It's hard to believe that it's been nearly two weeks since we opened SAINT JOAN, as the ensemble has been deep in the work of teching and prepping DOCTOR FAUSTUS since the moment JOAN was fully on it's feet, but nevertheless, here we are. Not only have the reviews been very kind to us, we also have some gorgeous production photos from Shawn May to entice you to see the show for yourself. Here's a dose of both:
Jim Rutter, for the Philadelphia Inquirer, calls it, "a powerhouse, actor-driven production," and adds, "Leigha Kato's Joan inspires. [Her performance] is beyond compare, a singularity of passion and energy."
David Fox, for Philadelphia Magazine, lauds, "Rebecca Wright's staging reinforces the core sense of the play as an arena for vigorous philosophical debate," and adds, "The ensemble deserves congratulations, with special praise to Sean Close and Josh Carpenter (who are best at the Shavian banter), and Gregory Isaac, (whose performance as Peter Cauchon is heartbreaking in it's emotional directness)."
And Mark Cofta, for the Broad Street Review, notes that, "Brian Sidney Bembridge's powerful lighting sculpts the action," along with sound designer Adriano Shaplin's "artful" underscoring, and Nikki Delhomme's "bold" costumes, but concludes, "Most impressive about SAINT JOAN is how it relates to today's world, nearly a century after Shaw wrote it."
SAINT JOAN is scheduled to run through April 22nd, and is produced by the Quintessence Theatre Group at the historic Sedgwick Theatre. Tickets range from $15-$34.
Leigha Kato as JOAN (Photo by Shawn May)
Andrew Betz as the Dauphin, Leigha Kato as Joan (Photo by Shawn May)
John Basiulis as the Inquisitor, Alan Brincks as Brother Martin, Gregory Isaac as Cauchon (Photo by Shawn May)
Aaron Kirkpatrick as LaHire, Josh Carpenter as Bluebeard, John Basiulis as The Archbishop