Weekly Entertainment Guide – 9 to 5, David Lynch, & La Bête

     Tumble outta bed and stumble to the Walnut Street Theatre for

    Tumble outta bed and stumble to the Walnut Street Theatre for "9 to 5: The Musical," featuring the original songs from the movie plus 16 brand new ones written by Dolly Parton, onstage through October 19.

    14 things to do this week in the Philly region. Robin Bloom offers her picks.

    What’s Happening

    David Lynch: The Unified Field at PAFA

    The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts hosts the first major museum exhibition of renowned filmmaker David Lynch. The celebrated PAFA alumnus has credited Philadelphia for being the biggest inspiration of his life. He studied painting with Leon Kelly, Julian Levi, Elizabeth Osborne, Morris Blackburn and Hobson Pittman and produced a one-minute animated film bringing together painting, sculpture, sound, film and installation that led him to pursue a career in film. David Lynch: The Unified Field features about 90 works from all periods of his career – 1965 to the present – including that multimedia installation presented as it was in 1967, a selection of short films made while living in Philly, and paintings and drawings, many of which have rarely been seen in public. Accompanied by a fully-illustrated catalogue, through January 11, 2015 in the Frank Furness building, 118 North Broad Street, Philadelphia. Also on view: Something Clicked in Philly: David Lynch and His Contemporaries, exploring the artistic context in which he worked in the Philly years. Related programs and events throughout the exhibition include partnerships with the Philadelphia Film Society, International House Philadelphia, Bryn Mawr Film Institute, and the Philadelphia Mausoleum of Contemporary Art. A members only preview is September 12, Conversation with David Lynch, September 12 (sold out!), public exhibition preview September 12, 8pm-10pm.

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    Cirque du Soleil’s “Varekai”

    Catch Cirque du Soleil’s latest show, Varekai, through September 14. The show explores the nomadic soul whose on a path that leads to Varekai, “wherever,” and reimagines the story of what happened to Icarus after he flew too close to the sun and fell from the sky, Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia.

    Philadelphia HomeGrown Music Festival

    The Philadelphia HomeGrown Music Festival kicks off this weekend starting at Bartram’s Garden on Friday, September 12, 6:30pm-9:30pm, and continuing through Sunday, September 14 at 10 other community gardens and urban farms. Featuring 35 performances in jazz, reggae, folk, hip hop, R&B, world music, and more. In partnership with the Philadelphia Urban County fair, North Philly Peace Park, 2400 Bolton Street, Philadelphia, Sunday, September 14, 11am-6pm for a day of workshops and education for gardeners and urban farmers. Sites include Overbrook Environmental and Education Center, Philly Urban Creators, Urban Tree Connection Memorial Garden, Weavers Way Farm, Hansberry Garden and Nature Center, Viola Street Community Garden, Norris Square Garden, Manton Street Community Garden, and AAUF Urban Garden Initiative.

    Craft Phila: Liberty Bell

    Craft Phila: Liberty Bell hosts its first Fall Show, Saturday, September 13, 10am-7pm and Sunday, September 14, 10am-5pm. The outdoor juried art fair features 76 independent artists offering signed goods in a broad range of prices. Look for handcrafted jewelry, accessories, ceramics, wood, glass, metal, photography, prints, graphic art, and more, next to the Liberty Bell Pavilion and Independence Mall, Chestnut Street between 6th & 7th Streets, Philadelphia. Free, rain or shine.

    Doylestown Arts Festival

    The 23rd Doylestown Arts Festival returns to Bucks County Saturday and Sunday, September 13-14, 10am-5pm daily, with over 160 vendors offering clothing, fine art, furniture, glass, jewelry, pottery and more. Also, live music on four stages, food, pro cycling and family activities, rain or shine in Doylestown Borough, PA.

    Rally for Rock

    Support music education at the 2nd annual Rally for Rock, Saturday, September 13, 2pm-6pm, Franklin Square Park, 6th & Race Streets, Philadelphia. The free outdoor concert features family friendly live music with Kuf Knotz (pictured), Hezekiah Jones, Joey Sweeney & the Long Hair Arkestra, and the Rock to the Future Student House Band, plus an interactive kids area, beer garden from Yards Brewing Company, craft vendors and more. Proceeds benefit Rock to the Future, whose mission is to provide music education for Philadelphia youth.

    Ladies & Gentlemen . . . The Beatles

    Longwood Gardens says farewell to summer with the final Fireworks and Fountains show, Ladies & Gentlemen . . . The Beatles, Saturday, September 13, 8:15pm, featuring music by the Fab Four. Includes all day admission to the Gardens, which open at 9am. Bring a lawn chair or rent one for $5. No blankets permitted. Space can be reserved after 3pm. Enjoy the new Meadow Garden with three miles of walking trails, learning pavilions, a restored farmhouse, wildflower plantings and more, and welcome the fall season with Autumn’s Colors, Route 1, Kennett Square, PA.

    ***UPDATED – the Fireworks and Fountains Show is SOLD OUT***

    Mexican Fiesta on Penn’s Landing

    Celebrate Mexico’s Independence with a fiesta this Sunday, September 14, 1pm-7pm, and a day of food, crafts, and music at Penn’s Landing’s Great Plaza. Entertainment includes Alacranes Musical, Los Chavos de Tierra Caliente, La Conquistadora Banda de Guanajuato, Ballet Folclórico Yaretzi, Mariachi Flores, and Pedro Villaseñor. Also, “El Grito,” a Mexican Independence Day tradition recalling the moment when Father Hidalgo rang the church bells marking the start of the Mexican War of Independence. New this year is the pre-Columbian corner, which will feature Aztec dances and other indigenous performances. Presented by the Mexican Cultural Center and the Consulate of Mexico in Philadelphia. Part of the PECO Multicultural Festival Series. Free. The fun continues after with a live Mariachi band and fireworks show at Spruce Street Harbor Park, 7pm.

    Onstage

    “9 to 5: The Musical” at Walnut Street Theatre

    The Walnut Street Theatre opens its 206th season with 9 to 5: The Musical, the comical new Broadway hit about three conspiring female co-workers trying to get ahead in a man’s world of the rolodex era workplace. The score features the original songs written by Dolly Parton along with 16 brand new tunes by the legendary, Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter, who made her on-screen debut in the 1980 film on which the show is based. Broadway performers Dee Hoty (Violet), Amanda Rose (Judy), Amy Bodnar (Doralee), and Paul Schoeffler (Franklin Hart, Jr.) join an ensemble cast of Philadelphia favorites, with direction by Bruce Lumpkin through October 19, 825 Walnut Street, Philadelphia.

    “La Bête” at Arden Theatre Company

    High art and low comedy meet in 17th century France in David Hirson’s witty farce, La Bête, onstage at Arden Theatre Company. An egotistical street performer joins a theatre troupe sponsored by the royal court and develops a rivalry with the head of the court, the established playwright Elomire (an anagram of Molière). Written entirely in verse, the 1991 play harkens back to the style of the French neoclassical playwright’s comedies. Directed by Emmanuelle Delpech and starring Scott Greer with Taysha Canales, Ian Merrill Peakes, James Ijames, Alex Keiper, Michael Doherty, Dito van Reigersberg, Amanda Schoonover, Wendy Staton, and Alex Bechtel through October 12, 40 N. 2nd Street, Old City, Philadelphia. Related programs and events include Pay What You Can performance on September 10, post-show discussions on September 25, 28, October 1, 5, 8, 12, open captioned and audio described performances on October 10-11, and Teen Arden on September 28.

    “Rounding Third” at Act II Playhouse

    Onstage at Act II Playhouse is the Little League baseball comedy, Rounding Third, by Richard Dresser. Two coaches with different philosophies of the game make a modern day “odd couple” as they attempt to coach their sons’ team. Don (Michael Basile) employs a win-at-all costs style while Michael (Tony Braithwaite) is a newcomer to baseball who takes a more laid back approach. The humorous play asks important questions about raising children, competition, and what it means to be an American man. Directed by Matt Silva and already extended through October 12 at 56 E. Butler Avenue, Ambler, PA.

    Fringe

    The Body Lautrec

    Art and medicine collide in The Body Lautrec, an exploration of painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s body of work and his own body, September 12-21. The inventive theater piece uses actors and puppets to examine the world of the Post-Impressionist painter (played by Aaron Cromie), whose body was deformed by a congenital bone disorder. Directed by Mary Tuomanen, who worked with the Mütter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia for research on the production. A talkback, “Metaphor or Misery: Syphilis in the post-Romantic Era,” with Dr. Thomas Fekete, Section Chief, Infectious Diseases at Temple University’s School of Medicine follows the September 13 show, in the Caplan Studio Theater at the University of the Arts, 211 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia.

    Secrets

    Tongue & Groove joins the 2014 Fringe Festival with Secrets, spontaneous theater inspired by true audience secrets, performed in a montage of scenes and monologues accompanied by live improvised music, September 12-20 at the Playground @ the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom Street, Philadelphia.

    Flim Flam Phantom Sham

    Ombelico Mask Ensemble returns to the Fringe Festival with a boisterous physical comedy Flim Flam Phantom Sham about lovers that pretend to be possessed by spirits to convince their parents to let them be together. The free show is for all ages (and dogs too!) September 12-21, 6:30pm each night, and stars Leah Walton, Kevin Bergen, Aetna Gallagher, and Renato Arcuri, Liberty Lands Park, 926 N. American Street in Northern Liberties. Bring chairs and blankets!

     

     

    Christine Kelley 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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