Arden Theatre Company, 40 North 2nd Street, “Clybourne Park” tells the story of a house, a neighborhood and the people who have come and gone over five decades. This daring comedy, leasing characters and property from the 1959 classic, “A Raisin in the Sun” demonstrates that gentrification is not just black and white. Each actor plays multiple roles making complete reversals between the two acts. A Broadway production of this award-winning play is slated for spring 2012. “Clybourne Park” by Bruce Norris won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Directed by Edward Sobel, starring Ian Merrill Peakes, David Ingram Steve Pacek and Maggie Lakis. January 26-March 18: 215.922.1122.
Kimmel Center Innovation Studio, Broad & Spruce Streets. Howard Perloff’s production of “Ludwig Live” is a Philadelphia premier. When Ludwig Van Beethoven, dressed in period regalia, gets behind the grand piano and swings into music from everywhere, you may end up with a different view of the classics. The two person show features pianist Charles Lindberg as Beethoven and Katherine Pecevich as the stage manager. Expect music from Strauss, Haydn, John Philip Sousa and Barry Manilow in addition to Beethoven. Katherine sings everything from rock to country, pops, on stage in wigs and dozens of costumes. Janis Joplin, Mozart, Napoleon and Ludwig’s Yiddish Mama are part of her repertoire. January 12-29: 215.731.3333.
Kimmel Presents Broadway @ The Academy of Music, Broad & Locust Streets. In the smoky halls and underground clubs of the segregated 50’s, a white D.J. falls in love with Rock & Roll and an electrifying black singer. “Memphis,” winner of four Tony Awards, is their story. When his vision meets her voice, the music changes forever and an incredible journey and cultural revolution erupts. The Tony winning score by Joe DiPietro and Bon Jovi’s founding member David Bryan, is filled with soaring emotion, roof- raising rock and roll and more than a little laughter. January 17-22: 215.893.1999.
People’s Light & Theatre Company, 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, Pa. The world premiere of “Fallow” reunites author Kenneth Lin with director Jackson Gay. This exploration of families, both born into and created anew, begins with a murder of a young man. He has abandoned his Ivy League credentials to work as a bee keeper and migrant farm worker. The discovery of unsent letters sets his mother on a quest to meet her son’s killers. Much of the play is based on the author’s experiences backpacking through China on a Fulbright in search of his identity. A series of free events are scheduled concerning bee keeping, identity and unusual life-paths. January 11-February 5: 610.644.3500.
Philadelphia Theatre Company at the Suzanne Roberts Theater, Broad & Lombard Streets. In the “Scottsboro Boys,” Cander and Ebb created a Tony Nominated Award winning musical exploring the infamous Scottsboro case of the 1930’s. A group of nine Afro American boys were falsely accused of raping two white women. Their unfair treatment, both in the trial and its aftermath, was such an outrage that it laid the foundation for the modern civil rights movement. Original Broadway cast members include Tony nominated Forrest McClendon, Derrick Cobey, Rodney Hicks, Kendrick Jones, J.C. Montgomery and Clinton Roane. P.T.C. will host a series of special events and post show discussions. January 20-February 19: 215.985.0420.
Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut Street. Agatha Christie was perhaps the best known mystery story teller in the English speaking world. Her most popular creation “The Mousetrap” is still running 60 years after its creation! Set in England, a group of strangers are trapped together during a snowstorm. One of them is a murderer and suspicion runs wild. The newlyweds, the spinster, the retired Army Major or perhaps the man who “claims” his car overturned in the snow could be the killer. After 60 years, the secret still remains safe in the hearts of audiences. Directed by Malcolm Black, the cast includes Jennie Eisenhower, Paul Nolan, Dan Hodge and Charlotte Northeast. January 17-March 4: 215.574.3550.
Walnut Street Theatre – Independence Studio on 3, 825 Walnut Street. When a world famous mathematical genius dies, his daughter and a grad student search through his papers. They find an extraordinary mathematical proof but no one is sure who its author is. The daughter apparently has inherited her father’s genius but may also be suffering from his mental problems. David Auburn’s award-winning “Proof” comes to Philadelphia as it begins a second national tour. This fine cast consists of Bill Van Horn, Alex Keiper, David Raphaely and Krista Apple. January 17-February 5: 215.574.3550.
Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad Street. A collaboration of a great playwright Annie Baker and a great director Anne Kauffman make “Body Awareness” an exceptionally touching quirky comedy of ideas. Of course, the presence of two of our best local actors Grace Gonglewski and Mary Martello doesn’t hurt a bit. They are aided and abetted by Dustin Ingram and Christopher Coucill. It is body awareness week on the college campus where a professor and her high school teacher girlfriend have invited a visiting artist into their home. His photographs of nude women generate conflicted feelings over sexuality and identity with hilarious results, especially for the school teacher’s 21-year old son, who may or may not have Asperger’s. January 4-February 5: 215.546.7824.
