Philadelphia's Historic Walnut Street Theatre Subject of New Book, Signing Party Scheduled for July 16

When I was down at the Walnut Street Theatre for its production of Les Miserables (see review), I picked up a copy of "Walnut Street Theatre," a terrific pictorial history of the building and the shows that played there.

Walnut Street, which is the oldest continually operating theatre in the English speaking world, is celebrating its bicentenial this year and the book is a way to celebrate the theater's past. In "Walnut Street Theatre," which has been compiled by Bernard Havard, WST’s Producing Artistic Director, and Mark D. Sylvester, WST’s Managing Director, you'll find previously unpublished and unseen vintage photographs from the Walnut Street Theatre archives and other public and private collections.. There are pictures of The Marx Brothers, Katherine Hepburn, Marlon Brando, Will Rogers, Jane Fonda, and Robert Redford, among others, and shots of some of the productions that tried out at the Walnut Street, including A Raisin in the Sun and Mr. Roberts.

The book-signing is scheduled for July 16 at 7pm and will be held at Borders, Avenue of the Arts, 1 South Broad Street, Philadelphia. For further information about Walnut Street Theatre, visit: www.walnutstreettheatre.org.