Music and Arts, Reviews

Lauren Gunderson’s Natural Shocks stresses the importance of taking action against a very serious subject in America.

-Brenda Hillegas Cover photo: Amanda Schoonover, by Kate Raines There are many small theatre companies throughout the Philadelphia area that create powerful content in an intimate setting. On the lower level of the Drake, just a short distance from Broad Street, you’ll find the thought-provoking work of Simpatico Theatre’s 2019/2020 season. Right now, you can see Lauren Gunderson’s Natural Shocks, a fast-paced, sometimes comedic and … Continue reading Lauren Gunderson’s Natural Shocks stresses the importance of taking action against a very serious subject in America.

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News, Music and Arts

The SpongeBob Musical is an incredible theatre experience. See it now in Philadelphia

-Brenda Hillegas Photo by Jeremy Daniel It’s going to be pretty bubbly here in Philadelphia as The SpongeBob Musical takes over The Forrest Theatre through December 15th. Creator/director Tina Landau and a Tony Award-winning design team bring SpongeBob and his friends to life on stage with a bright, perfectly over-the-top, fun show. Believe it or not, this animated series translates beautifully into a Broadway production fit … Continue reading The SpongeBob Musical is an incredible theatre experience. See it now in Philadelphia

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Music and Arts, Reviews

See and Be Scene: Previewing the 46th season of Philadelphia Theatre Company

-Amaris Pollock, with descriptions of the plays obtained from the Philadelphia Theatre Company On Monday night, Philadelphia Theatre Company invited Philadelphia’s theatre lovers to come out to a unique event at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre. See and Be Scene, now in its third year, is a one night only preview of potential work for the company’s 2020-2021 season. For this upcoming season, Producing Artistic Director … Continue reading See and Be Scene: Previewing the 46th season of Philadelphia Theatre Company

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Food & Recipes

Stuffed Baked Potatoes

-Jane Roser My dad has been making these since I was a kid. It’s a tradition in our family to eat these at Thanksgiving and Christmas. You can substitute the bacon with bacon bits if you prefer. Serves 6 Ingredients: 8 tablespoons butter, plus 1 tbsp. softened and cut into small pieces 6 large russet potatoes, cleaned and dried 6 slices of bacon (or bacon … Continue reading Stuffed Baked Potatoes

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Coming Up, Music and Arts, News

University of the Arts grad Lorenzo Pugliese plays SpongeBob SquarePants in the musical’s first national tour.

-Brenda Hillegas photos by Jeremy Daniel Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? You know who. The Tony-winning SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical is about to flood the Forrest Theatre and hopefully you’ll come along for the journey. In the role of SpongeBob himself is Lorenzo Pugliese, a Scranton-born actor who just graduated from Philadelphia’s University of the Arts last spring. I talked to Lorenzo … Continue reading University of the Arts grad Lorenzo Pugliese plays SpongeBob SquarePants in the musical’s first national tour.

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Music and Arts, Reviews

“An Evening with Sutton Foster” at Merriam Theater was a perfectly spent Friday night.

-Brenda Hillegas An actual Broadway princess came to Philadelphia last Friday night (seriously, Sutton Foster was the original Princess Fiona on Broadway in Shrek the Musical). The two-time Tony winner perfected Broadway roles such as Millie Dillmount in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes, Inga in Young Frankenstein, and so many others. You also probably know Sutton from hit television shows like Younger (heading into a 7th season … Continue reading “An Evening with Sutton Foster” at Merriam Theater was a perfectly spent Friday night.

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Music and Arts, Reviews

Celebrate the Magic of Christmas with The Gifts of the Magi at Walnut Street Theatre

-Brenda Hillegas Photo by Mark Garvin The season of giving, celebrating love and family, and spreading happiness and kindness to others is almost upon us. To get yourself and your loved ones into the Christmas spirit, head over to Walnut Street Theatre’s intimate Independence Studio on 3 for a musical version of O. Henry’s The Gift of the Magi. In The Gifts of the Magi, … Continue reading Celebrate the Magic of Christmas with The Gifts of the Magi at Walnut Street Theatre

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Music and Arts, Reviews

The Philadelphia premiere of Tina Fey’s Mean Girls musical is at the Academy of Music until December 1st.

-Brenda Hillegas Photos by Joan Marcus A book, adapted into a movie, then adapted into musical. It’s a process that has been done many times before. Very rarely though does the content become a huge hit that translates amazingly across the board. In 2004, Upper Darby’s own Tina Fey took a hold of a self-help book called Queen Bees and Wannabees and wrote the screenplay for Mean … Continue reading The Philadelphia premiere of Tina Fey’s Mean Girls musical is at the Academy of Music until December 1st.

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Music and Arts, Reviews

Shrek the Musical is a big, lovable story playing at Walnut Street Theatre until January 5th.

-Brenda Hillegas (feature photo by Mark Garvin) Shrek is an unlikely fairy tale. Sure, there’s a prince and a princess, some talking animals, and true love’s kiss. But in this story, a big, scary (but lovable) ogre and his sassy sidekick donkey set out to stand up for what’s right in a sweet tale about inner beauty and finding your own tribe of people. I … Continue reading Shrek the Musical is a big, lovable story playing at Walnut Street Theatre until January 5th.

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Music and Arts, Reviews

A Sherlock Holmes classic comes to life in parody form at Theatre Horizon

Feature photo: Steve Pacek, Damon Bonetti, and Dave Johnson, Photo by Daniel Kontz -Brenda Hillegas Detective Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson are brought to life at Theatre Horizon in a fun parody of the classic Arthur Conan Doyle characters. In The Hound of the Baskervilles– playing now until December 8th- an old fashioned story of mystery and suspense is hilariously heightened as three actors … Continue reading A Sherlock Holmes classic comes to life in parody form at Theatre Horizon

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