PIFA on Theater Stages
Wanamaker's Pursuit In 1911, a (fictional) Philadelphia department store heir, Nathan Wanamaker, travels to Paris on a learning trip to become a buyer for his family's store. Invited to an over-the-top party thrown by Paul Poiret, the self-proclaimed &quo
Wanamaker's Pursuit In 1911, a (fictional) Philadelphia department store heir, Nathan Wanamaker, travels to Paris on a learning trip to become a buyer for his family's store. Invited to an over-the-top party thrown by Paul Poiret, the self-proclaimed "King of Fashion," Nathan is smitten by the joie-de-vivre lifestyle. But when - uh-oh! - it's time to come home, what to do? This world premiere is commissioned by the Arden Theatre Company from playwright Rogelio Martinez. At the Arden Theatre Company, through May 22.
The Credeaux Canvas Kevin Bunin's play involves love, intimacy, and friendship - and the betrayal of all that - as three struggling New York friends swindle an art collector. Theatre Horizon is producing it at Norristown's Centre Theater, Thursday-April 30.
A Passing Wind Joseph Pujol was a baker in French nowheresville until he realized the potential audience attraction in his remarkable flatulence and reinvented himself as Le Petomane ("The Fartiste"). The music, lyrics, and book for this world premiere come from Pujol's true story, by InterAct Theatre Company's artistic director, Seth Rozin. At the Kimmel Center's Innovation Studio, Thursday-April 17.
La Joie de Vivre A century ago, African American artists and performers in Harlem went to Paris, where they and their work were welcomed. Jann Ellis-Scruggs' world premiere music-theater piece is at Cheyney University's Dudley Theatre in Westtown, next Sunday-April 27.
Hell A world-premiere adaptation of a 1908 novel by Henri Barbusse - the scandalous L'enfer - is produced by EgoPo Classic Theater. A boarder sees much of the seamier, even graphic, side of the world through a hole in his room's wall, and the play's voyeuristic bent caused a sensation. The adaptation is by Ross Beschler and EgoPo artistic director Lane Savadove. At the German Society, April 27-May 15.
Bella: The Color of Love The Philadelphia Theatre Company, Museum of Art, and Gershman Y team up to present Theresa Tova's one-woman cabaret about artist Marc Chagall's wife, billed as a musical journey. At the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, April 28-May 1.
- Howard Shapiro EndText