Weekly Entertainment Guide – Points of Light

Robin Bloom shares her recommendations from detecting forgeries to saving ancient artifacts and everything in between.

What’s Happening

Broadway Philadelphia’s “Cabaret”

The Kimmel Center transports you to the Kit Kat Klub for the national tour of the Roundabout Theatre Company’s Tony Award-winning production of Cabaret. With original Broadway direction by Sam Mendes and choreography by Rob Marshall, the acclaimed show makes its Philadelphia premiere at the Academy of Music with performances through April 9, as part of the Broadway Philadelphia season. Broadway veterans Jon Peterson stars as the Emcee and Leigh Ann Larkin is Sally Bowles, with Benjamin Eakeley, Alison Ewing, Scott Robertson, March Gordon Murray, and Patrick Vaill performing all of the memorable songs such as “Cabaret,” “Willkommen,” and “Maybe This Time,” Broad Street, Philadelphia. Photo by Joan Marcus.

“Hand to God” at Philadelphia Theatre Company

Philadelphia Theatre Company takes on Robert Askins’ Hand to God, the irreverent comedy hit that unravels the fragility of faith when a Christian ministry puppet announces he is the devil. The show first premiered Off-Broadway where it won the Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best New Play. In spring 2015, the production opened on Broadway, where it earned five Tony nominations including Best Play. Directed by Matt Pfeiffer with Robert Smythe as puppet designer and puppet movement director, the play features an all-Philadelphia cast including Grace Gonglewski, Alex Keiper, Aubie Merrylees, Matteo Scammell, and William Zielinski, through April 30 at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Broad and Lombard Streets, Philadelphia. Recommended for ages 16+ due to language and adult content. Related events include Meet the Artists Talk Backs, American Playwrights in Context, and Backstage Tour. Photo by Mark Garvin.

Pennsylvania Ballet’s “Romance”

Pennsylvania Ballet presents Romance, a mixed bill featuring Nicolo Fonte’s world premiere Ghost Stories, set to four movements by Ezio Bosso and Max Richter, exploring hope in building a community to diminish the sense of feeling along. Also on the program is Nacho Duato’s Remansos, set to a haunting score for solo piano by Enrique Granados and George Balanchine’s Western Symphony, set to Hershey Kay’s songs from the American West. Five performances take place at the Merriam Theater, April 6-9, 250 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia. Catch a 30 minute discussion an hour before all performances for ticket holders. Photo courtesy of the Pennsylvania Ballet.

Jessica Lang Dance at the Prince Theater

Jessica Lang Dance returns to Philadelphia with premieres and repertory favorites choreographed by the Doylestown native and former member of Twyla Tharp’s company THARP! The program includes Thousand Yard Stare (2015) (pictured), featuring the full-ensemble, reflecting on Lang’s work with veterans. The piece is set to Beethoven’s “String Quartet no. 15” with camouflage costumes designed by Project Runway finalist Bradon McDonald. Additional works include Her Road 2017, referencing the life and world of painter Georgie O’Keeffe’s “Road Series,” plus two works inspired by Shakespeare’s sonnets, and Lang’s masterwork, The Calling, performed by guest artist and Alvin Ailey dancer Kanji Segawa. Six performances take place April 5-9 at the Prince Theater, 1412 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, part of the NextMove Dance Series. Outreach activities include a Student Discovery program on Friday, April 7, 10:30 a.m., a master class with Jessica Lang on Friday, April 7, 1 p.m., and post-performance chats after select performances. Photo by Todd Rosenberg.

Pilobolus at Annenberg Center Live

The creative and physically daring dance troupe Pilobolus stops in Philadelphia on its U.S. tour at Annenberg Center Live. The full-length performance, Shadowland – the company’s first evening-length piece – is a fantastical journey through a dreamlike shadow world of a teenage girl. Created in collaboration with Steven Banks, head writer for the animated series SpongeBob SquarePants and musician, producer and film composer David Poe, the shows feature handmade multimedia to create illusions. Four performances take place April 6-8 at 3680 Walnut Street, Philadelphia. Photo by Ian Douglas.

Tangle Movement Arts’ “Points of Light”

Tangle Movement Arts, the all-female circus arts company, employs dance, theater, innovative storytelling and aerial acrobatics in their newest show, Points of Light. The all new collection of circus-theater stories features nine acrobats using trapeze and aerial skills to share tales of women traveling blindfolded and climbing to new heights, offering intimate portrayals of shared support and individual persistence, April 7-8, Old City’s Neighborhood House, 20 N. American Street, Philadelphia. Photo by Mike Ermilio.

“Art Unleashed” at UArts

University of the Arts’ 8th annual Art Unleashed is back April 7-10. The exhibit and sale of one-of-a-kind pieces of contemporary jewelry, ceramics, photography, crafts, painting, sculpture, furniture and more by students, faculty, alumni and staff is free and open to the public from noon – 5 p.m. each day in Hamilton Hall. Featured artist is Shelley Spector BFA ’94, whose work is part of many public and private collections including the Philadelphia Museum of Art. An opening night preview party is April 6, 320 South Broad Street, Philadelphia.

“Cultures in the Crossfire: Stories from Syria and Iraq” at Penn Museum

A new exhibit at Penn Museum considers what is at stake when cultural heritage is destroyed in a war-torn region. Cultures in the Crossfire: Stories from Syria and Iraq examines what is being done by institutions such as Penn Museum and the Smithsonian to prevent further loss of the material culture, vast human history, and diverse cultural identities in the region. Developed in conjunction with the Museum’s Penn Cultural Heritage Center, the exhibit opens April 8 with more than 50 objects from the Near East and Mediterranean collections, along with a range of Arabic manuscripts from the University of Pennsylvania Libraries, music and sounds, documentary film clips, and more, aimed to focus on combatting the loss of irreplaceable cultural heritage, through November 26, 3260 South Street, Philadelphia. Pictured: Palmyrene Relief Mortuary Portrait of Yedi’at Limestone 1st-2nd centuries CE (Roman) Palmyra, Syria (courtesy of Penn Museum).

“We the Detectives” at the Free Library of Philadelphia

Free Library of Philadelphia explores the history of the mystery with We the Detectives, two exhibitions and a theater production, opening April 8. “Clever Criminals and Daring Detectives” at the Rosenbach takes a look at the history of and fascination with crime in literary history from the 1600s to the 1900s. “Becoming the Detective” begins with Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” highlighting the metamorphosis of the genre, including Poe’s handwritten manuscript, movie posters of Sherlock Holmes films, and first editions of The Hardy Boys novels, through September 1. “Gumshoe” (pictured), an immersive theatrical “whodunit” experience produced in partnership with New Paradise Laboratories, raises questions about authenticity and what makes us all detectives in our own right, through May 7, Parkway Central Library, 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia. Photo by Jorge Cousineau.

“Howard Pyle, His Students and the Golden Age of American Illustration” at Drexel

Drexel University examines the world of the father of American illustration and the generation of celebrated illustrators he taught with Howard Pyle, His Students and the Golden Age of American Illustration. Pyle was an instructor at the Drexel Institute of Art, Science and Industry (now Drexel University) from 1894 to 1900 and taught many notable illustrators including Maxfield Parrish, Frank E. Schoonover, Harvey Dunn, and N.C. Wyeth. He was also known as a pioneer in educating female illustrators including “the Red Rose Girls:” Jessie Wilcox Smith, Elizabeth Shippen Green, and Violet Oakley (pictured). The exhibit features oil paintings, works on paper, and accompanying artifacts through June 18 at the Paul Peck Alumni Center, 3142 Market Street, Philadelphia. Free and open to the public. A guided tour of the exhibit will take place Saturday, April 8, 1:30 p.m. Photo courtesy American Illustrators Gallery, New York, New York. © 2017 National Museum of American Illustration, Newport, Rhode Island.

Philly Farm and Food Fest

Learn about how food travels from farm to the market or table at the 7th annual Philadelphia Farm and Food Fest (PF3), Saturday, April 8, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. One of the country’s biggest single-day food festivals promises even more this year as the city’s best chefs and butchers share tips, tricks, and recipes, an all-day cheese festival, Local Libations Lounge, CSA Pop-Up Shop, and lots of exhibitors at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch Street, Philadelphia. Photo courtesy of the Philly Farm and Food Fest.

Manayunk StrEAT Food Festival

The Manayunk StrEAT Food Festival is Sunday, April 9, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m, as Main Street is lined with over 50 of Philadelphia’s best food trucks, gourmet food vendors and local farmers’ markets, food-centric arts and crafts, live music by Ben Arnold (pictured) and more, to kick off the Manayunk Restaurant Week beginning Monday, April 10. Photo courtesy of Ben Arnold.

“Treasures on Trial: The Art and Science of Detecting Fakes” at Winterthur

Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library puts its renowned knowledge and scientific analysis of fine art and antiques on display with Treasures on Trial: The Art and Science of Detecting Fakes. The major exhibition offers visitors a Sherlock Holmes-style investigation of some of the most notorious fakes and forgeries of our time, revealing new insights from conservation science. Forty examples demonstrate the scope and sophistication of the counterfeiting market, from fine arts to sports memorabilia, couture clothing, wine, antique furniture and more, drawn from the Museum’s collection and public and private sources, through January 7, 2018, Winterthur, Delaware. Pictured: Louisville Slugger wooden baseball bat; purportedly signed by Joe DiMaggio; early 20th century; Courtesy of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Office. Image courtesy of Winterthur Museum.

“Monty Python’s Spamalot” at Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center

Monty Python’s Spamalot is onstage at the brand new Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center. Presented by the Resident Theatre Company (RTC), the production is the theater’s first fully produced musical, based on the 1975 film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” Directed by Kristin McLaughlin Mitchell, with choreography by Derek Roland, the show stars Mark Woodard and Hanna Gafney, through April 16, 226 N. High Street, West Chester, Pennsylvania. Photo by Morgan Cottle.

 

 

Each week, the Entertainment Guide spotlights interesting local arts offerings happening now, including music, dance, theater, museums, special exhibitions and other arts events from across the region.

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