Holiday Entertainment Guide – ‘A Brandywine Christmas,’ John Cage, and ‘Sounds of the Season’
Looking for something to do this holiday season? WHYY’s Robin Bloom searches hundreds of listings each week to find out what’s happening in and around Philadelphia, South Jersey and Delaware. Here are her picks:
The Brandywine River Museum’s annual tradition of “A Brandywine Christmas” returns with the O-gauge model train display that this year includes Japanese trains, trees decorated with thousands of “critter” ornaments, and musical performances as well as several exhibits that celebrate the spirit of the holidays. “Pop-Up! Illustration in 3-D” presents pop-up books and their production by authors like Maurice Sendak, Edward Gorey, and more. “Donald Pywell: Golden Impressions of Andrew Wyeth” features jewelry crafted by Pywell while collaborating with painter Andrew Wyeth, each housed in custom settings designed by T. Mark Cole, through January 6, U.S. Route 1, Chadds Ford, PA. This Saturday & Sunday, December 1-2 is the Annual Critter Sale, ornaments and tabletop decorations made from natural materials, including dried flowers, pine cones, seeds, pods and berries, hand-crafted with prices ranging from $5-$45, 9:30am-4:30pm. Museum admission: $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, students, and children over six.
Cage Centennial Celebration continues
The centennial celebration of avant-garde composer John Cage continues with part two of “Cage: Beyond Silence,” presented by Bowerbird. “The Year Begins to be Ripe: Song Books,” highlights the two-volume collection of 89 short solos, with text and music materials quoted from Marcel Duchamp, Erik Satie, David Thoreau, Buckminster Fuller, Norman O. Brown, as well as Mozart and Schubert. Audiences are offered a rare opportunity to experience multiple versions of this work including: Song Books in Concert 1, Friday, November 30, 8pm, Christ Church, 20 N. American Street, Philadelphia, with Joan La Barbara (pictured); Song Book Miniatures 1, Saturday, December 1, noon-4pm, Philadelphia Museum of Art; Behind Song Books, Sunday, December 2, noon-4pm, Philadelphia Museum of Art; Song Books in Concert 2, Friday, December 7, 8pm, Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral, 3723 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia; Song Books Miniatures 2, Saturday, December 8, noon-4pm, Philadelphia Museum of Art; Variations, Sunday, December 9, 8pm, The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street. Performances range in price and some include workshops and hands-on activities. Festivities continue through January 20, 2013.
Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge
New City Stage Company presents the Philadelphia premiere of “Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge,” written by Christopher Durang and directed by Michael K. Brophy, a farcical take on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. This production is the company’s largest and their first musical, featuring choreography by Artistic Director Ginger Dayle set to a brand new score, onstage November 30 through December 23 at the Adrienne Theater, 2030 Sansom Street, Philadelphia. Tickets: $10-$35.
Eagle Theatre’s Christmas Spectacular
Celebrate the holiday season with the Eagle Theatre Christmas Spectacular, an original musical production written by co-artistic director Ed Corsi. The show includes classics like “Jingle Bells,” “Deck the Halls,” and “Silent Night,” and opens November 30 through December 8, 208 Vine Street, Hammonton, NJ. Tickets: $12 for adults, $8 for children under 12.
Philly Painting Mural Dedication
Mural Arts dedicates its most complex project to date, “Philly Painting,” created with world-renowned Dutch artists Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn, also known as Haas & Hahn, Saturday, December 1, 11am at the LMS Building, 1007 W. Lehigh Avenue, near Germantown Avenue. The mural, on more than 50 storefronts, transforms the commercial corridor on Germantown Avenue in North Philadelphia between Alder and Silver Streets with bright blocks of over 50 colors that reflect the neighborhood’s rich and complex character.
Cape May celebrates the holiday season with the 39th annual Christmas Candlelight House Tour, a self-guided tour of homes, inns, hotels and churches decorated for the holidays along with carolling, strolling musicians, refreshments and more, Saturday, December 1, 8, 15, 5:30pm-8:30pm. $20-$25. Includes admission to the “Old Fashioned Christmas Exhibit” of holiday traditions through the years complete with holiday trains beneath the giant Christmas tree at the Carriage House Gallery, Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington Street, on display through January 1; Plus – A Dickens Christmas Extravaganza, December 2-4; Christmas lights trolley tours, and much more, throughout December, Cape May, NJ.
The Holidays at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
The Philadelphia Museum of Art celebrates the holiday season with special events, musical performances, and activities that spotlight work from its collection, including The Christmas Story in Art tour and the All Dressed Up fashion display for children and adults. Beginning this Saturday, December 1, each weekend and every day during the holiday week (December 26 through January 1), special events include Carolling through the Galleries, Winter Concerts, workshops, tours and more, and the Great Stair Hall is lit and decorated for the holidays, Ben Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia.
Rockwood Park & Museum “Sounds of the Season”
Rockwood Park & Museum hosts a Holiday Open House, Friday, November 30 and Saturday, December 1, 6pm-9pm and Sunday, December 2, 1-4pm, with live entertainment, refreshments, photos with Santa, costumed characters, children’s activities, workshops, and more, including a tree lighting, Friday, November 30, 6pm. Enjoy “Sounds of the Season,” as the museum is decorated in a music theme through January 7, 4651 Washington Street Extension, Wilmington, DE. Free.
Fairmount Park Holiday House Tours
The Fairmount Park House Holiday Tours kick off this weekend, December 1-9, as the “Charms,” Laurel Hill Mansion, Lemon Hill, Mount Pleasant, Woodford, Strawberry Mansion and others are dressed up with themes for the holidays, including tours, special events, and more. Prices vary for tours. Also catch the Gingerbread House display, modelled after the Fairmount Park historic sites, on view at the Shops at Liberty Place, 16th & Chestnut Street, Philadelphia.
“Deck the Alley” returns Saturday, December 1, 4-7pm, featuring tours of the private historic homes on Elfreth’s Alley, our nation’s oldest continuously lived on street, as residents open their homes to the public for tours. Admission includes seasonal refreshments, colonial carolers, holiday stories, a lecture on Philadelphia’s holiday history and more, 126 Elfreth’s Alley, Philadelphia. Admission: $20 adults, $10 students, $55 family.
Shady Brook Farm Holiday Light Show
Shady Brook Farm hosts the annual Holiday Light Show, as millions of lights illuminate acres of farmland with familiar characters and whimsical displays, 5pm-10pm nightly through January 6, 931 Stony Hill Road, Yardley, PA. Ride in your car or on a wagon ride. Admission: $12-$50. Coupons available on website. On Monday, December 10, 4:30pm-6:30pm, enjoy a Hanukkah Celebration, as the 12 foot menorah is lit, along with singing and dancing, crafts, and more.
“Christmasland” at Linvilla Orchards
Linvilla Orchards hosts the annual “Christmasland” display with the farm decorated for the holiday and activities for the whole family including crafts, food, Santa visit, petting zoo, Wassailing Caroling Hayrides, and more, December 1-24, 137 W. Knowlton Road, Media, PA.
Susan Hess Modern Dance performs original works by the 2011-2012 Choreographers Project, featuring Gabrielle Revlock, Bronwen MacArthur, Raphael Xavier, and Leanne Grieger, in their final performance of their residency, this Saturday and Sunday, December 1-2, 8pm, the Performance Garage, 1515 Brandywine Street, Philadelphia. A talkback follows each performance. Tickets: $10-$15.
“A Christmas Carol” at McCarter Theatre
Broadway veteran Graeme Malcolm reprises his role of Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” at McCarter Theatre Center, December 2-28. Michael Unger directs a cast of 40 in the critically-acclaimed production, offering a variety of events in conjunction with the performances, as well as special services for patrons with visual and audio impairments at no additional charge on December 15-16. Tickets start at $20.
Hagley Museum and Library hosts the annual “Christmas at Hagley” exhibition through January 6 with a glimpse at nineteenth and twentieth-century holiday traditions in Eleutherian Mills, the ancestral home of the DuPont family. Family Christmas activities include making Victorian ornaments and decorations and “Home for the Holidays,” December 4, 7pm-9pm, with a tour of the residence, dessert tasting, cocktails, and decorating workshops ($40, $30 for members), 201 Hagley Creek Road, Wilmington, DE.
Tom Stoppard’s “The Real Inspector Hound”
Curio Theatre Company presents Tom Stoppard’s “The Real Inspector Hound,” a play-within-a-play parody of the murder mystery genre, directed by Dan Hodge, December 5-29, the first main stage production in their new basement performance space, 4740 Baltimore Avenue, through tower doors of 48th Street and Baltimore Avenue, Philadelphia. Tickets $15-$20.
Atlantic City Ballet’s “The Nutcracker”
The Atlantic City Ballet performs “The Nutcracker,” Friday, December 7, 7pm, and Saturday, December 8, 1pm and 5pm, Stockton Performing Arts Center, Galloway, NJ; Saturday, December 15, 3pm and 7pm, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ; Saturday, December 22, 7pm, Garden State Philharmonic Strand Theatre, Lakewood, NJ.
Indian art collection at The College of New Jersey
On display at The College of New Jersey Art Gallery is “Goddess, Lion, Peasant, Priest: Modern and Contemporary Indian Art from the Shelley and Donald Rubin Private Collection,” featuring twenty two paintings by some of the leading Indian artists of the past fifty years, exploring three themes: inhabited spaces, spiritual bodies, and characters, through December 16 at 2000 Pennington Road, Ewing, NJ. Free. Pictured: “Unititled,” by Seema Kohli, 2007.
“Over the River” exhibit at Ellarslie Mansion
The Trenton Museum Society presents “Over the River: The Artists of Yardley in a Juried Exhibit,” featuring more than 70 works by members of AOY, the Artists of Yardley, representing a range of styles and media including oil, watercolor, photography, ceramics and jewelry, through January 6, 2013 at the Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie Mansion in Cadwalader Park, Trenton, NJ. Gallery talk with artists, December 16, 2pm, free and open to public. Pictured: “Morning Coffee,” by Claudia Fountaine, “Best in Show.”
More holiday events:
Opening November 30 at Footlighters Theater is “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play,” a stage adaptation of the Christmas classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” This interpretation, directed by Tony Filipone, is set at a live radio broadcast in the 1940s with five actors playing all of the characters, through December 15, 58 Maine Ave, Berwyn, PA. Tickets: $14.
Riverside Symphonia of New Hope/Lambertville kicks off the holiday season with “Joy to the World,” a mix of classical and holiday musical favorites, November 30 and Saturday, December 1, 8pm, featuring violinist Piotr Filochowski, and the Hunterdon Youth Concert Choir from the Hunterdon Academy of the Arts, Church of St. John the Evangelist, Lambertville, NJ. Tickets $15-$55.
The Delaware Ballet performs “The Nutcracker,” Friday, November 30, 7pm, Saturday, December 1, 2pm and 7pm, at Delaware State University’s Education and Humanities Theater, 1200 North DuPont Highway, Dover, DE. Tickets: $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and children under 12.
The Rittenhouse Row Holiday Celebration is Saturday, December 1, 8, and 15, 11am-1pm, with performances, in store events and specials, visits from Santa, free hot beverages, and more, along with free parking, near Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia.
“Holidays in Manayunk” is this Saturday, December 1, 1pm-8pm with “Santa on ice,” as Santa visits and his ice sleigh is carved live, followed by a tree lighting ceremony at 6pm with performances, live music, hot chocolate and more at Canal View Park, Manayunk.
“Little Women” is onstage at the Players Club of Swarthmore through December 8, 614 Fairview Road, Swarthmore, PA. PCS Children’s Theater Series continues with Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” December 1-16.
This weekend, the Schuylkill Regional Dance Company presents its version of the holiday favorite, “The Nutcracker,” with added choreography by Andrei Ustinov and Elena Martinson of the Kirov Ballet, Saturday, December 1, 7:30pm and Sunday, December 2, 2pm, The Hill Center for the Arts, Beech and Sheridan Streets, Pottstown, PA. Tickets: $20 for adults, $15 for students and seniors.
“Visions of Sugarplums,” Kennett Symphony’s Annual Family Holiday concert is this Saturday, December 1, at 8pm, with the Kennett Symphony Children’s Chorus for a night of seasonal favorites including Morton Gould’s “Serenade of Carols,” Elgar’s “The Snow,” Schubert’s “Ave Maria,” Bernstein’s “Glitter and Be Gay,” and the second act from Tchaikovsky’s ballet “Nutcracker,” Kennett High School Auditorium, 100 East South Street, Kennett, PA. Tickets: $35 in advance, $40 at the door, $5 for students.
Historic Philadelphia offers holiday cheer with Tippler’s Tours, December 6, 13, 20 & 27, tours of Colonial and modern day watering holes with a holiday flair, $35-$40; Santa visits at Franklin Square, Saturdays and Sundays, December 1-24, noon-3pm, free, 6th and Race Streets, Philadelphia.
The Kimmel Center hosts holiday events including “Nutcracker 1776,” performed by The Rock School, Saturday, December 1, 11am and 2pm, Merriam Theater; Philadelphia Orchestra’s “A Holiday Spectacular!,” with Cristian Macelaru conducting and Charlotte Blake Alston, narrator, Saturday, December 1, 11:30am, Verizon Hall; A Celtic Christmas with Jubilate Deo Chorale and Orchestra and guest choirs, conducted by Dr. Ron Matthews and narrated by Msgr. Louis Marucci, Sunday, December 2, Verizon Hall; Peter Nero and the Philly Pops “Holiday POPS!,” December 7-22, Verizon Hall; Broad Street, Philadelphia.
The Academy of Vocal Arts performs the annual “Jubilate! A concert of Sacred Music and Oratorio Masterpieces,” Saturday, December 1, 7:30pm, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 104 Louella Avenue, Wayne, PA, and Sunday, December 2, 7pm, The Church of the Holy Trinity, 1904 Walnut Street, Philadelphia. The program will feature selections from Saint-Saens’ Christmas Oratorio, as well as works by Bach, Handel, and Rossini, and others, with David Antony Lofton conducting. Tickets: $10-$45.
Abington Choral Club’s 65th annual winter concert is this Saturday, December 1, 8pm. The 80-voice chorus performs a variety of classics, both old and new, including “Handel’s Messiah,” “The Many Moods of Christmas,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” accompanied by the Old York Road Symphony, Abington Senior High School Auditorium, 970 Highland Avenue, Abington, PA. Free.
The Princeton Singers performs music accompaniment to Dylan Thomas’ “A Child’s Christmas in Wales,” Saturday, December 1, 6pm. Narrated by Congressman Rush Holt, the program includes traditional holiday favorites and carols at Trinity Church, 33 Mercer Street, Princeton, NJ. Recommended for ages 10 and up. Tickets: $25, $15 for students.
South Street Headhouse District hosts the annual “Winter Wonderland,” with dance performances, ornament-making, free horse and carriage rides, a holiday market, live music and the lighting of the holiday tree, Sunday, December 2, 4pm-7pm, Historic Headhouse Square Shambles, 2nd Street between Pine and Lombard Streets, Philadelphia.
Glencairn Museum hosts “Glad Tidings: A Celebration of Christmas,” including live music, family activities, and more, Sunday, December 2, 1-5pm, with the opportunity to see “Follow the Star: World Nativities,” exhibitions of dozens of crèches from around the world as well as “Christmas in the Castle,” 45 minute guided tours exploring how Christmas was celebrated in the Romanesque-style castle when it was the private home of the Pitcairn family, through January 6 at 1001 Cathedral Road, Bryn Athyn, PA. Admission: $6-$8
Bristol Riverside Theatre celebrates the holidays with the musical “HUMBUG!,” Alan Safier in a one-man tour-de-force performance as 27 characters from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, onstage through December 2, along with video projections and an original score by composers Sheldon Harnick and Michel Legrand. “Winter Musicale 2012” follows December 13-23 at 120 Radcliffe Street, Bristol, PA. Tickets $15-$45.
The Penn Museum’s 17th annual “Peace Around the World” holiday celebration is this Sunday, December 2, 1-4pm. Upon entrance, visitors receive a “passport” itinerary that lets them explore the holiday traditions of many cultures from around the world with activities including a drum circle with Middle Eastern percussionist Joe Tayoun, a dance workshop with HYPE, and much more, 3260 South Street, Philadelphia. $12 with discounts for seniors, military, and children.
Crossroads Theatre Company’s 3rd annual “Holiday Jubilee” returns with a multicultural celebration of holiday traditions from around the world, this year featuring the music of Motown, December 6-16, 7 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ. Tickets: $40. Kids under 12 free with purchase of adult ticket.
East Lynne Theater Company presents “Louisa May Alcott’s Christmas,” three of Alcott’s tales, including the opening of “Little Women,” brought to life by storyteller Gayle Stahlhuth, for the whole family, through December 14 at the First Presbyterian Church, 500 Hughes Street, Cape May, NJ. Tickets: $25 general, $15 students, children 12 and under free.
The Delaware Children’s Theatre celebrates its 40th anniversary with the holiday favorite “Babes in Toyland,” the classic story weaving together Mother Goose’s nursery rhyme characters into a Christmas themed musical extravaganza, with a special visit from Santa, onstage through December 16, 1014 Delaware Avenue, Wilmington, DE. Tickets: $14 at the door, $11 online.
Onstage at Clear Space Theatre Company is “A Christmas Carol,” through December 16, based on the book by Charles Dickens with music by composer and Clear Space Artistic Director Doug Yetter, lyrics by Michael Hulett, and directed by David Button. Former NPR Weekend Edition Sunday host Liane Hansen joins the cast on the theater’s new thrust stage, 20 Baltimore Avenue (Beach Block), Rehoboth Beach, DE.
Onstage at Bridge Players Theatre Company is “The Christmas Express,” a family-friendly tale about train station manager Hilda Trowbridge and her assistant, Satch Brunswick. When Leo Tannenbaum drops by the Holly Railway Station on December 23, broken radios spring to life, tone-deaf carolers become a choir of angels, and the entire town of Holly is caught up in the spirit of Christmas, onstage at Broad Street United Methodist Church, 36 E. Broad Street, Burlington, NJ through December 1. Tickets $10.
People’s Light & Theatre presents “This Wonderful Life,” through December 23, about a man passionately devoted to Frank Capra’s 1946 classic film, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” on the Steinbright Stage, starring Jerry Richardson and directed by David Bradley, 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, PA. Tickets: $35-45.
The 5th annual Christmas Village in Philadelphia returns to LOVE Park in Center City, an outdoor holiday market with vendors in more than 90 wooden booths offering international seasonal arts and crafts, gifts, ornaments, food and more as well as a life-size Advent calendar and a stage with daily live performances of local choirs, orchestras and bands. Mayor Michael Nutter lights the municipal tree, Wednesday, December 5, with special events to follow through Christmas, JFK Plaza, 1500 Arch Street. Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 11am-7pm, Friday and Saturday 11am-8pm, and Thanksgiving and Christmas 11am-5pm. Free admission.
Cape May Stage presents the comedy “A Tuna Christmas,” by Ed Howard, Joe Sears and Jaston Williams, a sequel to “Greater Tuna,” through December 30. The production features two actors, twelve days of Christmas, and twenty-four hilarious characters at the Robert Shackleton Playhouse, corner of Bank and Lafayette Streets, Cape May, NJ. Good for ages 12 and up. Tickets: $15-$35.
The Reading Terminal Market Holiday Railroad is on display with almost a third of a mile of track running twelve working train lines through miniature scenery depicting Center City Philadelphia, a Christmas Village, and other seasonal displays, opens daily at 10am through December 31 (closed on Christmas Day), Piano Court in Reading Terminal Market, 12th and Arch Street, Philadelphia, free.
The Morris Arboretum’s popular Holiday Garden Railway Display returns with a quarter mile of track featuring seven loops and tunnels with fifteen different rail lines and two cable cars, nine bridges (including a trestle bridge you can walk under), and bustling model trains. The display and buildings are all made of natural materials (bark, leaves, twigs, hollow logs, mosses, acorns, dried flowers, seeds and stones) to form a miniature landscape with miniature rivers and buildings that are exact replicas of the original including Independence Hall and other Philadelphia-area landmarks, all decorated for the holidays through December 31 at 100 Northwestern Avenue in Chestnut Hill. Admission: $16 adults, $14 for seniors, students and youth (13-18) $7, children under age three and members free. Open daily from 10am-4pm through December 14 and 10am-5pm, December 15-31 (closed Christmas Eve and day, and New Years day).
Macy’s Grand Court Light Show returns with shows every hour on the hour, the annual Dickens Village, daily Wanamaker Organ concerts and more, now through December 31, 13th and Market Streets, Philadelphia. Least crowded viewing times: Mondays through Thursday.
The Comcast Holiday Spectacular 2012 is on view at the Comcast Center now through New Year’s Day, shown on the state-of-the-art Comcast Experience Video Wall, the largest four-millimeter LED screen in the world, spanning 83.3 feet wide by 25.4 feet high, capturing the essence of the holidays with performances by the Pennsylvania Ballet, Broadway dancers, the Commonwealth Youth Choir’s Keystone State Boychoir, and more. 15 minute shows begin at the top of every hour, 10am-8pm daily (except for weekdays at 5pm), Comcast Center, 1701 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Philadelphia. Free.
Adventure Aquarium’s Christmas Celebration transforms the space into an underwater winter wonderland with larger than life decorations, twinkling lights, glowing trees and gently falling snow, Christmas characters including “Scuba Santa,” through January 1, 1 Riverside Drive, Camden, NJ. $17.95-$23.95.
Historic Smithville, New Jersey hosts the annual Holiday Light Show, Thursdays through Sundays through January 2, as 120 Christmas trees, made from 50,000 lights, float over the lake and dance, chase and blink on and off to holiday music by the Colonial Inn, 615 East Moss Mill Road, Smithville, NJ. Free.
Peddler’s Village hosts the Christmas Festival, Saturday, December 1, 10 am-8pm and Sunday, December 2, 10am-6pm, with the Christmas Parade at 1:30pm sharp where Santa arrives in a horse-drawn carriage. See the Gingerbread House Competition & Display, with confections in categories including traditional, authentic reproduction of a significant building, amateur, unusual 3D creation, and more including the holiday lights at night, through January 5, 2013 in the gazebo, Routes 202 and 263, Lahaska, Bucks County, PA. Free admission and free parking.
The Please Touch Museum hosts holiday events including the Enchanted Colonial Village, on display through January 6, depicting holiday scenes of blacksmiths, bakers, toymakers, and more, 4231 Avenue of the Republic, Philadelphia.
Other events in Philly:
This Saturday, December 1, 10am-4pm, the 78th Infantry World War II Living History Association turns Fort Mifflin into the town of St. Vith with a recreation of the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge with “December 1944 – The Battle for St. Vith.” Events include a scavenger hunt, weapons demonstrations, a chance to meet the “soldiers” before and after the battle, and more, with battle reenactments at 11am and 3pm, Fort Mifflin and Hog Island Roads, Philadelphia. Admission: $6 for adults, discounts available for seniors, students, and veterans.
Plein Air for Camphill holds its 3rd exhibition at Rosenfeld Gallery through December 2, to benefit Camphill Special School. Over 50 of the Philadelphia area’s finest artists participated in the exhibition with the theme of “The Four Seasons,” showcasing the beauty of Beaver Farm throughout the changing seasons of the year. A public opening is Friday, November 30, 5pm-9pm at 113 Arch Street, Philadelphia. Artwork is available for preview online.
Quintessence Theatre Group presents John Farrell’s reading of T.S. Eliot’s “Four Quartets.” In 2007 Farrell, an actor and poet, set out to accomplish his goal of memorizing T.S. Eliot’s crowning poetic achievement, and now he brings the complex meditation on existence, time, and divinity to the stage, now through December 2, Sedgwick Theater, 7137 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia. Tickets: $15, $10 for students and youth.
Koresh Dance Company performs “Trust,” a program of works selected by artistic director Ronen Koresh, through December 2 at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre. Assistant artistic director Melissa Rector will debut her newest piece as a part of the program, performed by the Koresh Youth Ensemble, 480 South Broad Street, Philadelphia. Tickets: $25-$35.
Arden children’s Theatre begins its 15th year with the fairytale classic, “Cinderella.” Set to the music of Mozart, playwright Charles Way’s version retells the tale in an adventurous new way. After each production, children are invited to meet the actors and participate in a Q&A session. Directed by Whit MacLaughlin, “Cinderella” runs through January 27 at 40 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia. Tickets: $16-$36.
Stagecrafters presents August Wilson’s “Jitney,” part of the playwright’s ten-play “Pittsburgh Cycle,” telling the story, decade-by-decade, of the twentieth century African-American experience in that city, through December 9, directed by Marilyn Yoblick, starring Kash Goins, Damien Wallace, and Roderick Slocum, at 8130 Germantown Avenue, Chestnut Hill. Tickets $17 online (no service charge), $20 at the door, Thursday evening performances 2 for $25, students with ID $13 at door, groups of 15 or more $15 paid in advance. A meet the cast and director Q&A follows the Friday, November 30 performance.
Other events in the region:
City Theater Company presents “BatBoy: The Musical,” the cult comedy inspired by the famous tabloid story about a half-man/half-bat discovered in a West Virginia cave, with music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe performed by a live band in the Black Box Theater at OperaDelaware, November 30 through December 15, 4 South Poplar Street, Wilmington, DE. After party at Chelsea Tavern, November 30. Tickets: $25-$40.
“Craft Forms 2012” opens at the Wayne Arts Center this Friday, November 30, in its 18th year, featuring works of fine contemporary craft made from ceramic, metal, glass, fiber, and mixed medium. A Preview Party will be held Friday, with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and jazz. “Body Language: Contemporary Art Jewelry,” a companion show, will run alongside “Craft Forms 201,” exploring the human condition by examining how jewelry modifies and addresses the body as site, subject, and materials, through January 26, 413 Maplewood Avenue, Wayne, PA.
Main Line Art Center’s Holiday Fine Craft Sale returns for another year of locally made crafts, jewelry, ceramics, and more, Friday, November 30 through December 9, 746 Panmure Road, Haverford, PA, Free.
The Perkins Center for the Arts hosts “Clay Fest,” the annual pottery show and sale, Friday, November 30 to Sunday, December 2. The show kicks off with a Meet the Artist Reception on Friday from 5pm-9pm. Functional and decorative clay objects by 20 Delaware Valley ceramic artists will be on exhibit and for sale, Saturday from 10am-6pm and Sunday from 10am-5pm. Visitors can also enjoy live music, refreshments, and demonstrations. Saturday, there will be an Empty Bowls Fundraiser where participants can purchase a handmade bowl and fill it with soup or salad donated by local restaurants, with proceeds supporting the South Jersey Food Bank & Perkins Center for the Arts scholarship program, 30 Irvin Avenue, Collingswood, NJ, $5 admission.
“Annie” opens at the Steel River Playhouse Thursday, December 6-23, directed by Ken Kaissar, accompanied by a pit orchestra. Sunday, December 9, a special talkback with the director and cast, 245 East High Street, Pottstown, PA. Tickets: $15-$26.
Onstage at George Street Playhouse is “The Best of Enemies,” by Mark. St. Germain, directed by Julianne Boyd, and starring Aisha Hinds and John Bedford Lloyd, a true story, inspired by The Best of Enemies by Osha Gray Davidson, about the relationship between C.P. Ellis (a Grand Cyclops of the KKK) and Ann Atwater (an African-American civil rights activist) during the desegregation of the Durham, NC, schools in 1971, onstage through December 23 at 9 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ.
1812 Productions’ “Dave & Aaron Go to Work” is onstage at Plays & Players Theatre. Dave Jadico and Aaron Cromie take inspiration from iconic physical comedians such as Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy in this “silent film for the stage” that tells the story of two roommates in a cramped apartment, searching for the perfect profession. Musical Director Alex Bechtel wrote the play’s original score, which will be accompanied by sound effects and supertitles, through December 31, 1714 Delancey Street, Philadelphia. Tickets: $22-$38.
On display at Princeton University Art Museum is “City of Gold: Tomb and Temple in Ancient Cyprus” through January 20, celebrating the conclusion of over two decades of excavation in Polis Chrysochous in the republic of Cyprus. Finds include gold jewelry, a rare marble statue, and more from the Princeton Department of Art and Archaeology as well as objects lent by the Cypriot Department of Antiquities, the British Museum, and the Musée du Louvre, in Princeton, NJ. Free admission.
Brett Rader contributed reporting to this week’s guide.
To submit an event to be considered for the Weekly Entertainment Guide email Robin Bloom at artscalendar@whyy.org.
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