Colonial Playhouse presents Ken Ludwig’s clever adaptation of the Agatha Christie classic, “Murder on the Orient Express” May 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18. It boasts all the glamour, intrigue and suspense of Dame Agatha’s celebrated novel, with a healthy dose of humor to quicken the pace.

Ticket link:  Murder on the Orient Express – Colonial Playhouse

 The internationally acclaimed, award-winning Philadelphia- based physical theater company Pig Iron Theatre Company presents the world premiere of Franklin’s Key, written by Dan Rothenberg and Robert Quillen Camp. This thrilling, magical, sci-fi theatrical adventure explores Benjamin Franklin’s hidden discoveries in a parallel universe.

Running from June 3 to 29 at Plays  & Players Theatre (1714 Delancey Street, Philadelphia), this electrifying new production transforms some of the city’s most iconic landmarks into portals to adventure as two high school prodigies find themselves caught in a struggle between secret societies dedicated to safeguarding Franklin’s discoveries. Fans of The Goonies, Stranger Things, Harry Potter, The Da Vinci Code, and National Treasure will enjoy the artistry in this electrifying live stage production. 

Pig Iron Theatre Company, founded in 1995 in Philadelphia, has long been recognized for its daring and highly physical approach to theater-making. Its genre-defying works have earned critical acclaim. Their upcoming production of Franklin’s Key marks a significant shift from past experimental and genre defying works, embracing a more fantastical, family-friendly approach to storytelling. 

During the War of Independence, the British feared Benjamin Franklin could control the weather.  Franklin’s Key asks: what if that were true? A mystery unfolds for audiences in an alternate reality where Franklin’s undiscovered technology has been hidden underneath some of Philadelphia’s most treasured landmarks for centuries. Set in present-day Philadelphia, Franklin’s Key follows two teenage prodigies: Temple, a self-taught scientist, and her brother Arturo, a gifted musician. The two uncover an ancient mystery, setting off a chain reaction that draws them into a secret battle between rival factions seeking to harness the incredible but volatile powers of Franklin’s long-lost technology. Temple and Arturo, aided by a cast of quirky friends, traverse hidden tunnels under the city, leading them from abandoned subway platforms to the iconic statue of William Penn atop City Hall and the building-sized organ inside the old Wanamaker Department Store. With time running out, the team must navigate the labyrinth of Philadelphia’s forgotten tunnels, evade powerful enemies, and unlock the secrets Franklin left behind before his discoveries fall into the wrong hands. 

Franklin’s Key is like a Marvel movie translated for the stage. We are working with an amazing team of scenic and effects designers to evoke building-sized automatons, Da Vinci Code puzzles, and teenagers with telekinetic powers. While the story is cinematic in scope, audiences can expect Pig Iron’s signature, elegant stagecraft – sometimes disarmingly simple, but always surprising.  – Pig Iron’s  Co-Artistic Director Dan Rothenberg

Co-writer Robert Quillen Camp wrote the text for Pig Iron’s Pay Up and Chekhov Lizardbrain and is a  regular collaborator with downtown New York provocateurs Hoi Polloi. Co-writer and Director Dan  Rothenberg is one of the founders of Pig Iron Theatre Company, where he has been instrumental in  creating over 30 original works that have toured to 15 countries. 

Three actors from New York are leading the production as the teen heroes: actor and singer Taylor Rose  Mickens, making her Philadelphia theater debut, plays Temple. Temple’s brother Arturo is played by  Sam Gonzalez, a New York-based actor and dancer known for Invasive Species (The Tank, NYC),  Bathhouse.PPTX (The Flea, NYC) and performances at the Bushwick Starr and Joe’s Pub. Jacob Orr  (Montag, SoHo Rep) plays Temple’s hapless ex-boyfriend, Richard. 

The supporting ensemble includes Chris Thorn. Alice Yorke, Benjamin Bass, and Izzy Sazak. 

If You Go

• Franklin’s Key takes place at one of the oldest theaters in the country, Play & Players Theatre, a charming 220-seat venue with a proscenium stage layout. 
• Run time of 110  minutes, including a 15-minute intermission 
• Performances take place Wednesday through Sunday evenings at 7 p.m., with matinees on Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. and two Tuesday evening performances on June 3 and June 10 at 7 p.m. 
• Tickets are available online at Franklinskey.com.. Daytime performances are available for group bookings.

Playcrafters of Skippack presents….

Ticket link: Tix – Ticket Sales

For more information, visit Playcrafters

This May, InterAct Theatre Company invites you to experience the unexpected with Variety Pack, a two-weekend festival celebrating Philadelphia’s most unconventional, boundary-pushing alt-comedy acts. It’s not just stand-up, not just improv, not just sketch—it’s a mix of everything and then some. A drag-king pageant, the entire Twilight saga in 60-minutes, a whirlwind cabaret, and live cartoons to name a few. The inaugural Variety Pack festival runs the first two weekends in May at the Louis Bluver Theatre at The Drake.

Festival Lineup:

Dan Kitrosser is Karen Tenderness in Have You Seen My House?

You’re going to love Karen Tenderness’ new house — that is, if she can find it! You see, Karen (played by Fringie Award Winner Dan Kitrosser) has lost her house, and now, through a whirlwind cabaret, and with your help, she’s going to find it! While belting songs by Patti Smith, Bette Midler, Dolly Pardon and more, this Karen Tenderness Cabaret answers the age old question: Where is Karen Tenderness’ house?

May 1, 7:00p

Live Theatre, Live!

Legendary disgraced BFA Acting Teacher (former) Leslie Von Kamper leads his “talented” students through the entire play making process in only one hour! With the help of a special Guest Assistant Director and a play that only they know, the students of the LVK Acting Studio for Adults audition, rehearse, perform, and give an enlightening talk back! Perfect for theatre skeptics and lovers alike!

May 1, 8:30 and May 3, 8:30p

Two Letters

Two Letters is an improv duo formed by Philadelphia actors and comedians, Em Harnett & DJ Gleason. Watch as these two people with names that have two letters interview an audience member and create an entire story while playing every single character. It’s just two people. And just two letters.

May 2, 7:00p and May 8, 7:00p

Yes and the City

Yes And The City is an improvised episode of beloved HBO series, “Sex And The City”. Yes And The City will follow your favorite four gals about town as they navigate men, sex, parties, chance encounters, fashion, icks, and maybe even love all in a 60-minute show. Darren Star please don’t sue us.

May 2, 8:30p and May 9, 8:30p

Cartoon Club

A late night block of BRAND NEW freaky-ass original cartoons hosted by Joe Bell! Featuring bits, characters, games but most importantly cartoons!

May 2, 10:00p

The Entire F***ing Twilight Saga…in 60 Minutes

Vampires. Werewolves. Creepy Babies. What more could you ask for? How about all of it…in 60 minutes? Yeah…you heard us. Theatre Contra is taking on the greatest (to some) franchises of all time and doing it all in an hour or less: The Twilight Saga. How is it possible? That’s a great question, but all we can say right now is hold on tight spider monkey, you’re in for one wild ride.

May 3, 7:00p and May 9, 10:00p

Clip Show

Two hosts, three guests, no clue. The Clip Show is a live comedy show hosted by renowned character actresses R. Eric Thomas and Chris Newcomer. Every night they welcome three famous guests who each have a new project to promote. The catch? The guests don’t know what they’re promoting until we roll footage of the clip they’ve supposedly brought. Presented by visionary producer Ms. Piggy, The Clip Show is one-part improv show, one part old-school talk show, one part Pirin tablets, one part other parts.

May 3, 8:30p and May 9, 7:00p

Lady Laughs Pageant

Philly’s only all-women and -queer comedy show brings a drag king pageant to Variety Pack! The finest kings in Philadelphia bring their best moves and tightest jokes to a panel of judges to crown a winner.

May 8, 8:30p

One Tan Show

Comedian Tan Hoang tries her best to perform her one woman show, unfortunately everything is going wrong, and a bunch of characters keep interrupting her.

May 10, 8:30p

If You Go:

• Venue: Louis Bluver Theatre at The Drake
• Dates: May 1 – 10, 2025
• Tickets: $10, https://ci.ovationtix.com/35072/production/1218116

Get ready to turn up the volume as PCS Theater presents “Rock of Ages”, a high-energy musical celebration of 1980s rock anthems, big dreams, and even bigger hair. The show runs April 11–26, 2025, and features hits like “Here I Go Again,” “Don’t Stop Believin’,” and “We’re Not Gonna Take It.”

Charles Harrison in “Rock of Ages” at PCS. Photo by Carmen Rossi.jpg 

Set in 1987 on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip, Rock of Ages follows aspiring rock star Drew Boley (Charles Harrison) and small-town girl Sherrie Christian (Catherine Callahan) as they pursue their dreams of making it big. Their journey unfolds in the legendary Bourbon Room, a gritty rock club under threat from developers who want to turn it into a sterile corporate strip mall. With the help of larger-than-life personalities like club owner Dennis Dupree (Mark Thompson), wacky narrator Lonny Barnett (P.J. Witkowski), and rock icon Stacee Jaxx (Andrew Staub), Drew and Sherrie must navigate love, ambition, and the excesses of the 80s.

PCS Theater has assembled a powerhouse cast of both new and returning talent including Meg Cranney (Regina Koontz), Shawn Weaver (Ja’Keith Gill) Deirdre McGettigan Henry (Justice Charlier), Ken Locicero (Hertz Klinemann), Nicholas Sewcheck (Franz Klinemann), Gabrielle Impriano (Dance Captain) and many more!

Director Anthony SanFilippo shares a personal connection to the show, recalling his own formative years in 1987—when he first discovered his love of music, theater, and sports.

“I have never had a more fun night at the theater,” SanFilippo says of seeing Rock of Ages on Broadway. “The energy of the show. The over-the-top, yet stereotypical characters. The bawdy humor. It was all thrust upon the audience at warp speed in and around a couple dozen rock hits, each that I listened to repeatedly on my Walkman as an impressionable 13-year-old back in 1987.” He hopes audiences will embrace PCS Theater’s Bourbon Room as a place to revel in the “spicy naughtiness, indelicate suggestiveness, and unrepentant humor” of this unforgettable era.

Tickets

• Friday, April 11, 7:30 pm (opening night)
• Saturday, April 12, 7:30 pm
• Sunday, April 13, 2 pm (matinee and post-show talk back with actors and staff)
• Friday April 18, 7:30 pm
• Saturday, April 19, 2:00 pm (matinee)
• Saturday, April 19, 7:30 pm (featuring understudies Michael Mann and Erika Dandridge as Drew and Sherrie)
• Thursday, April 24, 7:30 pm
• Friday, April 25, 7:30 pm
• Saturday April 26, 2:00 pm (matinee featuring understudies Michael Mann and Erika Dandridge as Drew and Sherrie)
• Saturday, April 26, 7:30 pm (closing)

Seating is limited, so early booking is encouraged! Tickets are available at pcstheater.org.

PCS Theater, 614 Fairview Rd, Swarthmore, PA 19081
Box Office: 610-328-4271 | Email: tickets@pcstheater.org

To reserve your seats, visit www.pcstheater.org or contact the box office at 610-328-4271.

“Rabbit Hole” by David Lindsay-Abaire, opens at The Stagecrafters on April 11. The play premiered on Broadway in 2006 and won multiple Tony Awards followed by being awarded the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 2007. It was later made into a film starring Nicole Kidman.

Janine Silano as Izzy and Olivia Gendron as Becca in The Stagecrafters’ upcoming production of David Lindsay-Abaire’s “Rabbit Hole.”

The play is about grief, loss, change and how the five characters cope differently with a tragic event. Despite its dark premise, the play is filled with moments of humor as the characters begin to face reality with grace and joy. 

If You Go:

The Stagecrafters, 8130 Germantown Ave. (Chestnut Hill)

Performance dates Apr 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26 @8pm

April 13, 26, 27 @2pm

Tickets $26 online

$30 at the door 

(Thurs. 2 for $40 online) 

Senior and student discounts available at door with ID.

For reservations: 215.247.9913

Visit thestagecrafers.org for more information. 

On May 1, Pennsylvania history comes to life in a new play at Quintessence Theatre Group in “The Return of Benjamin Lay” by playwright, screenwriter and poet Naomi Wallace and University of Pittsburgh Distinguished Professor of Atlantic History, Marcus Rediker. Presented as a co-production by Quintessence and New York’s Playhouse Creatures Theatre Company, the one-man play starring stage and screen actor Mark Povinelli is inspired by the true story of an 18th-century Quaker man, born a dwarf in Copford, England who emigrated to America and settled in Abington, Pennsylvania. Lay lived his life as an activist revolutionary who fought and advocated for the abolition of slavery in Colonial America.

Directed by Ron Daniels, The Return of Benjamin Lay runs from May 1 to 18, with 15 performances on stage at Quintessence Theatre at the Sedgwick.  

It’s 2025. In the silence of a Quaker meeting house, Benjamin Lay (Mark Povinelli) – a shepherd, sailor, radical, and the British Empire’s first abolitionist – returns from the grave almost 300 years after his death, as feisty and unpredictable as ever. The four-foot “David” confronts the “Goliath” of slavery as he demands once again to be readmitted into the Quaker community that disowned him for ideas considered dangerous and disruptive.  

 The play was first performed at the Finborough Theatre in London in 2023, produced by Arsalan Sattari  Productions.  

Philadelphia is a city steeped in history, and some know stories of the local little person who put on anti-slavery protest theater on the streets of colonial Philadelphia by covering himself in blood. Quintessence is honored to welcome Mark Povinelli and The Return of Benjamin Lay to share the extraordinary life of one of America’s first activists and change makers, a Philadelphian who risked all by standing in opposition to the leaders of his country and his Quaker faith to insist upon life and liberty for all.” – Quintessence’s Producing Artistic Director Alex Burns

The co-production is directed by Ron Daniels, who has directed productions at numerous theatre companies across the U.S., including the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge  (where he formerly served as the Associate Artistic Director), the Public Theatre in New York City, and the Old Globe in San Diego. 

TICKETING INFORMATION 

The Return of Benjamin Lay runs from May 1 to 18, and opens on Saturday, May 3, at 7:30 p.m. All performances take place at the historic Sedgwick Theater (7137 Germantown Avenue), a flexible black box theater. The play has a 70-minute runtime with no intermission and is recommended for audiences ages 10 or older. 

General Admission tickets start at $50, with Premium seats available starting at $60.  Ticket link: Quintessence Theatre Group 

Public and street parking is available throughout the Mt. Airy neighborhood.  

SPECIAL PROGRAMMING 

Two Post-Show Convos: Thursday, May 1, after the 7 p.m. performance and Sunday, May 4, after the 3 p.m. performance – The Return of Benjamin Lay co-playwright and award-winning historian Marcus  Rediker and actor Mark Povinelli join the audience for a post-show conversation.  

Opening Night and Book Signing: Saturday, May 3, at 7:30 p.m. – Co-playwright and author Marcus  Rediker will be present to sign copies of his book The Fearless Benjamin Lay – The Quaker Dwarf Who  Became the First Revolutionary Abolitionist; ($22) and the graphic novel, Prophet Against Slavery,  illustrated by David Lester with Marcus Rediker and Paul Buhle ($16). Quintessence supports independent booksellers and is in partnership with 50 Watts Bookstore of Chestnut Hill. 

Meet-the-Artist: Thursday, May 8, at 7 p.m. – Stay after the performance for a discussion with the star of The Return of Benjamin Lay, and enjoy the conversation and Q&A moderated by Quintessence Director of Education, Adam Pelta-Pauls. 

Pay-as-Led Night: Thursday, May 15, at 7 p.m. – In Friends tradition, Pay-as-Led is a way of acknowledging that wealth is not distributed evenly among Quakers. You may determine your own ticket price for this performance.  

LPA Meet-the-Artist: Friday, May 16, at 7 p.m. – Stay after to meet the star of the show, Mark Povinelli.  This evening celebrates Mark and Little People of America (LPA). Everyone is welcome!