Articles by: Neal Newman

Over the past 40 years, Neal Newman has directed extensively in classical, Shakespeare, modern theater, musicals, and opera. He trained as an actor at California State University, and trained in Shakespeare at ACT of San Francisco, where he directed A CRY OF PLAYERS, and THE CRITIC, and acted the title role in RICHARD II. He trained as a director at Carnegie Mellon, (AH WILDERNESS), and the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. He directed many Off-Broadway productions in New York (DANCE ON A COUNTRY GRAVE, CRADLE WILL ROCK, ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD); ran a summer stock company, (ROBBER BRIDEGROOM, TAMING OF THE SHREW); and directed five seasons of Shakespeare in the Park in Philadelphia, (MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM, HAMLET, HENRY IV). Opera productions include many by Gilbert & Sullivan, BOHEME, and CARMEN. He was a New York Critic for Show Business Magazine for 7 years, and continues as a record producer. He has taught and directed at The Walnut Street Theater, Fordham University (CABARET, FIGARO); University of the Arts (SEAGULL, CRUCIBLE); Cabrini College (MISS JULIE, 2 GENTLEMEN OF VERONA); and the University Of Pennsylvania, (MIKADO). He currently teaches and directs at Tri Pac Arts (RAGTIME, CHRISTMAS CAROL) Next is TOYS IN THE ATTIC for Tri Pac.

Comedy or Drama? This question has obsessed theater artists since the Moscow Art Theater first presented THE SEAGULL over one hundred years ago. Chekhov, who carefully observed numerous artists, including himself, found much to enjoy in the antics of these desperate, narcissistic creative types, who often had trouble distinguishing the [...]

YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU has endured as one of the classic American Comedies. And why not? Who can resist a play whose theme is “spend your life doing things you enjoy”? After all: you can’t take it with you. Kaufman and Hart’s depression-era play tells of an extended [...]

When director Carla Childs welcomed the audience to THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, she said: “We do Shakespeare because we love the language.”  And that is exactly what occurred.  No dishes were thrown, no bullwhips were brandished, no extensive musical score, and no haystacks were rolled in.  This performance was [...]

As I entered the auditorium of the Walnut Street Theatre for the American Premiere of LOVE STORY, I noticed a couple tightly grasping paperback editions of the novel, with photos of the movie on the tattered covers.  The fans may be older, but they are still out there.  As we [...]

Ah, the glories of the French Farce, especially as created by that master Georges Feydeau. The numberless doors opening and closing by crazed madmen, the split second timing, and the delirious laughter of the audience. Described by sages as “a precision watch running too fast” or “a well oiled machine” [...]

Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre’s TITUS ANDRONICUS is actually a trip to the GRAND GUIGNOL, Paris’ smallest professional theater. From 1897 until 1962, this 280 seat venue produced unimaginably gory melodramas that not only advanced the art of stage makeup/special effects, but had an cultural impact that is still being appreciated around [...]

The Sedgwick Theater in Germantown, just below Chestnut Hill, is an adventure in itself. One walks through an amazing Art Deco ruin, into a small converted portion of an old theater that has approximately 90 seats, with a high unrestored ceiling and chandelier. Seating is on three sides of a [...]

Everyone in the full house for the Forge’s opening of ON GOLDEN POND had a wonderful time. Every humorous moment was met with acclaim. Readers familiar with the star heavy gravitas of the Katherine Hepburn or Julie Andrews films may be delighted to discover how hilarious the script really is. [...]

William Inge has been dubbed “the Playwright of the Midwest”. During the 1950’s he wrote four Broadway hits, all made into major films, that convincingly portrayed the joys and frustrations of America’s heartland, not to mention their peculiar small-town mentalities. COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA, was the first of these, which [...]

The mission of the 11th Hour Theatre is to expand the art of musical theater. They certainly have succeeded with ORDINARY DAYS, receiving its area premiere at the Adrienne Theater. The new musical is by Adam Gwon, who without source material has created a completely original work.  Gwon is a [...]

Robert Louis Stevenson’s DR. JEKYLL AND MR HYDE has continued to fascinate audiences since the novella first appeared in 1886. The first theatrical adaptation, for the great actor Richard Mansfield, appeared one year later and JEKYLL has remained popular in film and theater versions ever since. This adaptation by Jeffrey [...]

MAROONS, by Ray Saraceni, now receiving its world premiere at the Iron Age Theatre, tells not only the story of the Pottsville football team that stormed the National League, and had the NFL title stolen from them; it is about the birth of the sport we know today. In 1925 [...]

Villanova Theatre’s season opener is the Shakespearean farce THE COMEDY OF ERRORS. It is a charming 100-minute production inspired by Looney Tunes and the television show Laugh In. Audiences come to Shakespeare expecting complex characters and challenging themes, conveyed by astonishing poetry. Well. . . none of that is present [...]