Q2 2025

Noah Schoenberg, Comedy & Theatre Showcase Host

June '25, Hamilton Family Arts Center (Credit: Tracie Van Auken)

As stifling heat descended upon Philadelphia, so too did the FIFA Club World Cup. The traveling fans from Brazil appeared much better equipped to deal with both events than we East Coast natives.

But seeing visitors traverse the Ben Franklin Parkway, taking in the flags, enjoying the exteriors (and hopefully interiors) of our superb museums, and lining up for photos with the Rocky statue always fills me with pride for our small town-city.

To help one group get the most authentic experience, I allowed its biggest chap to punch me in the face. I then rose, bloodied but undeterred, to pose with him. It was a touching experience.

We've got a few new folks reading Noah's Culture Quarterly -- where I make recommendations, keep you updated on my projects, and highlight local artists -- beginning this installment . Thanks for joining us.

You may have attended or played a role in the June 18th Comedy and Theatre Showcase we produced at the Hamilton Family Arts Center, of the Arden Theatre. Or, we bonded at the most recent Flat Earth Club meetup. (For those interested, these gatherings are held underneath the Walnut Street Bridge on the 2nd full moon of each trimester.)

However you've arrived I'm grateful you are here.

This quarterly installment will be shorter than most. I'm recovering from a few months of intense showcase production duties alongside returning to work following parental leave. If you want to peruse some previous editions you can do so on Noah's website.

What follows are two items: a showcase recap and one reading recommendation.

Casey Bilger (left) and Frank Jimenez (right) in Har Jehuda

June '25, Hamilton Family Arts Center (Credit: Tracie Van Auken)

Chip Chantry, Comedian

June '25, Hamilton Family Arts Center (Credit: Tracie Van Auken)

I have to begin by thanking everyone who attended on June 18th. A show is never a show without an audience. And you were a terrific audience playing a critical role in boosting the performances of those of us on stage. You packed that theatre to standing room only (don't tell the fire marshals) and kept an outstanding atmosphere throughout the evening. Thank you.

I also want to recognize someone who went above and beyond to deliver that evening: our caterer, Jack Chen.

Jack is a restaurateur and family man who owns Bei Wei (a top Chinatown haunt) and Maison Sweet + A la Mousse (exceptional patisseries with multiple locations in the city and suburbs). 

Jack is an immigrant from China and a shining example of a man who arrived on our shores with knowledge, ingenuity, and courage, who sought a better life for his family, and delivered that better life. It is our honor to be friends and partners with Jack Chen and his family. 

Now, on to a showcase recap.

A selected photo gallery can be viewed: Comedy + Theatre Showcase Photos.

Our run of show included four short sets by the comedians:

• Adam Flick
• Manny Brown
• Mary Radzinski
• Chip Chantry

Then, performances of three short plays written by:

• Noah Schoenberg (Har Jehuda)
• Emmy Kuperschmid (Good Boy)
• Emery Schaffer (Becky Knows What Sex Is)

A superb cast featured: Frank Jimenez, Mersha Wambua, Jordan Chall and Casey Bilger.

The plays were skillfully directed by Esther Cohen and Finn McNamara.

We were very lucky to be in the beautiful Hamilton Family Arts Center of the Arden Theatre and are indebted to its General Manager, Clayton Tejada, for making our evening possible.

If you're in market for event photography you can't do better than Tracie Van Auken.

As always, our videography, some of which will be available following post-production, was executed flawlessly by Dave Freedman of Elevated Film Productions and his creative partner Michael Balan.

It was a truly fantastic evening and we hope to see you at the next one.

Magpie Murders

Harper Perennial paperback edition

I've found whodunnits are enjoyed best while traveling or lounging in warm weather outside. If you find yourself preparing to enter into such a state, consider picking up a copy of Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz.

Horowitz is regarded as one of the finest mystery writers alive today and based on my experience reading his books, I see no reason to dispute the claim.

I devoured Magpie on a beach trip last year and if you take the plunge I think you will too.

The story focuses on book editor turned amateur sleuth Susan Ryeland and her investigation into the death of her star writer, Alan Conway. Conway’s death comes just after he delivers his final book in his best selling mystery series about his legendary fictional detective Atticus Pünd. But Ryeland finds that her copy of Conway’s novel is incomplete: it’s missing the final chapter.

Magpie then immerses the reader into two alternating stories: Susan's search for the absent conclusion and Conway’s final Pünd novel. Susan comes to realize that the fictional mystery in Conway’s novel has real world implications.  

I'm generally wary of meta (certainly, the company, too) fiction, but thanks to Horowitz's mastery of the genre you're in for a treat. Because you're reading two full length stories in Magpie, at 512 pages it's longer than your typical whodunnit.

Fear not, for I read slowly and I tore through it. I'll admit I could have done with a few less pages, but with a meticulous plotting and a worthy payoff I feel no hesitation sending you on the journey.

Strong summer recommend, especially for mystery fans.

If you’d like to send me comments or your own recommendations, please do so using the link below or through my website.

If you have an extra ticket to the next FIFA Club World Cup match, let me know.

I encourage you to forward this newsletter to anyone you think may be interested; they can sign up for NCQ via: subscribe.

Have a wonderful July 4th weekend.

We'll see you when the leaves turn. 

P.S. Happy second wedding anniversary to my dear wife Colleen, whose tolerance of me is stranger than fiction.