Weekly Entertainment Guide – ‘Phantom of the Opera,’ ‘Skin & Bone,’ and St. Patty’s Day festivities
“The Phantom of the Opera” stops in Philadelphia on its national tour, March 19 through April 13. Photo by Matthew Murphy.
Looking for something to do this week? WHYY’s Robin Bloom has some recommendations on what’s happening around the Philadelphia region. Here are her picks:
Onstage
Azuka Theatre presents the world premiere of “Skin & Bone” by award-winning Playwright-in-Residence Jacqueline Goldfinger, the second installment in the playwright’s southern gothic trilogy set in Transfer, Florida. The play was written especially for Azuka, which produced the first play in the series, “the terrible girls,” in 2011. Two aging sisters, awaiting the demolition of their dilapidated bed and breakfast, are forced to unearth old memories when a young woman arrives at their doorstep looking for information about a previous guest. Directed by Allison Heishman, set design by Dirk Durossett, and featuring Philadelphia actors Drucie McDaniel, Maureen Torsney-Weir, Amanda Schoonover and Nathan Holt through March 23 at The Off-Broad Street Theater, 1636 Sansom Street, Philadelphia. Azuka “In-Depth Events” include a conversation with Goldfinger and Heishman on March 16 at 3:30pm and a post-show Q&A with the cast and creative team on March 19.
“The Phantom of the Opera” stops in Philadelphia on its national tour, March 19. The fresh production offers a new design – costumes, staging and choreography – all supervised by producer extraordinaire Cameron Mackintosh. Expect many exciting special effects (including, of course, the show’s legendary chandelier), all the favorite songs like “All I Ask of You” and “Music of the Night.” The highly acclaimed, celebrated show and its cast of over 50 is onstage through April 13 at the Academy of Music, Broad Street, Philadelphia.
“The Calamari Sisters’ Big Fat Italian Wedding”
Delphine and Carmela are back! Join “The Calamari Sisters’ Big Fat Italian Wedding,” as Delphine gets married. Expect the usual singing, dancing and cooking through favorites like “Chapel of Love,” “Love and Marriage,” “Daddy’s Little Girl,” “Get Me to the Church on Time,” “River Deep, Mountain High,” and much more now extended through May 4 at Penn’s Landing Playhouse (inside the Independence Seaport Museum), 211 South Columbus Boulevard and Walnut Street, Penn’s Landing.
“Pride and Prejudice” at People’s Light
People’s Light & Theatre Company’s “Pride and Prejudice” brings the famous love story of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy to life. Taking cues from Jane Austen’s beloved novel (celebrating its 200th anniversary), director Samantha Bellomo’s unique staging of Joseph Hanreddy and J.R. Sullivan’s dramatic adaptation uses the elegant patterns of Regency dance to explore the social dynamics of courtship. The dance-infused production features company members Tom Teti, Marcia Saunders, Julianna Zinkel, Susan McKey, Mary Elizabeth Scallen, and Pete Pryor through March 30 at 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, PA. Related programs and events include “Scoop on Sundays: History, Context, and Gossip,” before the 7pm performance on March 23 and 30. Also, “Sunday Teas at the Farmhouse: Entering Austen’s World,” March 16, 12pm.
Pop Up Music
Really Good Elevator Music Pop Up
Yowei Shaw is transforming the soundscape of Philadelphia’s North Chinatown with “Really Good Elevator Music,” a pop-up audio installation produced in collaboration with community members, artists, and musicians, including Steven Dufala, Alex Lewis, Aleks Martray, Steve Parker, Kyle Pulley, and Jeff Zeigler. Shaw is one of the Asian Arts Initiative’s Social Practice Lab artists-in-residence and a Philadelphia based audio producer and public radio reporter. When she investigated the long history of playing soothing music in public places, she saw potential for a better kind of “elevator music” that might forge new bonds in a community. “Really Good Elevator Music” is playing on loop during business hours in the Wolf Building Elevators, 340 N. 12th Street, Philadelphia through March 31. You can also hear “Really Good Elevator Music” between sets at Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden Street and at other neighborhood locations. A free listening party this Friday, March 14, 6pm-8pm will feature an artist’s talk and the screening of a film documenting reactions to the installation, at Asian Arts Initiative, 1219 Vine Street, Philadelphia.
Mystery Theater
It’s the annual Sherlock Holmes Weekend in Cape May, New Jersey, March 14-16. Visitors can try and solve this year’s mystery, “Sherlock Holmes: The Unforgiven” and win a variety of prizes. The weekend includes a “Search for Clues Tour” on Saturday that traverses the inns of Victorian Cape May in a hunt for clues. Also, on Friday and Saturday at 8pm, East Lynne Theater Company performs “Holmes and Carter Mysteries,” as a vintage-style radio show complete with sound effects and commercials, the First Presbyterian Church, Cape May, NJ.
Art Appreciation
“Out of Context” at Grounds for Sculpture
Grounds for Sculpture, the 42 acre sculpture park and arboretum, presents the exhibit “Out of Context” by painter turned sculptor William Knight. Fascinated by the shapes and positions of exploded tire fragments on the side of the road, Knight gathers those remnants from New Jersey’s interstate highways and repurposes them along with other discarded industrial and natural materials into a variety of pieces, on display through April 13 in the Museum Building. This weekend, the annual independent film competition, Black Maria Film & Video Festival, visits on Saturday, March 15, 7pm, with selections curated into a 90-110 minute screening, 18 Fairgrounds Road, Hamilton Township, NJ.
Last chance to see “Demetrius Oliver: Canicular” at the Print Center, the playful exhibition that contemplates Sirius, the “dog star” and the brightest star in the sky. Through installations as diverse as a photograph of dog fur replacing the gallery sign and a live-feed video of Sirius streamed from a high-power telescope at the Franklin Institute, the exhibit, curated by John Caperton, is designed to push the boundaries of printed work by reorienting gallery spaces. A special lecture by the Franklin Institute’s Chief Astronomer Derrick Pitts on the lore surrounding Sirius is, Friday, March 21, 6pm. The Print Center’s gallery spaces are open from 7:30-8:30pm Tuesdays through Saturdays through March 22, weather permitting, since clear skies are required for viewing, 1614 Latimer Street, Philadelphia.
With the kids
International Ballet Classique performs at PAFA
International Ballet Classique performs selections from the French comedic ballet “Coppelia” in period costume at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Sunday, March 16, 2pm. Following the performance, decorate pointe shoes at a Family Arts Academy Program at 3pm. Admission to the museum and performance is free and open to the public. Museum hours are 11am-5pm, Historic Landmark Building, 118 North Broad Street, Philadelphia.
Cheltenham Center for the Arts’ Family Fun Day
Cheltenham Center for the Arts’ annual Family Fun Day is Sunday, March 16, noon-4pm. Dress accordingly for activities involving pottery, painting, printmaking, theater, and more, along with art demonstrations and performances by Sharon Katz & the Peace Train. Take in the works of elementary and middle school children from the surrounding areas with the 6th Annual Regional Children’s Art Show on display through April 6. Admission is free and open to the public with some paid events, 439 Ashbourne Road, Cheltenham, PA.
Young Voices Monologue Festival
InterAct Theatre Company teams up with Philadelphia Young Playwrights to present the “Young Voices Monologue Festival,” March 19-29. 18 winning monologues – selected from a competitive program that invites high school students from all over the Philadelphia area to write and submit pieces that address issues important to young people today – have been developed by professional directors, dramaturgs, and actors, and will be presented on stage at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom Street, Philadelphia. Student matinees are free for school groups.
St. Patrick’s Day
Regional parades & parties
Wilmington’s 39th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade is Saturday, March 15 at noon at 4th and King Streets, then heading north on King Street, turning left on 15th Street, to 14th and Market Streets, Wilmington, DE.
In New Jersey, Trenton’s 29th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade kicks off on Saturday, March 15 at St. Anthony’s Church at 12:30pm and marches down Hamilton Avenue. In Atlantic City, the parade begins north of Revel and the Boardwalk ending at Albany Avenue and the Boardwalk, Saturday March 15, 1pm.
Philadelphia’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, a tradition since 1771, will take place this Sunday, March 16 beginning at noon, 16th & JFK Blvd in Philadelphia.
South Street Headhouse District celebrates after the Parade on Sunday, March 16, 11am-7pm, with live Irish music and dance performances, Irish food, and entertainment under the Shambles, 2nd Street between Pine and Lombard, Philadelphia.
Wilmington Winter Bluegrass Festival
The Wilmington Winter Bluegrass Festival kicks off this weekend, Friday, March 14 through Sunday, March 16, with over 20 bands on two stages, including Bill Emerson & Sweet Dixie, Blue Mafia, Will Mullins & the Virginian Playboys, Sons of Bluegrass (pictured), Mark Templeton & Pocket Change, instrument workshops, kids’ academy, jamming, and more, Crowne Plaza Hotel, 630 Naamans Road, Claymont, DE.
Celtic Nights at Annenberg Center
Go on a musical journey from Ireland to America with “Celtic Nights: A Night of Music, Song and Dance,” Saturday, March 15, 8pm, Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. The group of 6 men and 6 women stops in Philly on its U.S. Tour to tell the vibrant story of Irish emigration to America, weaving together step dance with many old favorites like “Danny Boy,” “Isle of Hope,” Whiskey in the Jar,” and “My Love is in America,” 3680 Walnut Street.
The Grand presents Solas: Shamrock City, Saturday, March 15, 8pm. The Irish-American band’s latest project, a musical multimedia story of Irish immigrant miners out West, was inspired by mandolin and banjo player Seamus Egan’s family history with original compositions plus traditional Irish music, 818 N. Market Street, Wilmington, DE.
Mick Moloney at the Commodore Barry Club
Renowned performer, teacher and folklorist Mick Moloney delights audiences with traditional music on banjo, guitar, mandolin and more, Saturday, March 15, 8pm, at the Commodore Barry Club Irish Center of Philadelphia. Joining him for the one night only performance is Billy McComiskey on accordion, Athena Tergis on fiddle, and Michelle Mulcahy on harp, accordion, and concertina, 6815 Emlen Street, Northwest Philadelphia. Presented by the Philadelphia Ceili Group.
Tin Angel’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Extravaganza
Don McCloskey returns to the Tin Angel for his annual St. Patrick’s Day Extravaganza, Saturday, March 15, 8pm. The independent artist fuses folk music with elements of rock, hip-hop, electronica, country, pop and world music, upstairs, 20 S. 2nd Street, Philadelphia.
St. Patrick’s Day Party at Sellersville Theater
Join the St. Patrick’s Day Party at Sellersville Theater with the Glengarry Bhoys and their blend of traditional Scottish and Irish music with modern Celtic and contemporary sounds, Saturday, March 15, 8pm, 24 W. Temple Avenue, Sellersville, PA.
Marissa Nicosia 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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