February 10-16, 2005

artpicks

More Bang for Your Buck

theater

Riddle: When are two big bangs better than one?

Answer: When there's an opportunity to see — or see again — one of Philly's biggest hits.

Explanation: Last September, Act II Playhouse in Ambler offered the surprise hit of the season, The Big Bang, a frenzied, two-person musical about the crazy antics of producing a Broadway show. The plot and score (by relative newcomers Jed Feuer and Boyd Graham) were filled with funny lines and clever tunes.

Best of all, at Act II, the show (which in its N.Y. incarnation was performed by the writers) put together a pair of Philly's most talented actor-singers, Tony Braithwaite and Ben Dibble.

Like Burns and Allen, Rodgers and Hammerstein, or Bed and Breakfast, Braithwaite and Dibble proved a winning combination. As I said in my original review, the two "…create a partnership soon to be legendary."

Ah, but legends deserve exposure … and after the sold-out, extended run in Ambler, it seemed that The Big Bang was over.

Happily, the resourceful company and Philly's Kimmel Center entered into another great partnership. The Big Bang — with cast intact — now arrives downtown, where with any luck a whole new audience can split its sides.

The Big Bang, through March 6, $39, Kimmel Center, 300 S. Broad St., 215-893-1999.

—David Anthony Fox