Weekly Entertainment Guide – ‘Marilyn,’ ‘Borneo Odyssey,’ & Reel East Film Festival

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

What’s Happening

The First Reel East Film Festival

The first annual Reel East Film Festival brings independent and upcoming feature films and shorts to South Jersey with screenings of new and classic films, discussions, workshops, and a gala, August 22-23 at the Ritz Theatre. Special events include filmmaker John Sayles presenting his latest film Go For Sisters, with a post-screening discussion. Also, a screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lodger (1927) with live musical accompaniment. And, movie memorabilia and books for purchase, 915 White Horse Pike, Haddon Township, NJ.

Grand Baile! Latin Dance Night

Enjoy Grand Baile! Latin Dance Night on Friday, August 22, 8pm at the Grand in Wilmington. Learn how to dance with instructor Joe Figueroa and dance the night away along with DJ Bis. No experience necessary, tickets are $5 at the door, Market Street between 8th and 9th, Wilmington, DE.

Borneo Odyssey at Penn Museum

Penn Museum draws upon the rich archival records of expeditions made to Borneo by William H. Furness, Alfred C. Harrison, and Hiram M. Hiller from 1896-1898 with an experimental performance piece, Borneo Odyssey, Saturday, August 23, 3pm. A talking orangutan recounts tales of discovery and adventure at a free, multimedia theatrical program including performance script, spoken words, live and recorded audio and visual experience, tropical footage, antique slide projections, performers, live and recorded music, and artist-made replicas, re-interpreting Hiller’s 1896 A Brief Report of a Journey up the Rejang River in Borneo, Harrison Auditorium, 3260 South Street, Philadelphia. See the program again on September 13, 3pm as part of the 2014 Fringe Festival. Pictured: Digital copy of an original lantern slide image, Orangutan, Borneo, 1895, Penn Museum. Not included with museum admission ($10 special general admission for August).

Cohansey Riverfest & Bridgeton Crabfest

The 5th Annual Cohansey Riverfest & Bridgeton Crabfest, featuring kayaking, artist competitions, food and craft vendors, live music and more, returns on Saturday, August 23, beginning at 10am, at the East Commerce Street riverfront, Bridgeton, NJ. Free admission. Cost of activities vary. New this year is the Bridgeton SportsFest, Friday through Sunday, August 22-24 at the Bridgeton City Park and Zoo.

Ukrainian Folk Festival

The 23rd Annual Ukrainian Folk Festival celebrates Ukraine’s independence with ethnic dance, polka music, traditional food, crafts, children’s activities and more, including performances by the Voloshky Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, Iskra Ukrainian Dance Company, violinist Innesa Tymochko Dekajlo, the Vox Ethnica Band, and more, Sunday, August 24, 12pm-8pm, at Tryzub, the Ukrainian American Sport Center, County Line & Lower State Roads, Horsham, PA.

Five Dollar Comedy Week

Don’t miss Five Dollar Comedy Week, August 25-31, seven days of 30 original comedy shows with 150 Philly comics. Kicking off on Monday, August 25, 6pm in Rittenhouse Park with an Olympic-style run to a torch lighting ceremony at the Shubin Theatre, where the shows will all take place. The week features brand new shows including comedians reading their personal diary entries, performance art, a block of 15 mini-shows crammed in to 90 minutes, comedians teaming up with real fashion experts, secret shows and workshops. Each show only $5, 407 Bainbridge Street, Philadelphia.

With the Kids

Morris Arboretum’s Concerts for Kids

Morris Arboretum’s final XPN Kids Corner concert is Thursday, August 21, 6:30pm-7:30pm, with Indie rocker Joanie Leeds & the Nightlights featuring original and traditional songs and the student band from Rock to the Future opening at 5:45pm, 100 East Northwestern Avenue, Chestnut Hill.

Tyler Arboretum’s Butterfly Festival

Learn how to create a butterfly friendly habitat in your home garden at Tyler Arboretum’s Butterfly Festival, Saturday, August 23, 10am-2pm, as the monarch butterflies are tagged and released for their southern migration. Live and mounted specimens, games, crafts, and more, with regular admission, rain or shine, 515 Painter Road, Media, PA.

Seafarer’s Weekend in Cape May

The Historic Cold Spring Village hosts a Seafarers Weekend, celebrating maritime culture and the history of the Jersey Cape, Saturday, August 23 and Sunday, August 24, as pirates invade with performances, exhibits and activities, along with antique boats, duck decoy carving and more, 10am-4:30pm, 720 Route 9 South, Cape May, NJ.

Chocolate and Vanilla Festival at Camden Children’s Garden

Camden Children’s Garden hosts the Chocolate and Vanilla Festival, Saturday and Sunday, August 23 & 24, 1pm-4pm, celebrating two of nature’s most flavorful plants. Vote for your favorite ice cream flavor, take a tropical smell test, enjoy crafts, educational activities, chocolate and vanilla treats, and be a scientist for a day, 3 Riverside Drive, Camden, NJ.

May the Force Be With You at Please Touch Museum

Please Touch Museum hosts Star Wars Day, Sunday, August 24, 12pm-3pm, with iconic toys from the 1970s to today from the museum’s collection, Star Wars-themed story times with favorite characters, galactic art activities, dancing and more, Memorial Hall, 4231 Avenue of the Republic, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia.

Art Appreciation

Marilyn: Celebrating an American Icon

Get a glimpse into the character of one of America’s favorite sex symbols with Reading Public Museum’s, Marilyn: Celebrating an American Icon. During her brief career from 1947 to 1962, Marilyn Monroe appeared in 30 films, made a lasting impression on Hollywood, and the fascination with the legendary starlet still lives on today. The new exhibit captures her spark, sex appeal and the sensation with 115 works by more than 50 artists including Andy Warhol, Milton H. Greene, Cecil Beaton, Eve Arnold, Antonio de Felipe, and Henri Cartier-Bresson, immortalized in shots of well-loved movie scenes, familiar publicity photos, silver gelatin prints and more. On display August 23 through October 5. Opening reception Friday, August 22, 5:30pm-7pm, with refreshments and first look at exhibition, 500 Museum Road, Reading, PA. Pictured: Marilyn Monroe on the set of “The Misfits,” 1960, Henri Cartier-Bresson.

The Diligent Needle: Instrument of Profit, Pleasure, and Ornament

Winterthur, known for its preeminent collection of American decorative arts, presents The Diligent Needle: Instrument of Profit, Pleasure, and Ornament, showcasing the evolution of needlework and its role in women’s lives during the 17th through 19th centuries. Opening Saturday, August 23 and on display through July 5, 2015, focusing on the diligence and skill required to learn and excel at needlework and the various applications of the skill, with striking visual examples, 5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur, DE. Upcoming events include the September 23 book release of Printed Textiles: British and American Cottons and Linens, 1700-1850, updated by Linda Eaton and based on the collection of historic furnishing textiles in Winterthur Museum, collected for more than 25 years by founder Henry Francis du Pont and added to since his death. October 24-25 is the Winterthur Needlework Conference. Pictured: Work bag, Wool, Linen, Silk, Cotton, 1753, possible origin England or America, Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont, 1960.

Exalted Nature: The Real and Fantastic World of Charles Burchfield

Opening August 23 at Brandywine River Museum of Art is Exalted Nature: The Real and Fantastic World of Charles Burchfield. The retrospective features more than 50 vibrant, visionary landscape paintings from one of the country’s leading artists of the 20th century (1893-1967). Co-organized with the Burchfield Penney Art Center, Buffalo – the largest repository of the artist’s work – and including works borrowed from museums and private collections across the U.S. Burchfield’s work has been displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art and this is the first time the American artist’s work has been shown at the Brandywine River Museum of Art, through November 16, U.S. Route 1, Chadds Ford, PA. A fully illustrated catalogue accompanies the exhibition along with multi-disciplinary events, lectures and other programs.

 

 

To submit an event to be considered for the Weekly Entertainment Guide email Robin Bloom at artscalendar@whyy.org.