Players Club of Swarthmore

by Sarah Dorsey Daniel Wallace’s 1998 novel Big Fish tells the tale about a father with larger than life stories, Edward Bloom, and his son, William Bloom, a realist and matter of fact story teller. As William prepares for the arrival of his own son, he sets out to find the truth of his father’s past. Gradually, he realizes that his father’s over the top, mythic stories weren’t necessarily to frustrate him but to teach him about people and life’s greatest challenges. Players

by Angela Robb Ever since I started writing for South Jersey Theatre Critics I have been given the opportunity to go to a variety of theaters, including several for the first time. Players Club of Swarthmore has definitely become a favorite of mine. It’s a theatre I can keep returning to with confidence knowing whatever show I see will be top notch. The production quality consistently rivals local regional houses. This confidence in PCS’s storytelling made me especially eage

by Ellorah Maeve The 39 Steps started as an adventure novel by John Buchan in 1915, which started as a weekly series in a magazine. There are many film adaptations; but the most famous version is a spy thriller film from 1935 directed by Alfred Hitchcock, who was also known as the “Master of Suspense”. But for the play, adapted by Patrick Barlow, it was turned from a mystery thriller into a slap stick comedy. Audience members of all ages will enjoy the moments of truth and h

by Lisa Croce On Friday night, I had the opportunity to see the opening night performance of Witch at Player’s Club of Swarthmore. This performance took place in their 2nd stage space, which is a smaller black box space. The play leant itself to the intimacy provided by this environment. Seating was limited, so I recommend getting there early to get the best seat and view of the action. Additionally, we were not advised that there was no intermission before the show started.

by Deitra Oliver Have you ever felt like you didn’t belong? Uncomfortable in your own skin? Have you ever thought it would be easier to let someone else lead and take the backseat in your own life? Ever wondered what you would do in the event of a zombie apocalypse? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you may be just the right candidate for a SQUIP (Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor) or, more realistically, a ticket to see Be More Chill at The Players Club o

by Angela Robb There’s something about a good mystery that never seems to go out of style. Clue has proven just how flexible and beloved a good mystery can be, enduring as a game night staple, a cult-classic film, and a theatrical crowd-pleaser. Over the last couple of years the genre has been reinvented through the Knives Out films, the popularity of which proves that we keep coming back to stories that invite us to lean forward, connect the dots, and suspect everyone. Agat

by Aimee Ferenz Every performer has experienced it, the hours-long technical rehearsal that stops and starts with no warning, feeling like it might go on forever. It is when the designers of lights, sound, set, props, costumes, and choreography come together with the stage managers, producers, directors, and cast to glue all of their personal efforts into a collective work of art. This rehearsal is mentally exhausting, emotionally demanding, often repetitive, and is one of m

by Meg Bryan While many of us theater people love shows from all time periods, I find that there’s something about those “golden age” shows that feels a little extra magical. Maybe it’s the stories that feel fantastical while still being realistic enough, maybe it’s the music with that full orchestral sound, or maybe it’s something else entirely. Whatever it may be, PCS Theater’s production of Hello, Dolly! has captured that whimsical energy in every aspect with no stone lef

by Meg Bryan Being politically correct is incredibly important to our society, especially in this day and age where cancel culture runs rampant. When it comes to being politically correct, the line between acting with pure intentions and acting “performative” is extremely thin. In many cases, those who are acting with good intent come off as performative allyship, making that line even harder to discern. The Thanksgiving Play by Larissa FastHorse is a satirical comedy where

by Lisa Croce The Bad Seed is a 1954 play by American playwright Maxwell Anderson, adapted from the 1954 novel of the same name by American writer William March. It centers around a seemingly perfect little girl, Rhoda Penmark, who is able to charm her way into getting just about anything she wants. When a classmate drowns under mysterious circumstances, her mother, Christine, starts to suspect that Rhoda may have had something to do with it, and other mysterious deaths surr

by Aimee Renna The children’s series of Players Club of Swarthmore has brought another excellent performance together in their second stage. The production Curious George and the Golden Meatball follows our favorite little monkey as he takes his dear friend’s meatball recipe all the way to Rome for a competition. While originally he was created by Margaret and H.A. Rey in 1941, the musical was written by John Cavanaugh and the Books and Lyrics were by Jeremy Desmon. The pr

by Mike McKeon For many, Halloween has always presented the chance to change yourself and be anything you want. There are endless opportunities for you to be anything from Rockstar, Super Hero, Ghost, or even the Villain. Anything but, well… “Normal”. That’s the point anyway, right? As spooky season approaches we will all be busy enjoying countless haunted attractions, horror festivals, and Trunk-or-Treats. However, be sure not to leave out options presented by your local

by Laura Duffy On Wednesday night, amidst flash flood warnings and fearsome bolts of lightning, I attended the world premiere of Gordon Prager’s Conversations With Miranda, produced by Zakarak Productions and performed at the Players Club of Swarthmore. This new work follows Miranda (Julianna Schauerman) and Stephen (Neill Hartley), a married couple who must navigate life across planes of existence – Miranda, in the afterlife, and Stephen, left behind in the physical world.

by M. Smith BREAKING NEWS! The Players Club of Swarthmore is painting the town pink as its latest production of Legally Blonde: The Musical by Heather Hach, Laurence O’Keefe, and Nell Benjamin is taking the area by storm! This musical tells the story of Elle Woods, and how she goes from the president of Delta Nu sorority that no one takes seriously to a lawyer who stands up for what’s right against all odds. Now, I must first prepare you all that this is one of my favorite m

by Ash Kotter Reading plays was my tether to the stage during the 12 years I wasn’t doing theatre. In 2018, during a 3 AM nursing session with my second child, I was scrolling through a New York Times listicle about the best American plays since Angels in America. Angels had been my favorite play since I was 16, and as an arguably important piece of American theatre, I figured I'd probably want to read any play on a list invoking it. Now and again, I’d order a play from th

by Stephen Kreal On Thursday, April 24th, I had the pleasure of seeing Player’s Club of Swarthmore’s production of Rock of Ages. Seeing this production always brings me back to my teenage years in the early/mid 1980’s , so it is a favorite of mine! PCS’s production was directed by Anthony SanFilippo and Assistant Director Angie Scholl. Before making its way to Broadway, Rock of Ages ran in Los Angeles and, eventually, off-Broadway. The original Broadway production opened

by Ash Kotter EUSEBIO: If you can’t get your hands dirty, if you can’t stand the smell or the pity or the pain in the other person’s face, if you’d rather be anywhere else, then you’re not ready to be married, my young friends. Call it off. Because it’s either this or it’s nothing. José Rivera’s Boleros for the Disenchanted is a deeply moving portrait of marriage painted with unvarnished honesty. Inspired by his mother’s captivating storytelling about her long marriage, Rive

by Angela Robb On the afternoon of September 14th my friend Andrew and I had a conversation about the difference between theatre people and people who like theatre. We put ourselves and those that we knew into each category and at the end of the conversation we determined that he is a person who likes theatre and I am a theatre person. We defined a person who likes theatre as someone who enjoys the shows that they see/do but that is where the love ends since their primary in

by Aimee Ferenz The hijinx was alive and well at the opening performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Players Club of Swarthmore. The Shakespeare classic depicts three overlapping stories as they weave together in the woods outside of Athens. The first story is of Hippolyta/Titania and Theseus/Oberon follows the infidelity between the two couples (played by the same actors). Oberon pranks Titania with magic so that she falls in love with the first beast she sets her e

by Angela Robb Honk has always been that show that I’ve heard so much about but never really gave a chance. I knew it was a retelling of the story of The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Anderson and I’ve heard lots of people say how cute it is but I never listened to any of the music or looked into how much they expanded on the story. All of that changed this past weekend when I went to my first performance at Players Club of Swarthmore to see Honk! From the second the sh