On Stage: Eisenhower comes home to star in ‘Into The Woods’

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Shows based on fairy tales can be a welcome alternative to holiday stories in the middle of the Christmas season —  and two of them are running now at theaters in Chester County. The Resident Theatre Company (RTC) at Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (236 North High Street, West Chester, http://www.rtcwc.org) is presenting the second production...

On Stage: Little Red Robin Hood at People’s Light

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Little Red Robin Hood: A Musical Panto! Now is a great time to take a break from the holiday frenzy and enjoy a few hours of watching a stage production. It’s a great time because there are great options – several classic ballet productions of “The Nutcracker,” two holiday-themed stage shows and a brand-new panto. Now through January 5, People’s...

On Stage: Pennsylvania Ballet starts season with a classic

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Jiří Kylián’s “Petite Mort” at the Pennsylvania Ballet Year after year, the Pennsylvania Ballet has been able to present a season schedule that has just the right balance between the old and the new …the right mixture of traditional and contemporary. The Pennsylvania Ballet and Artistic Director Angel Corella kicked off the 2018-2019 season...

On Stage: Swan Lake opens Pa. Ballet Spring season

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Swan Lake There are many famous ballets but “Swan Lake” is on a plateau all its own – elevated above the rest and deservedly so. Anyone even slightly interested in ballet should take advantage if there is an opportunity to see one of the country’s top professional companies perform “Swan Lake.” And, just such an opportunity exists right here...

On Stage: Nothing like The Nutcracker to make it feel like Christmas

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times The Nutcracker by the Pennsylvania Ballet. The Pennsylvania Ballet’s annual production of “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” is one of the most cherished—and longest running—family holiday traditions for families in the region. For many, a visit to Philadelphia to enjoy the lavish presentation by the world-famous Pennsylvania Ballet is a integral...

On Stage: Pa. Ballet opens with Sleeping Beauty

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times The Pennsylvania Ballet’s opening production of its 2017-2018 season is “The Sleeping Beauty,” which is a bit ironic considering that the company has been anything but sleeping in recent years under the guidance of Artistic Director Angel Corella. “The Sleeping Beauty” opens on October 12 and runs through October 22 at the Academy of Music (Broad and...

On Stage: Ann Wilson keeps on rockin’ with (or without) Heart

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times Ann Wilson The heart, which is the muscle that keeps a body alive by pumping blood, consists of two ventricles. If one or the other shuts down, everything stops working and life usually screeches to a halt. Heart, a band from the Pacific Northwest that has been around for more than four decades, consists of two sisters – Ann and Nancy Wilson. Fortunately,...

On Stage (Extra): Get your Irish music fix for St. Patrick’s

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times Caladh Nua With St. Patrick’s Day rapidly approaching, a great way to get into the spirit of the holiday that honors Ireland’s patron saint is to attend a concert of authentic Irish music. It doesn’t get much more authentic than Caladh Nua, a band from southern Ireland that will be performing on March 11 at West Chester University’s Emilie K. Asplundh...

On Stage (Extra): Make the holidays come alive with local productions

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times  The Nutcracker by The Pennsylvania Ballet For many families, going to a theater to watch a live on-stage production of a holiday show is an annual tradition – especially shows such as “A Christmas Carol,” “Best Christmas Ever” and various plays based on the Nativity scene. Without a doubt, the most popular holiday productions are ballet performances...

On Stage: Frampton is still quite ‘alive’

Also: Pa. Ballet wraps 2015-16 season with two premieres By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times Peter Frampton has such a long history in rock music that he is now able to exist and tour in two very different modes — as a classic rocker playing a string of hits with a full band and as a solo musician presenting the same songs in a very intimate manner. On June 11, he will visit Philly for...