Weekly Entertainment Guide – ‘Fever,’ Philadelphia Science Festival, and ‘Rome’s Birthday’
Looking for something to do this week? WHYY’s Robin Bloom has some recommendations on what’s happening in the Philadelphia region. Here are her picks:
Common Destinations: Maps in the American Experience at Winterthur
Opening this weekend at Winterthur is “Common Destinations: Maps in the American Experience,” an exhibit that takes you on a journey through the centuries as maps evolved to become part of everyday life and culture, changing from collectibles to ubiquitous objects. On display are selections from Winterthur’s collection of traditional maps on paper as well as map-related objects such as ceramics, geographic playing cards, and printed handkerchiefs divided into six themes – Sociable Maps: Parlors and Pubs, Indoors/Outdoors: Men and Their Maps, Maps in a Woman’s World, Before the Revolution: Science, Pictures and Baroque Maps, The National Map: 1784-1815, and Maps and Masses: Cartography in the Industrial Age, through January 5, 2014, Winterthur, DE.
“North of the Boulevard” at Theatre Exile
Theatre Exile presents the world premiere of Bruce Graham’s “North of the Boulevard,” a blue collar comedy about a decaying garage in a declining neighborhood, onstage through May 19. A few days before Christmas, three childhood friends and a cantankerous old man struggle to make sense of their dead-end lives. Living on pipe dreams, they envision the limitless opportunities lying dormant just across the boulevard. When a chance event gives the friends the opportunity to get out of their crumbling neighborhood, morality may have to take a backseat to prosperity. Directed by Exile’s Associate Artistic Director Matt Pfeiffer, the production features Philadelphia actors Scott Greer, Brian McCann, Bill Rahill and Lindsay Smiling, Studio X, 1340 South 13th Street, Philadelphia.
Arden Children’s Theatre’s 15th year concludes with Greg Banks’ “Pinocchio,” based on the story by Carlo Collodi. Five storytellers bring to life Pinocchio, a wicked wooden boy who trades his schoolbooks for candy and plays hooky at the amusement park. When his father Geppetto is swallowed by a giant whale, Pinocchio has the chance to be brave for the first time. For families with children age 5 and older, the production challenges the creativity of young audiences while sharing lessons of listening to parents, valuing the truth and making sacrifices. Directed by Matthew Decker, starring David Raphaely, Maggie Lakis, Anthony Lawton and Brian Anthony Wilson, onstage through June 23, Arcadia Stage, 40 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia Science Festival is underway, a ten-day, community-wide celebration of science featuring lectures, debates, hands-on activities, special exhibitions and a variety of other informal science education experiences for all ages, through April 28. On Saturday, April 20, 11am-4pm, catch the Science Carnival on the Parkway, with more than 150 exhibitors offering non-stop, family-friendly experiments, interactive activities, games, and live entertainment, Ben Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia.
“That Time,” a collaboration between Tongue & Groove and the dance company RealLivePeople(in)Motion asks “If you could go back in time to any moment in your own life’s story, where would you go and why?” The answers inspire a one-of-a-kind, instantly-generated collage of dance, theater and music that capture the unique spirit of each audience, Saturday, April 20, 5pm and 8pm, and Sunday, April 21, 3pm and 7pm, Innovation Studio, Kimmel Center, Philadelphia. The performance is part of the 2013 Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts.
Theresa Rebeck’s “Fever” in Delaware
Theresa Rebeck’s “Fever,” takes to the stage at Thompson Theatre, a new comedy written especially for Delaware’s Resident Ensemble Players, April 20 through May 4, exploring “the values associated with men and women,” and directed by Artistic Director Sanford Robbins, Roselle Center for the Arts, 110 Orchard Road, Newark, DE. Enjoy a talkback with the cast following the evening performance on April 25 and a presentation about the production before the April 27 performance.
Sherlock Holmes: The Adventures of the Speckled Band at Ebenezer Maxwell
Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion hosts “Sherlock Holmes: The Adventures of the Speckled Band,” as master detective Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr. Watson solve the puzzling murder of Dr. Grimesby Roylott committed inside a locked bedroom at Stoke Moran, featuring items related to the mystery compliments of the Mütter Museum, Friday, April 19, 7pm and 9pm, Saturday, April 20, 7pm, and Sunday, April 21, 2pm and 4pm, 200 West Tulpehocken Street, Philadelphia.
“Radio Golf” at South Camden Theatre Company
South Camden Theatre Company concludes its eighth season with “Radio Golf,” by Pulitzer Prize and Tony winner August Wilson, and directed by Connie Norwood, Friday, April 19 through Sunday, May 5. Set in the late 1990’s, the play is Wilson’s closing reflection on a decade-by-decade historic depiction of the African-American experience. An entrepreneur aspires to become the city’s first African-American mayor, but when the past begins to catch up with him, secrets get revealed that could be his undoing, starring Kim E. Brown, Tiffany R. Barrett, Andre N. Jones, Damien J. Wallace and Roderick Slocum, 400 Jasper Street, Camden, NJ.
Opening this weekend at Eagle Theatre is “Hair,” accompanied by a live orchestra performing well-known songs like Let the Sun Shine In, Easy to Be Hard, and Aquarius, directed by Eagle’s co-artistic director Ted Wioncek III, through May 11, 208 Vine Street, Hammonton, NJ.
This American Life host Ira Glass collaborates with Monica Bill Barnes & Company for the Philadelphia premiere of “One Radio Host Two Dancers,” an evening merging stories and choreography with company dancer Anna Bass. Glass and Barnes realized their work shared a certain sensibility last year when collaborating on three short works as part of a This American Life variety show broadcasted into 600 movie theaters in the United States, Canada and Australia. As a contemporary American dance company, Monica Bill Barnes & Company celebrates individuality, humor, and the innate theatricality of everyday life. Performances run Saturday, April 20 at 8pm and Sunday, April 21 at 7pm, Zellerbach Theater, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut Street, Philadelphia.
People’s Light & Theatre presents the world premiere of Y York’s “Stargirl,” based on the novel by Newbery Award-winning author Jerry Spinelli. When an eccentric homeschooler, played by Saige Hassler, arrives at Mica Area High School, hallways buzz with texts, whispers fill the air, and 11th grader Leo Borlock’s life is changed forever. With her colorful costumes, ukulele, pet rat and unique view of the world, Stargirl lives every moment to the fullest and challenges those around her to do the same. Meet local author Jerry Spinelli for book signings before select performances, Saturday, April 20 through Sunday, May 12, Main Stage, 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, Pennsylvania.
The House of Bernarda Alba at Arcadia
Onstage at Arcadia University Theater is Federico Garcia Lorca’s “The House of Bernarda Alba,” a play that explores what happens when tensions take hold of the five daughters of Bernarda Alba, a twice-widowed, strict matriarch who has imposed an eight-year mourning period after the death of her second husband. The show addresses themes of sexual repression, tradition, honor, and a mutual yearning for freedom from confining ideals, directed by Kathryn Peterson, Assistant Professor of English and Theater at Arcadia, on the MainStage through April 28, Spruance Fine Arts Center, 450 S. Easton Road, Glenside, PA.
Broadway’s Andrea McArdle plays the title role in Media Theatre’s revival of “Mame,” about an eccentric socialite whose life changes completely when she learns she has been entrusted with the care of her young nephew. The play also starts Lea DeLaria as Vera, is directed by Jesse Cline, and is onstage through May 19, 104 East State Street, Media, PA.
“The Drowsy Chaperone” at Ritz Theatre Company
During the Ritz Theatre Company’s last stage production, audience members were given the opportunity to win a chance to join the cast onstage for an upcoming performance through a purchase of a raffle ticket. In the upcoming play “The Drowsy Chaperone,” those winners will take the stage as each night of the show, a different person will play the role of the Superintendent (with 13 lines), opening this weekend through May 15, 915 White Horse Pike, Haddon Township, NJ.
“Day at the Fair” at Grounds for Sculpture
Grounds for Sculpture hosts the annual “Day at the Fair,” Sunday, April 21, 11am-4pm, celebrating the roots of the site of the New Jersey State Fairgrounds as the park is turned into a fun-filled fantasy fair with children’s activities, music, workshops, food and more, rain or shine, 18 Fairgrounds Road, Hamilton, NJ.
“Rome’s Birthday” at Penn Museum
As part of the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts, Penn Museum celebrates “Rome’s Birthday,” complete with gladiatorial bouts, mosaic crafts and Roman hairstyling, Sunday, April 21, 1-4pm. Learn how to wrap a toga, make pasta from scratch or discover the myths and archaeological evidence surrounding the founding of Rome. The museum’s special exhibition, Unearthing a Masterpiece: A Roman Mosaic in Lod, Israel, features a 1,700-year-old well-preserved Roman mosaic with a panel discussion prior to the event, 10:30am-1pm. Receive half off admission if dressed in a toga or gladiator costume, 3260 South Street, Philadelphia.
Sacred Arts Festival at Glencairn
Glencairn Museum hosts a Sacred Arts Festival this Sunday, April 21, 1-5pm, with family friendly activities and demonstrations of religious art in the making, including icon writing, glass-blowing, stone carving, henna designs, stained glass painting workshop and completion and ritualistic dismantling of Tibetan Buddhist sand mandala with Losang Samten, 1001 Cathedral Road, Bryn Athyn, PA.
To commemorate Judy Garland’s Comeback & Debut at Carnegie Hall on April 23, 1961, catch selections from Rufus Wainwright’s opera Prima Donna with vocal soloists as Melody Moore and Kathryn Guthrie tell the story of an aging opera singer attempting to confront her past to regain her triumphant status as one of the world’s most celebrated sopranos. Then, Rufus Wainwright recreates excerpts from Judy Garland’s famous 1961 Carnegie Hall program, considered one of the greatest nights in showbiz history, conducted by Stephen Oremus along with The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Sunday, April 21, 8pm.
Onstage at Crossroads Theatre Company is “Unveiled,” a one-woman show written and performed by Rohina Malik, about five Muslim women in a post 9/11 world who uncover what “lies beneath the veil,” April 24-28, 7 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ.
World Café Live at the Queen concerts
World Café Live at the Queen presents concerts with Aimee Mann, Wednesday, April 24 and Janis Ian on Thursday, April 25, 500 N. Market Street, Wilmington, DE.
Olive Prince Dance joins Group Motion Multi Media Dance Theater for “Juncture: A Shared Evening of Dance Theater,” Thursday, April 25 through Saturday, April 27. In honor of Group Motion’s 45th anniversary, the performances revive two hallmark works from the 90s, “Visitors” and “Inroads,” in conjunction with an in-depth work by Olive Prince Dance, “twine,” that explores the female psyche and a new work, “I jumped into Some Animal’s Throat,” by Group Motion co-founder Brigitta Herrmann, Performance Garage, 1515 Brandywine Street, Philadelphia.
The Children’s March with Singing City
Singing City performs “The Children’s March,” a 65th Anniversary concert marking the 50th anniversary of the 1963 Children’s March in Birmingham, Alabama, a major catalyst for bringing about the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964. The show features a newly commissioned work by Philadelphia composer Andrew Bleckner and acclaimed Philadelphia storyteller and narrator Charlotte Blake Alston, with a conversation about the work following the concert, Friday, April 26, 8pm, The Church of the Holy Trinity, Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia. The performance is part of the 2013 Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts.
American Masters: Art of the 19th-21st Centuries
Somerville Manning Gallery opens “American Masters: Art of the 19th – 21st Centuries,” exhibiting the artwork of N.C., Andrew, and Jamie Wyeth and the artists of their eras, including American impressionists Maurice Prendergast and Mary Cassatt and American realist Robert Henri. Landscape paintings by Charles Burchfield and John Marin are included as well as pieces by Thomas Pollock Anshutz, a Philadelphia native, abstract expressionist Hans Hofmann, American modernists Milton Avery and Alfred Henry Maurer, and Wolf Kahn (pictured), on view through Saturday, June 8, Breck’s Mill, 101 Stone Block Row, Greenville, Delaware.
On display the American Swedish Historical Museum is “The Art by SIGELLE,” an exhibition of multimedia artwork by Stockholm born Sigrid Elisabeth Lindforss, opera singer, music teacher, and artist who regularly created vibrant works of color and collage (and is the mother of Claes and Richard Oldenburg), through August 25, in FDR Park, 1900 Pattison Avenue, South Philadelphia.
Other events and listings throughout the region:
Possum Point Players presents Kander and Ebb’s Broadway musical mystery “Curtains,” based on the book by Rupert Holmes, directed by Jim Hartzell, musical direction by Liz Messick, April 19-28, 441 Old Laurel Road, Georgetown, DE.
The Delaware Valley Arts and Crafts Expo is Saturday, April 20, 9am-3pm, Embassy Suites Hotel, Newark, DE, to benefit the Homeless Children Backpack Drive which provides free backpacks and school supplies for children living in shelters and at-risk communities.
Historic Doylestown Cemetery hosts walking tours featuring over 150 years of local history presented by local experts and costumed re-enactors blending stories from the past, nature lore and more, Saturday, April 20, 10am (Historic Doylestown Tour), Saturday, April 27, 10am (Civil War Tour), and Friday, May 3, 6pm (First Friday Evening Historic Doylestown Tour), 215 E. Court St., Doylestown, PA.
“Go West” Craft Fest is this Saturday, April 20, 11am-4pm, at The Woodlands with crafts, live music, circus performers, handmade gifts, children’s activities and more, along with the opportunity to wander the cemetery or take a walk through the Hamilton Mansion, 40th and Woodland, Philadelphia.
Boheme Opera NJ presents a new production of Charles Gounod’s “Faust,” Saturday, April 20 at 7pm and Sunday, April 21 at 4pm in Kendall Main Stage Theater. An aging scholar contemplating suicide inadvertently summons the devil and signs a contract to be transformed into a young man. Loosely based on the Goethe tragedy of the same name, Gounod’s “Faust” is a work of temptation, passion and revelation, presented with English super titles. Conducted and stage-directed by Artistic Director Joseph Pucciatti, the performance is the company’s first return to one of opera’s most popular French romantic classics since 1994. Starring international tenor Daniel Snyder, veteran bass-baritone Frank Basile, soprano Kristin K. Vogel, baritone Daniel Sutin and mezzo-soprano Jessica Renfro, The College of New Jersey, Center for the Arts, 2000 Pennington Road, Ewing, New Jersey.
Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Greater Philadelphia presents “ReelAbilities: Philadelphia Disabilities Film Festival,” Sunday, April 21 through Sunday, April 28. Through award winning films, the festival promotes awareness and appreciation of the lives, stories and artistic expressions of people with different disabilities. Opening night screens Ocean Heaven, a moving story of a father’s tireless love for his autistic son and his attempt to teach him necessary life skills, starring Jet Li, followed by a conversation with Rachel Simon, New York Times bestselling author. Panel discussions with guest filmmakers and educational programming celebrate the diversity of the shared human experience, various locations.
Philadelphia Black Gay Pride Inc. hosts the annual Black Pride celebration, April 21-28, during the Penn Relay Carnival, with a Poetry Slam, workshops, parties and more, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Philadelphia Center City, 237 South Broad Street, Philadelphia.
The National Constitution Center hosts an Earth Day Celebration, Monday, April 22, 9:30am-5pm, with environmentally friendly crafts and art projects, games, workshops, discussions and more, Independence Mall, Philadelphia.
During the closing week of PIFA, Philadelphia Young Playwrights presents a world premiere theater work created through multigenerational collaboration among high school and university students and professional theater artists with “Time Machine.” The show explores the idea that every year we lose an hour of our lives when our clocks spring forward and what you would do with it if you had a chance to look into that lost hour, April 24-26, Innovation Studio, Kimmel Center, Philadelphia.
Sarah Pike 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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