Theater
The Scottsboro Boys is not a minstrel show. It's a musical, yes, the last by John Kander and the late Fred Ebb (book by David Thompson). It revives the characters and conventions of minstrelsy and it's plenty entertaining. But this tale about a very real miscarriage of justice uses every element of the minstrel form to highlight the viciousness and humiliations of racism. Philadelphia Theatre Company, producing the show's first post-Broadway incarnation, features some homegrown talent, including Eric Ebbenga, who provides sharp musical direction, and several Philly-based actors, including Forrest McClendon. This is handy, because I fully expect the show to sweep the 2012 Barrymore Awards, and it's always gratifying when the cast is around to accept in person. - Wendy Rosenfield