Weekly Entertainment Guide – Bastille Day Block Party and the return of Rodin
From Center City to the Jersey Shore, we’ve got your week covered. WHYY’s Arts Calendar curator Robin Bloom sorts through hundreds of listings each week to find out what’s happening in the Delaware Valley. Here are her picks:
“The Thinker” will once again brood over the Ben Franklin Parkway as the Rodin Museum reopens this Friday, July 13 after 3 years of comprehensive renovations. Built in 1929 to house the greatest collection of works by the French sculptor outside of Paris (assembled by philanthropist Jules Mastbaum), the museum is now restored to the condition that visitors would have experienced when it originally opened. Auguste Rodin is known for changing the face of figurative sculpture and bringing it into the modern era. Examples of his monumental works on display include “The Gates of Hell,” “The Burghers of Calais,” reinstalled inside and outside the museum along with returning masterpieces such as, “Adam,” “Eve,” “The Age of Bronze,” and “The Apotheosis of Victor Hugo.” The Rodin Museum is located on the Ben Franklin Parkway, 22nd Street, Philadelphia. Admission: $5 Suggested Contribution.
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts exhibition, “Dive Deep: Eric Fischl and the Process of Painting,” offers a revealing look into the painter’s visual intelligence and creativity, with 145 works, including 50 photographs and 14 paintings from 1979 to the present, through September 30, Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building, 128 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia. Admission: In Advance $10, At the Door $15.
The African-American Museum in Philadelphia presents “Freedom Riders,” an exhibit of over 80 Bus Boycotter and Freedom Rider portraits by Charlotta Janssen, pinpointing the nonviolent actions of people of numerous races and religions during the Civil Rights Movement in the summer of 1961. Using acrylic, iron oxide, oil and edding, Janssen’s pieces include recreations of the mug shots of those jailed for participating in the protests, arrest records, sermons, Bible pages, segregation signs, protest letters and song lyrics, along with images of Rosa Parks, Ralph Abernathy and Martin Luther King, Jr., shedding light on the atmosphere, courage and struggles that Freedom Riders endured. With film screenings, workshops, storytelling and activist teach-ins, “Freedom Riders” is on view through September 30 at 701 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA. Admission: adults $10, youth (4-12) $8, students w/ ID $8, senior citizens $8.
“Here and Then” by Josette Urso
110 CHURCH gallery, Heavy Bubble, and the Center for Emerging Visual Artists present “Here and Then,” an Alumni Solo Exhibition featuring Josette Urso and curated by Stella Gassaway. Urso, an alumnus of CFEVA’s Career Development Program, works with her immediate environment outside and in the studio to create “moment-to-moment” projections in her paintings that are collective, nonlinear, free flowing and revealing, recreating what is known and what is left to decipher in the environment. Featured pieces include “Terrazzo” and “Yaddo Rhubarb Garden,” oil on panel pieces with many colors, shapes, and abstract representations of what Urso envisioned at those locations. On view now through July 26 at 110 Church Street, Philadelphia, PA.
“An Intimate Conversation in Public” at B Square Gallery
B Square Gallery highlights the work of graphic designer Gretchen Diehl with the exhibit, “An Intimate Conversation in Public,” through July 28, displaying drawings, ink jet jewelry, and large scale drawings on ink jet shrink film, along with paintings and works by gallery owners Heather Bryson and Romy Burkus at 614 South Street, Philadelphia.
Bastille Day festivities in Fairmount
The 18th annual Bastille Day Block Party is this Saturday, July 14, beginning at 10 am with French-themed entertainment, food and drink specials in the Fairmount Neighborhood of Philadelphia. From 4:30pm-6:30pm, partake in a cabaret performance by The Bearded Ladies that includes confetti cannons, stilt walkers, a cardboard horse, and a catwalk, culminating in a playful re-enactment of the Storming of the Bastille at Eastern State Penitentiary. Dozens of French revolutionaries will capture Marie Antoinette and, ignoring her mocking cries of “Let them eat Tastykake!,” will drag her to a real, functioning guillotine as 3,000 Tastykakes are flung from the prison’s towers. Then, dancing in the street through the night with The West Philadelphia Orchestra and The Hot Club of Philadelphia. Liberté! Egalité! Fraternité!
Bucks County Art of the Barn Tour
The Bucks County Audubon Society’s “Art of the Barn Tour” is July 13-15, honoring Bucks County and their environmental preservation efforts by taking visitors around the county to the various old barns and green fields that have inspired artists for centuries and featuring a selection of their work. Kicking off Friday evening with a lecture and art preview, tours start 9:30-4:30pm on Saturday, followed by a Castles in the Fields Reception from 7-9pm. Tours continue from 12-4pm on Sunday, Honey Hollow Environmental Education Center, 2877 Creamery Road, New Hope, PA. Tickets: Lecture & Art Preview $10, Barn Tour & Art Show $30, Combination Lecture/Tour $35, All Inclusive Castle in the Fields Reception $125.
The 12th Annual South Jersey Caribbean Festival is Saturday, July 14, 12pm, with steel drum music, food and more; Buckwheat Zydeco brings his unique sound to Wiggins Waterfront Park Riverstage, Tuesday, July 17, 8pm, at the foot of Mickle Boulevard, Camden, NJ. Presented by Camden County. Free.
Arlo Guthrie at Ocean City Music Pier
The Ocean City Music Pier hosts concerts with Arlo Guthrie, Monday, July 16, 8pm, and Bruce Hornsby, July 24, Moorlyn Terrace and the Boardwalk, Ocean City, NJ. Tickets $35-$42
The arts and entertainment company A Saturday’s Child presents their innovative theatrical production, “Monday Night Monologues,” a rotation of 10 actors and 42 monologues throughout various performances, Monday, July 16 and 23, 8pm, Plays & Players, 1714 Delancey Street, Philadelphia. Tickets: In Advance $18, At the Door $20, Senior/Student $15, cash only.
Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll
The Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll is Thursday, July 19, 5:30pm-8:30pm, an outdoor street festival with more than twenty-five participating businesses offering $1 specials along with live music, street performances, and more, Baltimore Avenue from 42nd to 50th Streets, Philadelphia.
Philly
The East Passyunk Avenue Second Saturday celebration is July 14 with art openings, music, and more, 6-10pm, and the South Philly Summer Fest! is Sunday, July 15, 1-8pm, with six live bands, vendors, food and more, 1820 South 13th Street, Philadelphia.
The Council of Spanish Speaking Organizations, Inc. (Concilio) hosts the Annual Hispanic Fiesta, part of the PECO Multicultural Series, Saturday, July 14 and Sunday, July 15, 2-8pm, with music, dance, entertainment, and authentic Latin American cuisine, Great Plaza, Penn’s Landing, Columbus Boulevard and Chestnut Streets, Philadelphia. Free, rain or shine.
The Global Fusion Festival is back for a 6th year with “Rhapsody,” a weeklong celebration of Philadelphia’s diverse cultures with Hispanic, Caribbean, African, African-American, and Asian cultural performances, July 16-22, culminating with the festival, Saturday, July 21, 12-8pm, with musical headliners Brandy, Elle Varner, Luke James, Kenny Lattimore, and more, ethnic food, crafts, and children’s activities, Great Plaza, Penn’s Landing, Philadelphia. Free (some events ticketed).
John F. Collins Park hosts concerts in the park every Tuesday and Thursday, noon-1:30pm: Frank Butrey, Guitar, July 17; Magdaliz Roura, Guitar, July 19; 1707 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia. Free and weather permitting.
Celebrate the final results of the PlayPenn’s Eighth Annual New Play Development Conference, where work-in-progress scripts transform into fully developed plays. PlayPenn, Philadelphia’s professional new play development organization, features playwrights Liz Duffy Adams, Willy Holtzman, Meghan Kennedy, Mia McCullough, Jonathon James Norton, and Martin George Andrew Zimmerman, as attendees help with collaboration, experimentation, and revision of their works in a laboratory environment. The conference culminates with staged readings of the six plays on July 19-22, Adrienne Theatre, 2030 Samson Street, Philadelphia. Free; reservations are recommended.
Philadelphia’s QFest is underway through July 23 with international films and special events at various venues. Check the website for an official schedule and locations.
The Asian Arts Initiative presents “Paper Play: New Works by Jeonghan Yun and Choonhyang Yun,” an exhibit featuring two- and three-dimensional paper works that embody the artists’ Western and Asian cultures while exemplifying various papermaking techniques, on view through August 17. The papermaking techniques of this husband and wife team begin with an ancient Asian tradition, during which the inner bark of a paper mulberry (“dak” in Korean) is peeled off, steamed, grinded, and dyed. The product is a “tough, texturized, nontoxic canvas” (or “hanji”) that can be cast and shaped into sculptural art or painted with bright oil to create contemporary abstract pieces.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art offers viewers the chance to reflect back on their senior prom with, “Prom: Photographs by Mary Ellen Mark.” Portraying the mutual innocence and daring spirit of prom, this exhibit leaves visitors reflecting on their ambitions and views at the close of their high school career. Using a rare 20-by-24 Polaroid Land Camera, Mark visited thirteen high school proms from 2006-2009 and created versatile portraits of the various attendees. The photographs are complemented by a 33 minute video, directed by Mark’s husband, Martin Bell, who explores with humorous and thoughtful insight the range of adolescent thought and behavior. Presented in conjunction with the J. Paul Getty Museum’s publication of the book by the same name, “Prom” runs through October 28 in the Perelman Building, 2525 Pennsylvania Ave, Philadelphia. Museum Admission: Adults $20, Seniors (65+) $18, Students/Youth $14, Member and Children (12 and under) Free.
The Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania invites visitors to “Take a Seat!” with a new exhibit featuring more than 70 artist-designed Adirondack chairs, on view now through Labor Day. Each chair and its unique design, ranging from stone decal to specialty carving to vibrant and rare paint colors, are meant to celebrate summer “as it used to be” – relaxing, cheery, and surrounded by nature. Eight of the chairs are on the porch of the Woodmere Art Museum (9201 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA) and the rest are on display throughout the Morris Arboretum at 100 E. Northwestern Avenue, Philadelphia, PA. Admission: youth (3-17) $7, students and active military (w/ ID) $7, adults $16, seniors (65+) $14.
Mazeppa Productions opens their summer season with the Tony-Award winning musical, “Spring Awakening,” through July 28, Christ Church Neighborhood House Theatre, 20 North American Street, Old City, Philadelphia. Mazeppa is the first resident theater in Philadelphia to present this musical. Tickets: Online Purchases $20, At the Door $25.
Pa. Suburbs & Delaware
Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation hosts a Pirate/Splash Day, Saturday, July 14, 12-4pm, as pirates attack and “wet” is the theme, in Ridley Creek State Park, Edgmont Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Wear a swimsuit and old shoes. Admission $8.
Celebrate the Delaware Shakespeare Festival’s 10th anniversary with the comedy, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” the perfect play for a summer evening outdoors, July 13-28, Rockwood Mansion Park, 610 Shipley Road, Wilmington, DE. Tickets: General $15, Seniors/Active Military $12, Students $10, Children 5 and under Free.
Sing out with Louise and her overbearing mother at the Actors’ NET of Bucks County’s production, “Gypsy,” the Sondheim musical loosely based on the 1957 memoirs of striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee, July 13-29, The Heritage Center, 635 N. Delmorr Avenue, Morrisville, PA. Tickets: Adults $20, Seniors $17, Children under 13 $10, WHYY Cards $15.
The Delaware County Summer Festival is underway with concerts and performances through August 19 including Separate Ways, Saturday, July 14; Blackbird Society Orchestra, Sunday, July 15; Bryn Mawr Mainliners, Wednesday, July 18; Makin’ Music, Thursday, July 19, 10am; Kick it Out: Heart Tribute, Thursday, July 19; Eternal Rhythm Band, Friday, July 20; Rose Tree Park, Media, PA. All performances at 7:30pm unless otherwise noted. Free.
The Colonial Theatre’s 13th Annual Blobfest is back, a kitschy, family-friendly event saluting the 1958 classic sci-fi movie The Blob, filmed in and around Phoenixville, PA including inside the Colonial Theatre, Friday, July 13-15 with screenings of the movies and a street fair, Saturday, July 14, 11am, 227 Bridge Street. Tickets $5-$10, street fair free.
Commonwealth Classic Theatre Company presents Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town” in their Free Theatre in the Park series: Friday, July 13, West Pikeland Township Cultural Center, Chester Springs, PA; Saturday, July 14, Elkins Estate-Elkins Park, PA; Sunday, July 15, LOVE Park, Philadelphia. Concerts continue at various venues through July 28, rain or shine, 7pm.
Step into a page of your favorite fairy tale with Tyler Arboretum’s Festival of Fairies & Fairy Tales, Sunday, July 15, 10am-2pm, with magic bubbles, Hansel and Gretel scavenger hunt, Fairy Godmother, games, crafts, performances and more, rain or shine, 515 Painter Road, Media, PA. Included with admission: Adults $9, Seniors, $8, Youths $5, children under 3 free.
Robert Dubac brings his new one-man show “Free Range Thinking” to Act II Playhouse July 18 through August 12, 56 E. Butler Avenue, Ambler, PA. Tickets $22-$33.
The 2012 Upper Darby Summer Stage season is underway with The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, July 18-20; Seussical, Jr., July 25-27; Annie, Jr., August 1-3; How I Became a Pirate, August 8-10; A Disney Spectacular, August 15-17. The season culminates in the Main Stage Musical, “Hairspray,” August 3-11. Times range from 10:30am or 7:30pm, 601 N. Lansdowne, Avenue, Drexel Hill, PA. Tickets: Children’s Theatre Musicals $6-$9, Main Stage Musical $10-$13. Member Discount $1 off.
Playcrafters of Skippack present their upcoming musical, “The Wedding Singer,” based on the film by the same title, through July 28, performed in an historic, converted barn, 2011 Store Road, Skippack, PA. Tickets: Patron $15, Group of 20+ $14.
Hedgerow Theater’s 11th annual Ray Cooney farce is onstage this year with “Not Now, Darling!” through August 12, 64 Rose Valley Road, Rose Valley, PA. $10-$32
New Jersey
Celebrate the “tradition” of one of Broadway’s longest-running shows, “The Fiddler on the Roof,” at the historic Broadway Theatre of Pitman, July 13-August 5, 43 S. Broadway, Pitman, NJ. Tickets: $25.
Haddonfield’s center of town transforms into a festive corridor, filled with artist’s tents and various crafts, outdoor café’s, live entertainment, and more for the 20th Annual Haddonfield Fine Art and Crafts Festival, Saturday, July 14, 11am-7pm, and Sunday, July 15, Noon-5pm, rain or shine, Kings Highway and Tanner Street, Haddonfield, NJ. Free Admission and Parking.
Chimera Productions explores the bond between artist and live audience in Gina Gionfriddo’s comical play, “After Ashley,” presented by the Arts Council of Princeton, July 19-21, 8pm, Solley Theater at the Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, 102 Witherspoon Street, Princeton, NJ. Tickets: General $13, ACP Members/Students/Seniors $10.
Moorestown Theater Company’s “Footloose” takes to the stage July 19-28, at William Allen Middle School, 801 N. Stanwick Road, Moorestown, NJ. Tickets: $15.
Opera New Jersey celebrates its 10th anniversary with Gilbert and Sullivan’s “H.M.S. Pinafore” and Verdi’s “Il Trovatore,” through July 22, McCarter Theatre Center, 91 University Place, Princeton, NJ. Tickets: $20-$110.
Cumberland Players presents “Little Shop of Horrors,” through July 22, Sherman Ave. and the Blvd, Vineland, NJ. Tickets: $7.50-$15.
“Down the Shore”
Historic Cold Spring Village hosts a “FunFest Weekend,” July 14-15, with blacksmithing, basket weaving, woodworking, and other crafts and trades from the 1800’s, along with historical interpreters, and more, Route 9, Cape May, NJ. Included with admission: Adults $10, Children 3-12 $8, Children under 3 free.
The Anglesea Blues Festival and NJ State BBQ Championship is July 13-15, a three day festival featuring live cooking demonstrations, top regional and national blues acts on the free main stage, and more, 2nd and Olde New Jersey Avenues, North Wildwood, NJ.
The Stockton Performing Arts Center hosts summer concerts and events at the beach: Dave Mason, Monday, July 16, 8pm; Summer Playhouse “The Three Bears,” Wednesday, July 18, 10:30am; Cape May Convention Hall, Cape May, NJ. Tickets $8 Summer Playhouse, $30 concerts.
Cape Island Theatre Company presents “1912,” Ray Crew’s original work about love and loss and the decisions we make that shape the course of history, through September 9, The Old Grange Restaurant, Historic Cold Spring Village, Cape May, NJ. Tickets $12-$37 dinner or show only.
“Girls Night The Musical” is onstage at Resorts in Atlantic City, NJ, direct from Off-Broadway for a summer run Thursdays, 7:30pm, Fridays, 7:30pm, and Saturdays, 3:30pm and 7:30pm through September 1, 1133 Boardwalk. Tickets $45.
To submit an event to be considered for the Weekly Entertainment Guide email Robin Bloom at artscalendar@whyy.org.
Kelly Hagerty and Pamela Seaton contributed reporting to this week’s guide.
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