April 30, 2025
Provided image/Ensemble Arts Philly
The Broadway tour of "Some Like it Hot," above, stops in Philly for two weeks in May.
With parody plays and altered perspectives on fairy tales and Greek mythology, Philadelphia theaters are bringing new stories to stage in May.
Philadelphia Artists' Collective kicks off the month with a remixed version of "Cato," adding a modern twist to the 18th-century play that was a favorite of the Founding Fathers. The rest of the month brings a retelling of a chapter of "The Odyssey" from a woman's perspective, a comedic stage version of an Alfred Hitchcock film and a musical about disgruntled fairy tale princesses.
MORE: Play about a confrontational Quaker abolitionist in Philly in the 1700s is a show 'for the moment'
Here are 11 shows hitting local theaters:
Now-May 11 | Allens Lane Art Center | 601 W. Allens Lane
Isabelle is a young, independent bookstore worker living alone in New York City's West Side. But when her grandmother worries that she doesn't have romance, she hires a matchmaker to help her granddaughter find love. Tickets start at $20.
Now-May 11 | Old Academy Players | 3544 Indian Queen Lane
A pack of disillusioned princesses led by Snow White reclaim their stories in this comedic musical. Characters sing about playing second fiddle to handsome princes, discovering their queer identity and just wanting to eat something. Tickets are $25.
Now-May 18 | People's Light | Malvern, Chester County
This one-man show is set during a single piano lesson in the days after the start of the French Revolution. It tells the story of Polish composer Frederic Chopin, who shares secrets about himself, composition and the art of playing the piano as he teaches.
May 1-18 | Philadelphia Artists' Collective | 320 Chestnut St.
This show adapts Joseph Addison's original text from 1712, often cited by the Founding Fathers, to explore the similarities between Ancient Rome, America in the age of the Revolutionary War and now. The Philadelphia Artists' Collective will perform the show at Carpenters' Hall, where the first Continental Congress took place. Tickets start at $36.70.
May 2-18 | South Camden Theatre Co. | Camden, New Jersey
A homebody travel writer, a Japanese architect struggling to build a tea house, a talented but humble tattoo artist and a homeless girl living under a willow tree come together in this show. As they all struggle with grief, they learn that personal connection is the best medicine. Tickets start at $25.
May 2-25 | Bucks County Playhouse | New Hope, Bucks County
Set during the Gilded Age at Coney Island, this show follows the grandson of Johnny Appleseed as he tries to save his family's apple orchard. To help, he rallies a cast of carnies, including the founder of Nathan's hot dogs and the world's strongest man. Tickets start at $32.
May 7-18 | Theatre Horizon | 401 Dekalb St.
In a comedy based on the writings in Homer's "The Odyssey" and described as "a musical love letter to those who wait," "Penelope" centers around the titular character as as she waits 20 years for her husband to return from war. Tickets start at $30.
May 14-June 1 | Hedgerow Theatre Co. | 64 Rose Valley Rd.
This show follows the parallels of three elderly female divers, called Haenyeo, on a Korean island as they spend their final days harvesting seafood. At the same time, a Korean-Canadian playwright in Manhattan struggles with her own identity as she attempts to make art about her culture. Tickets start at $35.
May 15-June 15 | Lantern Theater Co. | 923 Ludlow St.
After a boring man meets a mysterious woman claiming to be a spy, she is quickly murdered. In the aftermath, this whodunnit play parodying the 1915 adventure novel and the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film follows him as he goes on the run from a peculiar group called the 39 Steps. Tickets start at $30.
May 15-June 22 | Arden Theatre Co. | 40 N. 2nd St.
In the late 1990s, a group of poor artists living in the East Village struggle with impending gentrification, personal relationships and addiction, set against the backdrop of the AIDS crisis. The Pulitzer- and Tony-award winning show spans the course of a year as the characters overcome loss and learn about themselves. Tickets start at $35.
May 20-June 1 | Ensemble Arts Philly | 1114 Walnut St.
After two musicians witness a murder carried out by the mob, they're forced to flee Chicago on a cross-country train trip to escape a group of gangsters on their tail. The four-time Tony Award-winning musical, which is based on the 1959 film of the same name, will spend two weeks at the Forrest Theatre. Tickets start at $70.
