Weekly Entertainment Guide — Memorial Day weekend edition
wc 1974, Study for My Studio
From Long Beach Island all the way “down the shore” to Cape May, there is lots to do for the whole family this holiday weekend. 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 and listings for Memorial Day and the weekend.
Summer Garden Railway opens at Morris Arboretum
The grand opening of Morris Arboretum’s popular summer Garden Railway Display is this weekend with the theme “Storytime Rail,” houses, palaces, and castles from beloved tales and classic storybooks all made of natural materials, through Labor Day at 100 Northwestern Avenue, Chestnut Hill, Pa. Grand opening celebration, Saturday, May 26, 1-3pm, children are invited to wear their favorite character’s costume. Included with regular admission: $7-$16, members and children 3 and under free.
Brandywine River Museum’s annual Antiques Show
The Brandywine River Museum’s 41st annual Antiques Show returns this Memorial Day Weekend, May 26-28, with over thirty prominent antiques dealers showcasing a variety of American and English furniture, glass, folk art, quilts, and other fine collectibles. $15 admission fee includes 30 minute dealer talks and the opportunity to explore the museum’s new exhibit “Pierced, Punched, Painted: Decorated Tinware from Winterthur,” opening this weekend through July 15 and “A Painter’s View: The Andrew Wyeth Studio,” featuring private collections that depict the interior and exterior of Andrew Wyeth’s studio as well as many of the artist’s major works, on view through October 28, U.S. Route 1, Chadds Ford, Pa.
Rittenhouse Square Fine Arts Show
The Rittenhouse Square Fine Arts Show once again “Circles the Square” June 1-3, featuring a diverse range of art for purchase. Originating as a “Clothesline Show” in 1932, it is now regarded as one of the most respected and active outdoor art shows in the country, 18th & Walnut Streets, Philadelphia. Hours: Friday and Saturday, June 1-2, 11am-7pm, Sunday, June 3, 11am-5pm.
Camden Children’s Garden Festival
Camden Children’s Garden hosts a Fit and Fun Family Festival this Saturday & Sunday, May 26 & 27, rain or shine, with crafts and children’s activities that support healthy living, 1-4pm, 3 Riverside Drive, Camden, NJ. Admission $6 per person, free for children two and under.
Fireworks & Fountains at Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens’ Fireworks and Fountains kicks off this weekend with illuminated fountain shows, fireworks and concerts scheduled throughout the summer on Route 1, Kennett Square, PA: Swan Lake, May 26, July 21, September 1, Stars and Stripes, July 3, The Amazing ‘80s!, August 11, September 29. Ages 16 and over $38 (members $31), Ages 15 and under $22 (members $18), 0-12 months free.
Wheaton Arts Paperweight Festival
WheatonArts, a non-profit organization focusing on the craft of glass, presents Paperweight Fest 2012, kicking off on Thursday, May 31, including one-on-one workshops in the Glass Studio, artists and dealers fair, demonstrations, “Lunch and Learn” sessions, and more through Sunday, June 3, in Millville, Cumberland County, NJ. Pre-registration is required for the majority of the program. Prices: WheatonArts Member $220, Non-Member $245, Thursday Evening $75, Friday or Saturday $125. The Island at Lantern Theater Company
In South Africa’s Robben Island, young prisoner Nelson Mandela performed the role of Creon in Sophocles’ “Antigone,” a play reinforcing the injustice of law. Inspired by this event, playwrights’ Athol Fugard, John Kani, and Winston Ntshona created “The Island,” onstage now at Lantern Theater Company. The production opens with a startling alarm, as cellmates Winston and John, portrayed by U.R. and Frank X, immediately grab and maintain the attention of the audience as the performers of Sophocles’s play. Just before the climax, John tells Winston that the audience should “laugh at the beginning, but listen at the end,” a feat the Lantern Theater Company accomplished, proving theater can suspend suffering and simultaneously inform, whether in a South African prison or a small theater in Philadelphia. “The Island” runs until June 10 at the St. Stephen’s Theater, 10th & Ludlow Streets, Philadelphia. Tickets $28-$36.
Tori Lawrence + Co. introduces the site-specific dance installation, “Awakened Ruins,” Monday, May 28, 9am, inside the Light Court at the The Barnes Foundation as part of their opening weekend festivities. Experience the relationship between movement and place as Tori and her four dancers, caked in clay, embody the allure of forgotten, decaying buildings, accompanied by a live musical score, 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia. Free Admission; Reservations recommended.
The Philadelphia Art Alliance’s summer exhibits
“Shiny Monsters: An Installation by Adam Wallacavage,” primarily showcases Wallacavage’s chandeliers and sculptures, inspired by the gothic designs of closed Catholic churches throughout Philadelphia, utilizing ornamental plastering techniques. “Flat Out: Screen Print Installation by Eva Wylie,” highlights Wylie’s unique work of using a four-color separation silkscreen process to analyze photographic duplication, while implementing craft traditions of the early 19th century, preserving and expanding traditional printmaking and decoupage techniques. “Periphery: Multimedia Works by Michael Fujita,” sculptures that mirror actual architectural sites throughout Philadelphia, including floor and pedestal pieces completed with his “kiln casting” technique. Each on view now through July 15 at 251 S. 18th Street, Philadelphia. Admission: adults $5, students and seniors $3.
VoxAmaDeus presents “Vivaldissimo: The Best of Antonio Vivaldi’s Greatest Hits,” conducted by Valentin Radu and performed by Camerata Ama Deus, Baroque Instrument Chamber Orchestra, Friday, June 1 at 8pm, Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia and Sunday, June 3 at 6pm, Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA. Tickets: General $25, Seniors $20, Students $10.
Local music venue spotlight: TLA
Theatre of Living Arts (TLA) hosts concerts and events: Veteran Freshman Presents Hip Hop Session, Saturday, May 26, 7pm; Multiple Sclerosis Research Institute Charity Concert, Wednesday, May 30, 6:30pm; StarKid Presents Apolcalyptour, Tuesday, June 5, 6:30pm; Queen Extravaganza, Thursday, June 7, 7pm; The PLUTO TOUR featuring FUTURE with special guest PUSHA-T, Friday, June 8, 8pm; 334 South Street, Philadelphia. Tickets $13-35
Events “Down the Shore”
The Lighthouse International Film Festival (LIFF) returns to Long Beach Island, NJ for a fourth year, June 1-3, featuring 70 award-winning films from 16 countries, including For Ellen, Little Birds, Sleepwalk with Me, and The Ambassador. Locations vary. All Access Pass $99, Individual Tickets $10.
The 23rd annual Cape May Music Festival kicks off this Monday, May 28 through June 14 with the “All American Memorial Day Party, Monday, May 28, 4-6pm, performances by the Bay-Atlantic Symphony, the Atlantic Brass Band, The New York Chamber Ensemble, Eilen Jewell and more at various locations in Cape May, NJ. Events range from free to $25
New Jersey’s Wildwoods host special events: Wildwoods International Kite Festival, Friday, May 25 through Monday, May 28 on the Beach at Rio Grande Avenue and inside the Wildwoods Convention Center, beginning with illuminated night kite fly, Friday, May 25, 9pm; Boardwalk Craft Shows, Saturday and Sunday, May 26-27, 9am-5pm; Celebration of Heroes Festival, Friday, May 25 through Sunday, May 27; Wildwood Crest Summer Kickoff Concert, Sunday, May 27, 7:30pm, outdoor concert with the Fabulous Greaseband, Centennial Park, Fern Road and Ocean Avenue, Wildwood Crest, NJ. Most events free, some ticketed.
Peter Nero and the Philly Pops celebrate the grand opening of the Cape May Convention Hall with a special concert on Saturday, May 26 at 8pm, 714 Beach Avenue, Cape May, NJ. Tickets $150.
Experience Broadway at the Beach with the Surflight Theatre’s next production, “All I Ask of You,” honoring composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and featuring classics from his musicals, including “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” and “Evita,” performed by a cast of four. The show opens May 26 through June 16 at 201 Engleside Avenue, Beach Haven, NJ. Tickets $36-$54.
Ocean Galleries begins the summer season with the Brian Davis exhibition, “Flowers of Light,” featuring his unique style known as “value painting,” the process of extracting layers of colors from a darkly shaded background, creating an intensity of color in his depictions of birds and flowers. Opening weekend cocktail receptions with the artist Friday, May 25 through Sunday, May 27, 7-10pm. On display through June 25 at 9618 Third Avenue, Stone Harbor, NJ.
Tuckerton Seaport hosts special events: Privateers and Pirates Festival, Saturday, June 9, 11am-5pm; Baymen’s Seafood and Music Festival, Saturday, June 23 and Sunday, June 24, 11am-5pm; 10th Annual Red Wine and Blues Festival, June 30, 3-8pm; Tuckerton Creek, 120 West Main Street, Tuckerton, NJ.Chicken Bone Beach Concerts continue on Thursdays in Atlantic City, NJ: Luke Carlos O’Reilly, Thursday, May 31; Budesa Brothers, Thursday, June 7; Dahi Divine, Thursday, June 14; Michael Pedicin, Thursday, June 21; Ella Gahnt, Thursday, June 28 at Brighton Avenue and the Boardwalk. All shows at 7pm. Tickets $10.
Rockin’ the Ocean City Music Pier hosts a tribute to Chicago, featuring a 9 piece SOS Show Band, Saturday, May 26, 8pm, at Moorlyn Terrace and Boardwalk, Ocean City, NJ. Tickets $20.
Other events and listings happening throughout the Delaware Valley.
Delaware River Waterfront hosts concerts and special events: Strong Roots: A Latin Arts Explosion, live musical performances, crafts, children’s activities and more, Saturday, May 26 and Sunday, May 27, 1-5pm, Race Street Pier; Dark Star Orchestra presented by Live Nation, Sunday, May 27, 3pm, Festival Pier, Great Plaza; Gavin DeGraw/Colbie Caillat presented by Live Nation, Friday, June 1, 6:20pm, Festival Pier, Great Plaza; Penn’s Landing, Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Live Arts announces “Jumpstart,” a new series showcasing six new and emerging artists performing original, completed works, May 31 through June 2, 7pm, at the Live Arts Studio, 919 North 5th Street, Philadelphia, as part of the organization’s expanding year-round programming. Admission $18 adults, $12 students and audience members 25 and under.
New Ark Chorale performs the annual American Tapestry Concert “Songs of Freedom and Hope,” Sunday, May 27, 7pm, with songs that capture the universal desire for freedom and hope, Newark United Methodist Church, 69 E. Main Street, Newark, DE. Tickets $15, $12 seniors, $5 students
Opening this weekend at Philadelphia Theatre Company is “Reasons to be Pretty,” the final installment in Neil LaBute’s critically acclaimed trilogy focusing on America’s modern day obsessions with physical appearance, directed by Maria Mileaf, through June 24 at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Broad and Lombard Streets, Philadelphia. Tickets start at $25.
The Savoy Company continues to honor the wit and work of Gilbert and Sullivan with this year’s production of “The Mikado,” directed by Ted Christopher. Performances take place June 1-2, 8pm at the DuPont Theatre on 1007 North Market Street, Wilmington, DE and June 29-30, 8:30pm in Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA. Tickets $17.50-$60.
InterAct Theatre Company’s drama “Etched in Skin on a Sunlit Night” explores the psyche of an African American painter in the age of Obama. Written by Kara Lee Corthron and directed by Whit MacLaughlin, the World Premiere commission opens Friday, June 1-24, on the Main Stage of the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom Street, Philadelphia. Tickets: Previews $18-20, Opening Night $40, Regular $28-$35.
The Barnes Foundation has officially moved to its new home on the Ben Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia with special events Memorial Day Weekend through May 28. Admission: Adults $18, Seniors $15, Students/Youth $10, Members and Children ages 0-5 Free. Advanced reservations recommended.
The Moore College of Art & Design presents “All Together Now,” an exhibit designed to coincide with the opening of the Barnes Foundation, featuring the work of 15 Philadelphia-based artists who reinterpreted Albert Barnes’ famous “wall ensembles,” on view May 18 through July 28 at 20th Street and the Parkway, Philadelphia. Admission is free.
The Center for Art in Wood, formerly The Wood Turning Center, presents two new exhibits on the theme of sea life: “Hooked on Wood: The Allure of the Fish Decoy,” showcases old and new fish decoys, some dating to the early 1900s. The history and craft of the decoys are analyzed with more than 100 pieces on display, including ice-spearing decoys—handmade tools often shaped in the form of fish used to lure in other fish through a hole in the ice—decorative piscatorial portraits, fishing lures and baits, many elaborately designed with different paints and materials to bring life to the pieces. “Life Aquatic” features the new work of six artists inspired by water, sea animals and plants to create sculptures, wall hangings and imaginative creatures, including three fish with “two-part eyes” turned on a lathe—a tool often used to produce objects with symmetry—made of mammoth tusk ivory, a horn and dark wood. Exhibits on display through July 21 at 141 N. 3rd Street, Philadelphia. Free admission.
The Wharton Esherick Museum presents “Poplar Culture: the Celebration of a Tree,” an exhibit featuring more than 40 pieces of woodwork honoring the late Philadelphia-born wood artist Wharton Esherick, on view through June 10. Each of the pieces in the exhibit, ranging from large pieces of furniture to small spoons, were made and crafted from a single tulip poplar tree that stood outside of Esherick’s studio and home in Chester County, now a part of the museum. Esherick built his home around the poplar tree and in 2009 the tree was taken down due to damage and its pieces distributed to contemporary artists to create their works. Admission free, just west of Valley Forge Park, Pa.
Wilma Theater concludes its season with the Tony Award winning epic “Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches,” by Tony Kushner, directed by Blanka Zizka, through July 1, 265 South Broad Street, Philadelphia. Tickets $39-$66
Johnny Brenda’s hosts concerts and events: JJL, Belgrade, The Peace Creeps, Friday, May 25, 9:15pm; Great Lake Swimmers, Cold Specks, Monday, May 28, 9:15pm; Joe Pug, Vandaveer, Wednesday, May 30, 9:15pm; Auctioneer, Purples, North Highlands, Friday, June 1, 9:15pm; 1201 N. Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia. Tickets $0-$13
The 28th annual Celebration of Black Writing Festival is underway through June 2, with regional and national talent in the literary, visual and performing arts, featuring literary discussions, workshops, music showcases, film screenings and more along with activities for the whole family at various locations around Philadelphia.
New City Stage Company closes its 6th season with the world premiere of “Asymmetric,” written by Mac Rogers, directed by Russ Widdall, through June 10, Second Stage at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom Street, Philadelphia. Tickets $10-$35
“Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story,” takes to the stage at Walnut Street Theatre, directed and choreographed by Casey Hushion, with the music and lyrics of Buddy Holly, through July 15, 825 Walnut Street, Philadelphia. Tickets $10-$95
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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