"Look Mom, I'm Swell!" starring Tony Braithwaite

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PRESS ROOM

2007/08 Press Releases

Arden Theatre Company presents Look Mom, I'm Swell! Starring Tony Braithwaite On the Arcadia Stage April 24 - May 3, 2008

Tony premiered Look Mom, I'm Swell! in April 2007 at the Arden to sold out audiences each night. Due to the demand, the show returns this season with eight raucous and witty performances. Arden's Producing Artistic Director Terrence J. Nolen said, "Tony is beloved by Philadelphia audiences. This show will certainly meet the expectations of those looking for an evening filled with the incomparable wit, charm and spontaneity that is Tony Braithwaite. But Look Mom is more than that. It is also is a surprisingly personal and revealing story about a uniquely talented man and his development as an artist. We are thrilled to present this return engagement."

Braithwaite has appeared in a number of productions at the Arden, most recently as Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Recent television work includes playing himself on MTV's reality show Made. Braithwaite began performing stand-up comedy professionally at age 13 and has since become one of Philadelphia's favorite funnymen.

Look Mom, I'm Swell! isn't just a catchy title; it has real significance for Tony, "My dear mother died in 2005, to mom life was swell. This show is my life through her eyes." "One of Tony's great talents is his ability to respond to the audience and events in the moment, which makes every performance unique," says Nolen. Tony promises that audiences can "expect the unexpected!"

Tony was a recipient of an Independence Foundation Fellowship in the Arts. The Fellowships were created to help individual artists take the next step in their personal artistic growth and development. This fellowship funded the development of Look Mom, I'm Swell!

Performances

Thursday, April 24 at 8pm
Friday, April 25 at 8pm
Saturday, April 26 at 7pm & 9pm
Sunday, April 27 at 7pm
Thursday, May 1 at 8pm * "Prep Night at the Arden" - www.sjprep.org/arden

Friday, May 2 at 8pm
Saturday, May 3 at 8pm

Critical Acclaim–

"One of the area's best comic actors!" –Philadelphia Inquirer

"Tony Braithwaite is a comedy superstar!" –KYW NewsRadio

"An all-purpose, scene stealing talent." - Variety

"Hands down, Philadelphia's finest comic actor." - Philadelphia Weekly

"Braithwaite is a Philadelphia treasure. Tourists should visit him, along with the Liberty Bell and Pat's King of Steaks." - The City Paper

"He's been a mouthy pain-in-the-ass for 36 years." - Tony's Father

Tony really is one of the best I have seen. He kept us all in stitches during rehearsals of Rounding Third at Montgomery Theater last year. His stories, rants, and impressions are too funny.