September 11, 1985: "The Gospel at Colonus" had its first performance at the Zellerbach Theatre in Philadelphia - directed by Lee Breuer, and music by Bob Telson.

Morgan Freeman starred as The Messenger, while Clarence Thomas & The Five Blind Boys of Alabama jointly embodied the role of Oedipus.

But the real energy in the evening was provided by the 60 members of Philadelphia's Fellowship Tabernacle Church of God in Christ Choir, filling the risers on the stage. #theater #theaterhistory

August 11, 1957: Stephen Sondheim's name first appears in Philadelphia newspapers as a lyricist for a musical, "West Side Story," which was about to begin a pre-Broadway tryout run at the Erlanger Theatre in Philadelphia. (There are passing references to Sondheim in earlier stories, but they mostly mention him as the son of the well-known dress designer, Herbert Sondheim, and sometimes spell his name as "Steven".) #sondheim #theatre #theater #theaterhistory

A handy diagram and map printed in the Philadelphia Inquirer in June of 1952, showing everyone where the new Playhouse in the Park would be.

The first show at the theater was Goodbye, My Fancy, which had been a hit for the actor Conrad Nagle on Broadway three years previously.

#phillytheatre #phillyhistory #theaterhistory #philadelphia

May 2005: Mary Martello was rolling out the pies as Mrs. Lovett in the Arden Theatre's production of "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street." For her work she would later receive Best Actress in a Musical at Philadelphia's Barrymore Awards.

(Top left, as Mama Rose in "Gypsy" - Arden Theatre, 2017. Bottom left, as Gertrude in "Hamlet" with Geoff Sobelle - Lantern Theater, 2009. Right, as Mrs. Lovett in "Sweeney Todd" with Thom Sesma. )

#phillytheatre #phillyhistory #theaterhistory

A clip from our new episode!

It's the final installment of our trilogy about the Theatre of the Living Arts in Philadelphia, where as the '66-'67 season begins, there's trouble brewing for director Andre Gregory!

It's also the final episode of our second season, "Drama Is Conflict"! Join us as we wrap up our overall narrative about riots, lawsuits, disputes and #censorship in the #history of #Philly theater!
#theaterhistory #theatrehistory #phillyhistory

A preview soundbite from our next episode - in which I share a passage from "The Empty Space" in which director Peter Brook considers the Philadelphia audience response to his "King Lear" back in 1964:
#theaterhistory #theatre #theatrehistory #kinglear #PeterBrook #RSC #TheEmptySpace

1941 Newspaper ads by Philadelphia electric and heating oil companies, in connection with the Walnut Street Theatre's hit production of the play "Life With Father."

Dads from the 1880s would probably be a lot less grumpy if their cooks had electric stoves and their basements had modern oil furnaces.

The show, starring Louis Calhern and Lillian Gish, ran in Philadelphia from March 3rd to May 30th, 1941.

#FathersDay2023 #phillytheatre #theaterhistory #theatrehistory #walnutstreettheatre

September 4, 2022: The Philadelphia Inquirer names "Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" one of the most notable Philly-centric podcasts!

Do you want to know why we do this show? How we put it together? How we do our research? How long we plan to keep it going? Ask any question you want in the Comments below, and we'll answer it - in our next episode!

#Phillysbest #Phillypodcast #phillypodcasters #theaterhistory #theatrehistory #phillyhistory

A preview soundbite of our next episode!

Full episode of "Theatre of the Living Arts: A Beginning" will be available starting Monday May 29th!

Look for us, wherever you get your podcasts!

www.aithpodcasts.com

#theatrehistory #theaterhistory #phillyhistory #phillytheatre

January 1965: Upper image, a pensive shot of director Andre Gregory by the photographer Betty Nettis Bennett - who documented most of his work at the Theatre of the Living Arts in Philadelphia.

Lower image, the lobby of the TLA on Philadelphia's South Street, as opening night crowds gathered for the first play produced there - Brecht's "Galileo".

Look for our new episode, releasing Monday, May 29: "The Theatre of the Living Arts: A Beginning"!
#theaterhistory #theatre #theatrehistory

On Sunday May 4th, 1969, Muhammad Ali caught the very final show of "Big Time Buck White" at the Walnut St. Theatre in Philadelphia. He agreed to take over the title role in the play, which ran on Broadway in December of 1969.

But the show was not a commercial success, and closed after only one week. In March 1971, his right to fight restored, Muhammad Ali was back in the boxing ring, fighting Philadelphia's hometown champ Joe Frazier. Ali lost to Frazier by unanimous decision.
#theaterhistory

@ericdano @Delgassco Thanks! I appreciate all the advice and conversation on this topic.

I do my best to keep engaged with others here. This is the first time I've actually gotten much of a responses about anything - more than all my posts about the performing arts, #theaterhistory or #History in general!

The possible conclusion here is that people on #Mastodon do at least consistently like to talk about #Mastodon. 😉

April 30, 1975: Kander and Ebb's "Chicago," directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse, was in the final week of a shakedown run at the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia.

That night, during a scene change, Verdon twisted her ankle, and had to go to the hosptial.

Fifteen minutes later, a new and younger Roxie Hart, Pittsburgh actress Lenora Nemetz, took over the role for the rest of the show and received another standing ovation from the admiring crowd after the finale.

#theaterhistory

April 22, 1923: The company of the Moscow Art Theatre, led by the director Constantin Stanislavsky, arrives in Philadelphia and a photo of them standing together in the old Broad Street Station is printed in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Producer Morris Gest, who was also in the photo, had brought the company to America, booked them into the Lyric Theatre at the corner of Broad and Cherry Streets north of City Hall.

#theatrehistory #theaterhistory #phillytheatre #stanislavsky #moscowarttheatre

January 3, 1965: A photo is printed in the Philadelphia Inquirer, showing a rehearsal for "Galileo" at the first professional theater company to be established in Philadelphia for many years - The Theatre of the Living Arts. Andre Gregory directed.

In the photo was actor David Hurst, who was playing the title role, and actress Lois Smith, who was playing his daughter. Also shown was young Adam Gopnik, the future author and New Yorker Magazine staff writer.

#theaterhistory #theatrehistory

Another sound clip from our most recent episode - "Banned in Philadelpha" - together with slightly naughty photo of the Philadelphia-born comedienne Imogene Coca.

Find "Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your pods on! Listen and enjoy!

#theaterhistory #theatrehistory #philly #podcasts #podcast #newepisodealert

In honor of the 125th anniversary of the great man's birth, here is a photo of Paul Robeson as Othello and Uta Hagen as Desdemona, from the Philadelphia Inquirer, Oct 3, 1943.

Our episode about Paul Robeson in Philadelphia, which we released last summer, is one of our most popular ever!
https://www.aithpodcast.com/the-paul-robeson-house/

#paulrobeson #othello #paulrobesonbirthday #utahagen #phillytheatre #theatrehistory #theaterhistory #shakespeare

It's Our Podcast's Two-Year Anniversary!

Fifty episodes of Theater History - in One Amazing City.

Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify - or on whatever app you use to get your pods on!

#theaterhistory #theatrehistory #phillyhistory #secondanniversary

In September of 1957, Philadelphia-born actor Iggie Wolfington was unexpectedly cast in "The Music Man" - by fellow native Philadelphia Morton DaCosta.

Wolfington went on to receive a Tony nomination for his work as Marcellus on Broadway - though losing out to David Burns, who played Mayor Shinn in the same show. He can be heard singing the song "Shipoopi" on the original cast album.

#theaterhistory #phillyhistory #themusicman #shipoopi

Another soundbite from our brand new episode, "Bernhardt and the Playboy"!

Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or wherever you get your pods on!

#podcasts #newepisode #newepisodealert #bernhardt #podcastersofinstagram #theaterhistory #theatrehistory #phillyhistory