venue - 11/09/2009: By Wendy Rosenfield, For The Inquirer

It's true that if you're an HBO subscriber, you can watch the televised version of Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes in Two Parts on demand right now, from the comfort of your living room. But why would you ever do that when you could have the privilege - that's right, the privilege - of seeing Bckseet Production's ambitious staging of Tony Kushner's entire epic alive and breathing, with both parts back-to-back, in repertory, performed by a ferociously talented cast?
Puppets find humanity in Christmas bleakness - 11/07/2009: Playing at: Drexel University's Mandell Theater, 33d and Chestnut Streets. Through Nov. 15. Tickets: $15 to $25. Information: 215-733-0255 or www.AzukaTheatre.org.
Feeling like a puppet at Christmastime - 11/07/2009: By Wendy Rosenfield, For The Inquirer
Temple's 'Shot!' mostly hits the target - 11/03/2009: Battle-scarred N. Phila. is backdrop for tense drama.

By Wendy Rosenfield, For The Inquirer

The format of Temple Theaters' new original production, Shot!, will be familiar to those who recall the school's 2007 success, In Conflict. While the latter, which had a well-received Off-Broadway run, addressed the physical and psychic wounds suffered by young Iraq war veterans in their own words, Shot! gauges the effects of violence on residents of Beirut. Except here, "Beirut" refers to the area around 12th and Huntingdon Streets, the backyard of Temple's main campus.
Preparing for a big bang that fizzles - 11/02/2009: By Wendy Rosenfield, For The Inquirer

As one might imagine, explosions figure heavily in Flashpoint Theatre's production of Peter Sinn Nachtrieb's boom, though as its lowercase title indicates, there ultimately will be less bang, more whimper. There are plenty of explosions to worry about: explosions that created us and will end us, explosions psychic and sexual, and each - from the galactic to the individual - beyond our control.
Buffalo boys in the buff - 10/28/2009: Flawed production can't strip Terrence McNally's "Full Monty" of its charm.

By Wendy Rosenfield, For The Inquirer

The Ritz Theatre was wise to go with a production of The Full Monty, based on the 1997 British film of the same name; this is simply an irrepressible musical. It has a blue-collar background that allows for roughness around the edges, and a book by Terrence McNally that gets beneath the well-worn skin of its formerly hard-working, currently hardly working subjects. Even David Yazbek's songs practically challenge you not to cheer on the six boys from Buffalo.
In a funk, determined to climb out - 10/26/2009: By Wendy Rosenfield, For The Inquirer

Rock climbing, as Emm (Rachael Joffred) discovers in Nice People Theatre Company's world premiere of Grace, or the Art of Climbing at the Power Plant in Old City, requires the united efforts of every muscle fiber and neuron. It's a taut, focused sport, the endorphin rush of ascent matched by the constant threat of a plunge, instinct working with strategy, raw internal fortitude paired, indeed, with external grace.
Grace, or the Art of Climbing - 10/26/2009: Presented by Nice People Theatre Company at the Power Plant Basement, 233 N. Bread St., Philadelphia. Through Sunday, Nov. 8. Tickets: $15. Information: 202-744-3362 or www.NicePeopleTheatre.org.
The kids left; the dog died; so what? - 10/17/2009: By Wendy Rosenfield, For The Inquirer

There's no real name for the genus from which Carole Lonner's The Kids Left. The Dog Died. Now What? springs, but there is little doubt that it's born of an invasive species. Carried on the winds from town to town, some varieties are hardier than others and take root for months while others blow in and out in a week, but they all share a few common characteristics.
Wails, woe: 'Haunted Poe' - 10/13/2009: In a creepy labyrinth, tales by the master of madness come alive (and dead).

By Wendy Rosenfield, For The Inquirer

There are two things you should know right away about Brat Productions' Haunted Poe: First, it's not scary so much as creepy, and second, I never even saw the roaches. To me, these are two very good things; to you, maybe not. The roaches, 4,000 of them, were cast courtesy of the Insectarium on Frankford Avenue, and have so far been the stars of Haunted Poe's preproduction press.