http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/wendy_rosenfield RSS Feed for Inq Col Wendy Rosenfield en-us Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:20:29 GMT http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/wendy_rosenfield/Feeling_like_a_puppet_at_Christmastime.html http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/wendy_rosenfield/20091107_Puppets_find_humanity_in_Christmas_bleakness.html 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. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/wendy_rosenfield/20091103_Temple_s__Shot___mostly_hits_the_target.html 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. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/wendy_rosenfield/20091102_Preparing_for_a_big_bang_that_fizzles.html 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. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/wendy_rosenfield/20091028_Buffalo_boys_in_the_buff.html 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. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/wendy_rosenfield/20091026_In_a_funk__determined_to_climb_out.html 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. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/wendy_rosenfield/20091026_Grace__or_the_Art_of_Climbing.html 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. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/wendy_rosenfield/20091017_The_kids_left__the_dog_died__so_what_.html 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. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/wendy_rosenfield/20091013_Wails__woe___Haunted_Poe_.html 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. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/wendy_rosenfield/20091006_Playwright_returns_to_his_Phila__roots.html Playwright Billy Aronson's new comedy The First Day of School is receiving simultaneous world premieres by Philadelphia's 1812 Productions and the San Francisco Playhouse. Which is fine.