Weekly Entertainment Guide – Comic Con, Dog Dogs & First Friday

15 things to do this week in the Philadelphia region. Robin Bloom shares her picks.

What’s Happening

Pennsylvania Ballet’s “Swan Lake”

Tickets are selling fast for Pennsylvania Ballet’s stunning reimagined production of the great love story Swan Lake, onstage at the Academy of Music, March 5-15. Christopher Wheeldon’s variation of the renowned ballet features seduction and romance with choreography based on the original Ivanov/Petipa classic set to the timeless Tchaikovsky score and sets inspired by the impressionist paintings of Edgar Degas, Broad Street, Philadelphia. Pictured: Pennsylvania Ballet Principal Dancers Lauren Fadeley and Zachary Hench (Photo by Alexander Iziliaev).

Camden Comic Con

The Camden Comic Con returns Saturday, March 7, 10am-5pm, a celebration of comics and related pop culture. Shop comics and memorabilia from over 100 vendors, meet comic creators, browse art and craft items. Also, panel discussions, workshops, costume contest, live music, food, and children’s activities including special effects makeup, Rutgers Camden Athletics and Fitness Center, Fine Arts Building, Camden, NJ. Free and open to the public. Photo by Kyle Zimmerer.

“Elliott Erwitt: Dog Dogs” at Delaware Art Museum

The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show may be over, but you still have the chance to celebrate “Man’s Best Friend” with Delaware Art Museum’s new exhibit Elliott Erwitt: Dog Dogs. The renowned photographer, known for his photojournalism (i.e. photographing historical events like Richard Nixon pointing his finger at Nikita Khrushchev), has taken funny, poignant, and cleverly composed pictures that capture the relationship between humans and canines. Many were published in his 1998 book Dog Dogs, which evolved into this traveling exhibition of 65 black and white photographs of dogs of all sizes and types, taken around the world between 1946 and 2004. On view March 7 through May 24, 2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington, DE. The exhibit opens with a members-only preview event, Friday, March 6, 6pm-8pm, including a pet matching contest, live music, “Best in Show” doggy photo booth and more. Additional events throughout the run of the exhibit include Art is Tasty, Friday, March 6 and Sunday Studio: Dog Portrait Paintings, Sunday, March 8. Photo by Elliott Erwitt, Paris, France, 1957.

Onstage

Azuka Theatre’s “Moon Cave”

Onstage at Azuka Theatre is the world premiere of Moon Cave, March 4-22, the latest work by Azuka’s current Playwright in Residence Douglas Williams. Directed by Azuka’s Producing Artistic Director Kevin Glaccum, the dark drama stars Kevin Meehan as a man who has spent his life in hiding, terrified that someone will recognize him from a childhood trauma that made national news. He meets a woman, played by Taysha Canales, who makes him look at his past while considering notoriety, responsibility, and the need for human contact at Off Broad Street Theatre, 1636 Sansom Street, Philadelphia. Geek Week kicks off March 11-15 with themed activities surrounding the production. Photo by Johanna Austin.

Brainspunk Theater’s “The Rocky Horror Show Live!”

Do the “Time Warp” at Brainspunk Theater’s The Rocky Horror Show Live! Join along with Brad and Janet as they stumble into the strange castle of Dr. Frank-N-Furter with the revival stage production by Richard O’Brien, directed by Artistic Director Christopher King, March 5-28. Starring John Schultz, Cris Welti, Katherine Perry, Jackie DiFerdinando, Jessie McCormick, Bobby Hayes, Trevor Cahill, Ken Sandberg, Nancy Segal, and Anthony Wilcox with all of the favorite songs and audience participation encouraged, Brainspunk Theater in the PaperMill Arts, 2825 Ormes Street, Kensington. Guarded parking available. Photo by Ashley LaBonde at Wide Eyed Studios.

11th Hour Theatre Company’s “Field Hockey Hot”

11th Hour Theatre Company presents its first commission, a world premiere of Michael Ogborn’s Field Hockey Hot. The Philly-born playwright approached the theater company about working together to finish a musical satire about a high school girls’ field hockey team, their ambitious coach, and the desire to win at any cost. The end product is a zany, gender-bending musical comedy featuring a pop score inspired by iconic musicians of the 1980s. Onstage March 5-22 on the main stage of the Adrienne Theatre, 2030 Sansom Street, Philadelphia. Directed by Megan Nicole O’Brien with musical direction by Dan Kazemi and choreography by Ellie Mooney. Cast includes Jennie Eisenhower, Alina John, Alex Keiper, Brendan Norton, Michael Philip O’Brien, Jenna Pastuszek, Rob Tucker, Leah Walton, Ali Wetzel, and Sean C. White (pictured). Photo by Daniel Kontz.

“Lafferty’s Wake” at Society Hill Playhouse

Society Hill Playhouse’s Red Room Cabaret turns into Rory’s Pub where, as his final request, Charlie Lafferty is being remembered by his family and friends in an Irish-style comedy, Lafferty’s Wake. The interactive play was written on commission by Philadelphia playwright Susan Turlish and originally premiered in 1998 at the Society Hill Playhouse and returns in time for St. Patrick’s Day, opening Friday, March 6 through April 12. Cast includes Michelle Pauls, Tori Mittelman, Angie Fennell, David Ferrier, Stephen Fala, Jeff Baxt, and Jason Klemm, 507 S. 8th Street, Philadelphia. Full service bar available in lobby and specialty Irish drinks including Guinness are available. Photo by Michelle Pauls.

The Classics

Emanuel Ax

Grammy Award-winning classical pianist Emanuel Ax comes to Philadelphia to perform with the Fabulous Philadelphians on Thursday, March 5, 8pm, Friday, March 6, 2pm, and Saturday, March 7, 8pm, led by Yannick Nézet-Séguin and a program of Haydn, Beethoven and Vaughan Williams. The celebrated musician will play an additional concert with members of the Philadelphia Orchestra as part of the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society series on Friday, March 6, 8pm. Program includes Martinů, Mozart, and Schumann. All performances in the Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall. Enjoy a PlayIN for Cello on Thursday, March 5, 6pm as more than 100 cellists join the cello section of the Orchestra for a free concert led by cellists Richard Harlow and Gloria dePasquale and music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Photo by Urs Flueeler/AP.

AVA’s Jubilate! A Concert of Sacred Music

The Academy of Vocal Arts annual Jubilate! A Concert of Sacred Music returns with a selection of sacred music from over three centuries, as resident artists sing pieces from Mozart, Mendelssohn, Wagner, Handel, Rossini and more. Music director David Antony Lofton leads the AVA Opera Orchestra along with the Choir of Bryn Mawr’s Church of the Redeemer for three performances, Friday, March 6, 7:30pm, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 22, Chestnut Hill, Saturday, March 7, 7:30pm, Church of the Redeemer, Bryn Mawr, PA, and Sunday, March 8, 7pm, The Church of the Holy Trinity, Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia. AVA is celebrating its 80th anniversary season as one of the premier opera training schools. Photo courtesy of AVA.

Tempesta di Mare’s Purcell, Charpentier & ¡Zarzuela!

Philadelphia Baroque Orchestra Tempesta di Mare continues its exploration of rarely performed grand-scale orchestral music for the theater with musical suites written for some of the most famous spoken-word plays from the 17th and 18th centuries, Saturday, March 7, 8pm, Kimmel Center’s Perelman Theater. Program includes Henry Purcell’s Suite from Congreve’s The Double Dealer, Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s music for Moliere’s The Hypochondriac, and the first new-world performance – last performed in 1699 – of Juan Francisco de Narvas’ songs for Llamosas’ zarzuela, Destinos vencen finezas (Fate trumps Your Vows), sung by mezzo-soprano Maren Montalbano. Led by artistic directors Gwyn Roberts & Richard Stone. Photo courtesy of Tempesta di Mare.

Bach@7 Cantata

Choral Arts Philadelphia with Bach Festival of Philadelphia announce Bach@7 Cantata Series, engaging performances taking place on the second Wednesdays through May, highlighting J.S. Bach Cantatas along with orchestral and choral works by Johannes Brahms, Heinrich Biber, and Eric Whitacre, led by Artistic Director Matthew Glandorf. The series kicks off on Wednesday, March 11, 7pm, with Alan Morrison on organ. On April 8, Mezzo-Soprano Jacqueline Horner-Kwiatek (Anonymous 4) will be appearing along with Geoffrey Burgess, Oboe and Rebecca Harris, Violin. The final performance will be held on May 13. The concerts are designed to last no longer than one hour, on a pay-what-you-wish basis, and with a post-concert reception with the artists, St. Clement’s Episcopal Church, 20th and Cherry Streets, Philadelphia. Photo by Inna Heasley.

First Friday

“Collections” at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens

Celebrate the work of local mosaic artist Carol Stirton-Broad at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens with a Pay-What-You-Wish opening reception Friday, March 6, 6pm-9pm, 1020 South Street, Philadelphia. Her new exhibit, Collections (on view through April 26), features pieces crafted with a variety of unconventional materials such as toys, handmade tiles, animal teeth, and fabric, spotlighting the artist’s most intimate themes and innovative techniques. Stirton-Broad, mosaic art teacher at many local art institutions and founding member of the Mosaic Society of Philadelphia, will serve as PMG’s centerpiece for the 2015 American Mosaic Summit, hosted by the Society of American Mosaic Artists March 10-15. Create your own mixed media mosaic with Stirton-Broad on April 18 and 19 from 9:30am-12:30pm. Photo courtesy of Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens.

“Luminous Liaisons” at Rodger LaPelle Galleries

Rodger LaPelle Galleries presents Luminous Liaisons, recent work by Brian Keeler, featuring paintings and plein air and studio works from Italy, along with landscapes of several U.S. states. Opening reception is Friday, March 6, 5pm-9pm. Keeler will sign copies of his book Dramatic Color in the Landscape on Sunday, March 8, 1pm-4pm. The exhibit is on display through March at 122 North Third Street, Philadelphia. Photo courtesy of Rodger LaPelle Galleries.

“Traveling into View” at Bridgette Mayer Gallery

On display at Bridgette Mayer Gallery is the second solo exhibition by Philadelphia artist Eileen Neff, Traveling into View, new photographic and mixed media works drawn from a recent artist residency in the tropical rainforest of Costa Rica, through April 18 with an opening reception Friday, March 6, 6pm-8pm, 709 Walnut Street, 1st Floor, Philadelphia.

“Faience & Firenze” at Locks Gallery

Jane Irish’s Faience & Firenze opens at Locks Gallery, March 6 through April 11. The solo exhibition of new ceramics and recent gouache paintings combines imagery from the Vietnamese landscape, architecture, the war, and American politics with sites the artist explored in Florence. Irish has exhibited locally as well as nationally and will hold an artist’s reception on Friday, March 6, 5:30pm-7:30pm, 600 Washington Square South, Philadelphia. Also on view, Edge Lands, new and recent paintings by British artist Kate Bright, through March 31. Bright will also hold an artist’s reception on Friday, March 6. Pictured: Via di Santo Spirito Salon Firenze, 2013 by Jane Irish (photo courtesy of Locks Gallery).

 

 

 

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