Weekly Entertainment Guide – Aftershock, Avedon & Shakespeare reimagined

Robin Bloom shares her picks for what to do this week in the Philly region.

Koresh Dance Company’s “Aftershock”

Culture shock is the subject of Koresh Dance Company’s latest performance, Aftershock. The world premiere is a reflection on Artistic Director Ronen Koresh’s emigration from Israel to the United States in the 1980s and its impact on his artistic development and identity with two performances Thursday, March 26, 7:30pm and Friday, March 27, 8pm. A post-performance Conversation with the Artists will be held on March 27 with Ronen Koresh and the company. Koresh Kouture: A High Fashion Silent Auction and Gala with wine tastings, reception, and fashion displays by Philadelphia designers takes place Saturday, March 28, 6pm-10pm, Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Broad and Lombard Streets, Philadelphia. Photo by Bicking Photography.

Shakespeare’s Classics Reimagined

“The Taming of the Shrew” at Lantern Theater Company

Tickets are going fast for Lantern Theater Company’s The Taming of the Shrew, already extended through May 3. This year’s annual Shakespeare production is Tango infused, exploring the power of dance to break down barriers. Directed by Charles McMahon and starring David Bardeen, K.O. DelMarcelle, Nathan Foley, J Hernandez, Dave Johnson, Joanna Liao, Ahren Potratz, Matt Tallman, and Bradley K. Wrenn at St. Stephen’s Theater, 10th and Ludlow Streets, Philadelphia. Related programs and events include Scholars in Conversation: Desire, Dance and Dynamic Women in The Taming of the Shrew, April 6, 13, 20. The three part series draws on the comedy’s themes. Also, Directors in Conversation March 27, 7pm, A Touch of Tango March 28, and Artists in Conversation March 29, 2pm and April 5, 2pm. Photo by Mark Garvin.

“Hamlet” at Wilma Theater

Wilma Theater casts a woman as the lead in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, March 25 through April 26. The experimental production reexamines the classic tragedy, relating it to contemporary society with a set design by Matt Saunders, incorporating graffiti by Street Artist CERA, contemporary costumes with an Elizabethan flair by Vasilija Zivanic, and original and contemporary musical themes composed by Alex Games and Emma Violet. The cast, including Zainab Jah as Hamlet, was selected after a rigorous two week workshop with Stemwerk master vocal teacher Jean-Rene Toussaint, and workshops with Theodoros Terzopulos from Attis Theatre in Greece, Ivana Jocic of Troubelyn Theatre in Belgium, and fight choreographer Ian Rose. The same company of actors will appear in the Wilma’s production of Tom Stoppard’s now classic Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, onstage next. Both directed by Wilma Artistic Director Blanka Zizka. Related programs and events include a lobby display throughout the run of the play looking at the history of women in the role of Hamlet, a Beer Tasting, Directors Gathering Dialogue, Post-Show Chats, Open Captioning, and more, 265 South Broad Street, Philadelphia. Photo by Alexander Iziliaev.

The R&J Project: Romeo and Juliet Re-Imagined

The new theater company Madness Most Discreet aims to make Shakespeare accessible and exciting to a younger generation with innovative performance techniques that recreate Shakespearean style. Their first show, The R&J Project: Romeo and Juliet Re-Imagined, features fast-paced portrayals of the classic text by four recently-graduated theater students, March 27, 7pm, March 28, 2pm and 7pm, and March 29, 5pm at JUNK, 2040 South Christian Street, Philadelphia. Inspired by Renaissance traveling players, at the start of the show, the audience is given the opportunity to choose which pre-conceived track will be performed. Photo courtesy of Madness Most Discreet.

Onstage

“Ragtime” at Bristol Riverside Theatre

Onstage at Bristol Riverside Theatre is Ragtime by Terrence McNally. The Tony Award winning Broadway musical, based on the 1975 novel by E.L. Doctorow, weaves together the stories of three families – African American, white upper class, and Jewish immigrants – offering a portrait of life at turn of the century in New York. Directed by Keith Baker and starring Leslie Becker, Derrick Cobey, David Edwards, Tamar Greene, Michael Thomas Holmes, Matt Leisy and Ciji Prosser through April 12, 120 Radcliffe Street, Bristol, PA. Related programs and events include Thirsty Thursday on April 2 and Theatre Theology on April 12. Photo by Mark Garvin.

“Number the Stars” at Haddonfield Plays & Players

Haddonfield Plays & Players’ annual tradition, Number the Stars, returns with music and lyrics by Sean Hartley, based on the book by Lois Lowry about the rescue of Danish Jews during World War II. Five performances take place March 25 through April 2 at the Scottish Rite Auditorium, 315 White Horse Pike, Collingswood, NJ and at 957 East Atlantic Avenue at Crows Woods, Haddonfield, NJ. Presented with the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) and the Goodwin Holocaust Museum and Education Center.  Funding has been made available by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State through Camden County Cultural and Heritage Commission, the designated arts agency of Camden County.  Photo by Dave Gold.

Art Appreciation

“Tweak of Nature” at Main Line Art Center

Main Line Art Center hosts Tweak of Nature, the work of progressive and boundary-pushing artists Tasha Lewis (New York, NY), Kate Stewart (Philadelphia, PA), and Seunghwui Koo (New York, NY), through April 21. Pieces include photo-based constructions, whimsical sculpture, large scale paintings, and site-specific installations that manipulate or tweak our perception of nature and its creatures. The artists are the recipients of the 2015 Meyer Family Award for Contemporary Art in honor of Teaching Artist Betsy Meyer. Upcoming artist workshops include Piggy’s Treehouse: Story Inspired Sculpture Family Workshop with Seunghwui Koo, Saturday, April 11, 10:30am and a Piggy Bank Family Workshop with Koo at 1pm. Also, Alternative Drawing Techniques Adult Workshop with Kate Stewart on Saturday, April 18, 1pm, 746 Panmure Road, Haverford, PA. Pictured: Narcissism by Seunghwui Koo. Photo courtesy of Main Line Art Center.

Collaborative Painting Performance at Noyes Museum of Art

Enjoy a collaborative painting performance at the Noyes Museum of Art of Stockton University on Saturday, March 28. Beginning at 12pm, Renée Rendine performs a site specific piece in the central gallery of the museum. From 1pm-3pm, Mikel Frank and Gerard Amsellem, “the Visual Passion Duo” (pictured), present a live painting performance accompanied by the musical quartet ETHEL. Rendine, Frank and Amsellem are currently exhibiting their work in MICA: THEN/Now, on display through May 17, showcasing artwork of alumni from Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). The works on exhibit have been created over the past 150 years, 733 Lily Lake Road, Oceanville, NJ. Photo by Catherine Carven.

Richard Avedon: Family Affairs at NMAJH

Richard Avedon: Family Affairs offers a glimpse into American power and influence with an exhibit of over 70 portraits by the leading fashion photographer taken during the late 1960s and 1970s, at the only U.S. venue, the National Museum of American Jewish History. Well-known for challenging conventions and exploring boundaries between high art and social commentary, Avedon was commissioned by Rolling Stone to cover the 1976 presidential election. With his Deardorff 8X10″ camera, he created stunning black and white portraits with his signature style – subjects posed singly and in groups against a start white background facing the camera. While not biologically related, “The Family” includes those holding positions of power and influence such as Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, Barbara Jordan, Cesar Chavez, and Bella Abzug, as well as a massive mural of beat poet Allen Ginsberg and his family, Andy Warhol and Members of the Factory, and The Chicago Seven. On loan from the collection of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, the exhibit opens April 1 and also features original copies of the Rolling Stone issue, a “selfie” photo booth, and related programs and events include themed tours, family events, classes and more through August 2, 101 South Independence Mall, Philadelphia. Pictured: Walter Annenberg, publisher, Radnor, Pennsylvania, May 10, 1976.

Music

“The Radio Hour” with the Philadelphia Singers

The Philadelphia Singers perform an innovative choral opera where the chorus serves as the voice of the main character with the East Coast premiere of The Radio Hour, Myths and Magic: Voice of Storytelling. The commissioned piece was created by composer Jake Heggie and frequent collaborator librettist Gene Scheer and is combined with Gian Carlo Menotti’s Menotti’s The Unicorn, the Gorgon, and the Manticore, performed by an instrumental ensemble. Stage direction by New York choreographer Seán Curran, under the musical direction of David Hayes, Friday, March 27 and Saturday, March 28 at 7:30pm at the Temple Performing Arts Center, 1837 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia. Photo courtesy of The Philadelphia Singers.

Music of the Beatles at Croft Farm Arts Center

Members of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Philly Pops perform Music of the Beatles and other songs with a classical flair as part of the Cherry Hill Ensemble Series at Croft Farm. Musicians include cellist Robert Cafaro (pictured), Benjamin Scott, violin, Pamela Fay, viola, and Qing Li, violin, Sunday, March 29, 3pm, Croft Farm Arts Center, 100 Bortons Mill Road, Cherry Hill, NJ. Doors open at 2:30pm. Photo by Skip Dickstein.

Preservation Hall Jazz Band

The world-renowned Preservation Hall Jazz Band spreads their love of New Orleans Jazz in a concert celebrating World Café Live at the Queen’s 4th anniversary, Tuesday, March 31. Show is at 8pm (doors open at 7pm), 500 N. Market Street, Wilmington, DE. Photo by Joshua Timmermans.

Women’s History Month

An Evening with Anna Quindlen

The Women’s Humane Society celebrates Women’s History Month with a special evening with Anna Quindlen, Thursday, March 26, 6:30pm at the Merion Tribute House, 625 Hazelhurst Avenue, Merion Station, PA. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author will discuss her career, her road to success and how animals have positively impacted her life. Proceeds from the event benefit the Women’s Humane Society, the first animal shelter in the country and first animal welfare organization in the U.S. to be governed exclusively by women. Photo courtesy of Anna Quindlen.

 

 

To submit an event to be considered, email Robin Bloom at artscalendar@whyy.org.