Arts and Culture Philadelphia Weekly

I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:31:58 PST

Male-female relationships are the focus of the popular musical revue I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, which is currently on stage in a diverting production at Bristol Riverside Theatre.

Featuring a book and lyrics by Joe Di Pietro and music by Jimmy Roberts, the show is constructed as a series of musical vignettes exploring the joys and pitfalls of dating, marriage and parenthood.

Director Susan D. Atkinson’s production begins strongly with Christine Toy Johnson and Greg Mills delivering winning performances on the yuppie dating number “We Had it All” and Kevin Duda and Renee Rakelle proving equally likable as two nerds in search of love on the amusing “A Stud and a Babe.”

The show’s premise soon grows tiresome, though, and the first act sputters to a close. Act II is only a slight improvement. Di Pietro’s book is sporadically funny in its depiction of gender stereotypes, but his lyrics are juvenile and Roberts’ pedestrian pop score lacks variety. The cast is strong, especially Dada, who is terrific as a man still in love with his wife in the poignant love song “Shouldn’t I Be Less in Love.”

Change has been described as the perfect date show, and many couples will find it amusing, provided they are heterosexual. Barely a mention is made of same-sex relationships, which makes Change not only dated, but woefully limited in portraying the scope of romantic entanglements.

Through Nov. 22. $10-$42. Bristol Riverside Theatre, 120 Radcliffe St. 215.785.0100. brtstage.org

Waiting for Godot

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:24:12 PST

Waiting for Godot is one of the most significant plays of the 20th century, but you wouldn’t know it from watching Amaryllis Theatre Company’s stilted production of Samuel Beckett’s classic work.

The play concerns two tramps named Didi (Michael P. Toner) and Gogo (Buck Schirner) who are waiting for a person named Godot. The play’s action (if you can call it that) involves the many activities the pair devises in a desperate attempt to pass the time. Their waiting is interrupted only by visits from a despotic blind man named Pozzo (the wooden Lynn Manning) and his slave Lucky (an eloquent David Stranger). Each day ends as the one before, with a young shepherd boy (Noel Smith) announcing that Godot will not come today.

Waiting for Godot 

Through Nov. 22. $10. The Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St. 877.260.1126.  amaryllistheatre.org

Godot is typically interpreted as an exploration of the meaninglessness of life. In a chaotic, directionless universe we wait for a God that never arrives. Co-directors Mimi Kenney Smith and Tom Reing seem to have little interest in this nihilistic message, preferring instead to emphasize the play’s language. Their Godot is certainly well-spoken (with one glaring exception) but it comes at the expense of the characters who remain even more obscure than usual. 

The fault doesn’t lie entirely with the directors. Manning brings so little to the role of Pozzo that his performance isn’t just unrealized, it’s almost entirely absent. Stranger does better as the unfortunate Lucky and his pontificating recitation of Lucky’s fabled monologue is a rare bright spot in this otherwise clunky production.

Toner has considerable experience with Beckett, having previously starred in two of the playwright’s solo works. His performance underlines Godot’ s most poetic passages, but his Didi is too polished and Toner struggles with the physical demands of the role. Schirner is far more successful at suggesting the play’s physical humor, and his performance as the bewildered Gogo is the production’s best.  

For all its deficiencies, Amaryllis’ Godot is successful at communicating Didi and Gogo’s resilience and their attachment to each other. Stuck in an absurd world devoid of meaning, the pair attempt to find some rationale for their existence. “We always find something, eh Didi, to give us the impression that we exist,” remarks Gogo as they embark on another mindless activity. In the midst of what Didi calls “this immense confusion,” they persevere. “One thing alone is clear,” says Didi. “We are waiting for Godot to come.” In the waiting the men find a purpose.  

Amaryllis isn’t the first company to fail with Godot . The production’s lack of success seems particularly disappointing given the ticket prices are a mere $10. Sadly even at that price, Amaryllis’ Godot isn’t much of a bargain. ■

'Public Service' at Bean Café

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:17:27 PST

Many artists now work in the once-scorned craft media of cut paper, but nobody does it quite like local artist Joe Boruchow who embeds fierce political and social commentary in works of great delicacy.

Sixteen of the artist’s original cut paper pieces are now at Bean Café in the show “Public Service.” From portraits of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginzberg and Mayor Nutter to trippy, complicated works on swine flu and Michael Vick, Boruchow’s surprisingly small pieces—black cut paper set off by white satin backgrounds and black frames—are seductive and intimate.

Boruchow, a self-taught artist and musician, photocopies his satirical posters and staples them around his South Philadelphia neighborhood, often to the consternation of his neighbors who rip them down. Boruchow’s posters are purposely inflammatory with rhetoric to ignite debate. A recent poster, included in this show, imagines a Philadelphia ordinance, the Canine Fecal Death Act, which would execute dogs whose owners did not pick up after them.  

The title piece for the show, Public Service, creates a mythic story of his long-term public-spiritedness. A mirror- like image shows the artist in profile stapling his posters around town in 2009 with each preceding year depicting the same image only smaller until you get the idea that Boruchow has been postering the town since the dawn of man. It’s funny, but the piece speaks to his understanding of his role as a public artist. 

Joe Boruchow: “ Public Service: Paper Cutouts .” Through Dec. 8. Bean Café, 615 South St. joeboruchow.com

The definition of a public artist is one who gives his work away, and at the opening, Boruchow was passing out free posters, hot off the copy machine at Staples on Delaware Avenue, his favorite copy shop.  

Last year was not a great year for art sales and Boruchow felt the economic strain like most other artists. He was, however, a finalist for the coveted Pew Fellowship award. He also received a portrait commission from Isaiah Zagar, father of the mirror-and-ceramic Magic Gardens on South Street. And with a grant from the Xeric Foundation, he’s producing an edition of his cut paper graphic novel Stuffed Animals , due out in February.

Boruchow, a singer/songwriter and founder of the band Nite Lights, weaves his art and music together. His studio is the site of both art-making and songwriting. And right now, he and band mate Stevie Burkitt are working on new songs that, Boruchow says, will be the soundtrack for his art in a Nite Lights concert and slide show at Johnny Brenda’s in March.

Like many artists, Boruchow works a day job; he’s a bartender at Tattooed Mom’s. But the prolific public artist and musician just can’t put down the knife. There are 16 small works in the show—all but one of them made since August. And in an era that’s been dubbed “the age of less,” where ostentatious bigness is out of fashion, these small works feel just right.

For more on the Philadelphia art scene go to theartblog.org.

The Calendar: November 18 - November 24

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:11:50 PST

Wednesday November 18

Guy Fieri Road Show
Headbanging and acid reflux disease collide as Guy Fieri brings his traveling Road Show to the Merriam Theater. The host of Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives combines his love for greasy spoon cuisine and juke box rock for a live performance that will leave your ears ringing and colon twisting for weeks. As an appetizer, Aussie bartender Hayden “Woody” Wood will demo some high octane cocktails. Then, with the help of local food icon Tony Luke Jr., Fieri will serve up signature cheesesteaks and a cover of Skip Denenberg’s “Cheesesteak Song.” More flame-boiled favorites from Fieri’s cookbooks and some raunchy road stories round out the set list. So, button up your favorite tribal pattern bowling shirt, pop a Zantac, assume the swagger of a 311 roadie, and head for the mosh pit. Extra hungry? Grab a premium stage seat and catch some sizzling scraps. P.F.M.
7:30pm. $37-$250. Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad St. 215.893.1999. kimmelcenter.org

The Emotron
In his biggest YouTube hit, the Emotron, a.k.a. Jason Kyle Knight, ogles the naked porn girls of 2 Girls 1 Cup, eventually becoming so worked up that he spews Yoo-hoo soda all over the keyboard. (The Yoo-hoo upchuck is apparently a signature move, and figures in several of Emotron’s videos.) His live show—which may include costumes, nakedness, obscenity, sex acts and a variety of body fluids—is similarly bizarre and offputting, drawing as much from Atom & His Package’s synth-punk-comedy as from GG Allin’s shock and eew. Not for the squeamish. Jennifer Kelly
8pm. $5. With Mose Giganticus, the Tanks. Tenderhooks + Mancruel. Danger Danger Gallery. 5013 Baltimore Avenue. www.myspace.com/dangerdangergallery

Laura Viers
The natural world is often the star of Pacific Northwest singer-songwriter (and one-time geology major) Laura Veirs’ music—birds and eels and oceans and cliffs and caves and constellations tumble together in surreal lyrics that actually speak to love, loss, and life’s mysteries if you stop to consider them. Veirs’ imagery is as captivating as her husky, cloudy voice and her sophisticated arrangements, which sometimes get alt-folky with acoustic guitar, banjo, piano and violin, and other times go pop in a ’70s Laurel Canyon kinda way while making room for jazz-tinged grooves and dabs of electronics. Veirs and band come to town with a whole new batch of arresting melodies courtesy of her new album July Flame, due in January. Michael Alan Goldberg
7:30pm. $18-$25. With Blind Pilot. World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St. 215.222.1400. worldcafelive.com

Dance Movie Double Feature
Let the old debate be again revived: Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly? Graceful and charming or energetic and forthright? Airy talk-singing or husky sorta-singing? Obvious hairpiece or probably-no-hairpiece? Unless you’re David Thomson, who wrote Kelly off as “cold and aggressive,” the answer isn’t easy. Alas, even choosing the better film in I-House’s “Dance With Camera: Astaire or Kelly” isn’t much easier. Top Hat is debatably the finest Fred and Ginger (Rogers, natch) outing—a peerlessly light, Art Deco-infused extravaganza in which the famed “Cheek to Cheek” is only the second least-awesome number. (It’s all about “No Strings.”) Meanwhile, the second least-awesome bit in Singin’ in the Rain—recently outed as Betty Draper’s favorite film—is that iconic title song, which almost feels like an afterthought coming after the couch-hurdling “Good Morning.” Claws out, hoofing enthusiasts. Matt Prigge
7pm. $5-$8. International House, 3701 Chestnut St. 215.387.5125. ihousephilly.org

Thursday November 19

Langhorne Slim
Folksy, fedora-wearing Langhorne Slim puts a slight twist on the troubadour tradition, mostly sticking to gentle folk picking but occasionally breaking into a reedy, punk-infused shout. Whether that’s enough to set him apart from hoards of Dylan-Guthrie-Seeger wannabes is open to argument. His latest album, Be Set Free, set off a debate in Paste Magazine with one reviewer calling it a modern day Tea for the Tillerman and another “mediocre, and sometimes painfully inept.” This latter gibe, though, is how some people feel about Paste itself, so why not give Slim the benefit of the doubt? J.K.
9pm. $12. With Dawes. Johnny Brenda’s. 1201 N. Frankford. 215.739.9684. johnnybrendas.com

Friday November 20

The Watson Twins
Once flanking Jenny Lewis on her solo debut, the ever-fetching Watson Twins proved their knack for coy pop and breezy soul on 2006’s Southern Manners and last year’s Fire Songs. Signing to Vanguard should give a sense of their old-soul sound, and Chandra and Leigh will return in early February with Talking To You, Talking To Me, their third album since leaving Lewis’ wing. Really, it’s probably just a matter of time before they re-team with Lewis and a few other friends in a female version of Monsters of Folk. Then the two supergroups can tour together and clamber on stage as one big family-band-style revue. Doug Wallen
7pm. $16-$18. With Joshua Radin + the Kin. Trocadero, 1003 Arch St., 215.922.5483. thetroc.com.

Hamiet Bluiett & Kahil El’Zabar
When he gets going, baritone saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett could probably take down a house with his gutsy, barrel-chested sound. A cofounder of the World Saxophone Quartet and the St. Louis-based Black Artists Group, he’s played a major role in avant-garde jazz from the ’60s on, working with everyone from Mingus to Marvin Gaye and exploring African-American music in all its connectedness. Percussionist Kahil El’Zabar, a bit younger, chaired the influential Chicago-based Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians in the early ’70s. He continues to front the Ritual Trio, Ethnic Heritage Ensemble and Infinity Orchestra, and it’s his very adaptability that should make this duo parley with Bluiett come alive. David R. Adler
8pm. $12. Philadelphia Art Alliance, 251 S. 18th St. 215.545.4302. arsnovaworkshop.org

Saturday November 21

Giovanni’s Room Read-a-thon
Although tested by the evil triumvirate of Wal-Mart, the Kindle and the recession, Giovanni’s Room is still standing strong—but not quite as strong as it used to. The bookstore is among the oldest and biggest of its kind in America, and it’s starting to show: A weakening in the historic building’s front wall costs roughly $50,000 to fix. But the embattled bookseller is rising to the challenge with a slew of fundraising events, including the upcoming Read-A-Thon, half of whose proceeds also go to the Lambda Literary Foundation. Twenty authors, from comedian Bob Smith, to lesbian literature heavyweight Radclyffe, will give readings in different sections of the store. Ultimately, owner Ed Hermance expects that the community will be what saves Giovanni’s Room from the fate of peers like Robin’s Books. “Many have said that coming to this threshold was a turning point in their lives,” says Hermance. “Our customers just feel like this is home.” Gerald Johnson
7pm. Suggested donation: $20. Giovanni’s Room, 345 S. 12th St. 215.923.2960. giovannisroom.com.

Grant-Lee Phillips
Once the frontman of raucous ’90s roots-rock combo Grant Lee Buffalo, singer-guitarist Grant-Lee Phillips has quietly forged a solid and occasionally pretty thrilling solo career over the past decade in which he’s refined his love of Neil Young and classic country music into a more elegant and evocative folk-pop sound. Now in his mid-’40s and having recently become a father for the first time, Phillips has certainly mellowed, but fortunately he hasn’t gotten boring (like Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, to whom Phillips is often compared). The strings-kissed ballads and brisker tunes on Phillips’ lush, upbeat new Little Moon range from tender (but not cloying) to urgent (but not desperate), and his smoky croon only gets better with age. M.A.G.
7:30pm. $22-$34. With Winterpills. World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St. 215.222.1400. worldcafelive.com

DJ Too Tuff Benefit
When word of incarcerated local gangsta rapper DJ Too Tuff’s battle with thyroid cancer hit the streets in September, the hip-hop community reached out to help. Beat Garden Entertainment’s Octavius “Big O” Mitchell hosts a benefit concert in his honor to help him with his rising legal and medical bills. Local acts show some love for Too Tuff and the Tuff Crew with performances from B. Kane, Clean Guns, L. Allen, Sick Six, Rockie Reyes, Triple Nickels, Poynt Blank and many more, as well as special appearances from H3O and Too Tuff’s childhood friend MC Mechanism. In the meantime, the troubled star is standing trial for aggravated assault charges. Hopefully, the judge will show some love too. Sherri Hospedales
10pm. $10. Tacony Billiards, 6201 Keystone St. 215.338.4733. beatgardensite.com

Sunday November 22

Melt-Banana
Melt-Banana have been known to cram as many as a dozen songs into a minute or two, their explosions of pick-blurring, chipmunk-singing punk frenzy measured in seconds and punctuated by polite “thank yous” at every break. One of Japan’s best noise punk outfits, Melt-Banana have been shrieking and spazzing since the early 1990s, layering abstract guitar sound over speed-freaked, subversively melodic punk choruses. If you’re not paying attention, you may not even recognize their crazy covers—a cartoon-voiced jitter over Toots & the Maytals “Monkey Man,” a super-fast romp through Queen’s “We Will Rock You”—but there’s no mistaking the electro-shock energy in this trio’s live set. J.K.
7:30pm. $12. With Satanized. First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. 866.468.7169. r5productions.com

Precious Places
Philadelphia is littered with plaques commemorating important placeswhere revolutionaries once scratched their powdered brows. We call them landmarks and sell quill pens in the adjacent gift shops. But what about the storied places where Edgar Allen Poe didn’t brush his teeth? The shared corner gardens, the murals of jazz musicians, the playgrounds? The watering holes where we do much of our living and dying? These are the unprotected places that all too often disappear, replaced by pharmacies or apartment complexes. The Precious Places Community History Project provides regular Philadelphians with cameras and lighting kits and offers them a chance to document their neighborhood landmarks. The Scribe video center sponsors a free presentation of the films produced by nine local teams. Not every monument warrants a plaque, but their stories ought to be told. P.F.M.
2pm. Free. Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, 118 N. Broad St. 215.972.7600. pafa.org

Monday November 23

Heavy Trash
Having plundered the blues last decade (Blues Explosion, Boss Hog) and punk the one before that (Pussy Galore), Jon Spencer has since turned his attention to rockabilly and early garage. Heavy Trash is his duo with Matt Verta-Ray (Speedball Baby), but it’s no hackneyed guitar-drums affair. Both wield axes, and live there’s an upright bassist and drummer. That said, it’s a rollicking, barebones setup, as heard on three albums thus far. Spencer’s exaggerated vocals and bawdy allusions are of course the focus, but there’s an unmistakable reverence to tunes like the “Chapel Of Love”-inspired “Gee I Really Love You.” A novelty, maybe, but with grit and chops to spare. D.W.
8pm. $8. With Jukebox Zeros + Delco Nightingale. Kung Fu Necktie, 1248 N. Front St. 215.291.4919. kungfunecktie.com.

Tuesday November 24

Devendra Banhart
First things first: Devendra Banhart finally hacked off the giant beard, so he doesn’t look so much like a member of the Manson family anymore, and now he’ll have to find a more conventional place (like his pockets) to stash the drugs and crystals and Vegenaise and drawings of bizarre owl-men he almost certainly sketches while waiting for his appointment with the medicine man. Maybe the clean-shaven look coincides with Banhart’s leap to Warner Brothers for his new What Will We Be, though to my knowledge the label hasn’t instituted a Steinbrenner-like ban on facial hair. Dude’s tunes are a bit more groomed these days too, though he still kinda sounds like Cat Stevens on a psych-tropicalia head trip. M.A.G.
8pm. $25. With Luke Rathborne. Electric Factory, 421 N. Seventh St. 215.627.1332.livenation.com

'The Long Christmas Ride Home

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:02:20 PST

Playwright Paula Vogel’s marvelously original play The Long Christmas Ride Home proves that holiday shows can be far more than just empty tales of inspiration, sentiment and good cheer.  

Presented by Azuka Theatre in conjunction with Drexel University’s Mandell Professionals in Residence Project (which brings local professional theaters and dance companies to Drexel’s University City campus), Ride manipulates time to present a bewildering paradox—a life-affirming story about the beauty of death. 

The Long Christmas Ride Home 

Through Nov. 15. $15-$25. Mandell Theater, 33rd and Chestnut sts. 215.733.0255. azukatheatre.org

Subtitled “A Puppet Play With Actors,” Ride (which Vogel wrote in memory of her brother who died of AIDS) mixes Japanese puppetry techniques and old-fashioned American theatricalism. Like Thornton Wilder’s Our Town (which Ride echoes in numerous regards) it’s an evocative meditation on life, death and everything in between. 

Spanning several decades, the play focuses on a family during a harrowing car trip on Christmas night. 

Dysfunctional in an ordinary sense, the family’s father (Seth Reichgott) is a nasty- tempered philanderer and the mother (Amanda Grove) a seething caldron of pent-up anger and sexual frustration.  

Their three children have the usual childhood anxieties. The eldest daughter fights with her younger siblings while simultaneously dreaming of boys’ bodies, the gay son uncomfortably wonders why he “looks” at his male classmates, while the youngest daughter (the unabashed favorite of the father) tries to make sense of a bewildering world. 

In their early years, the children are represented by puppets, an effect that emphasizes both their innocence and vulnerability. Just as they are manipulated by the puppeteers, so too are the kids at the mercy of their parents, who are so self-involved that it borders on child abuse. 

Emerging from childhood the siblings’ difficulties continue. Now portrayed by live actors, Vogel gives us a trio of scenes where the fully grown children (played by Janice Rowland, Allison Heishman, and Keith J. Conallen) appear in wintertime outside the home of a lover/partner. Their relationships destroyed, each sibling has literally been left out in the cold. 

With its odd construction and shifting, sometimes halting use of time, Ride is a difficult play to stage and for the most part director Aaron Cromie’s production succeeds admirably. Cromie’s experience with blending puppets and live actors (his terrific staging of The Fantasticks for the now-defunct Mum Puppettheatre employed a similar technique) is evident, and he elicits a number of strong performances, especially from Conallen, who is outstanding as the gay son who discovers the terrible “beauty” of the HIV virus that is consuming his defenseless body. 

An odd, uneven, haunting play in which the ghosts of childhood haunt the characters like spirits of Christmas past; the restless children we accompany on this long ride home are engaged in a search for peace. Like all of us, they will eventually find it, if not in the warm embrace of a parent or lover, then in the cold grasp of death. ■

New American Voices

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:56:40 PST

The Fabric Workshop and Museum often collaborates with big-name artists like Cai Quo-Qiang, the fireworks and gunpowder ace whose show opens next month, but what the FWM does even better—as you can see in their current show, “New American Voices”—is work with lesser-known artists. Often, these collaborations produce the freshest and most unexpected results and help raise the profile of deserving, under-the-radar artists.

With works ranging from videos and installations to a felted cave (take your shoes off to enter) and a group of mechanized whirligigs, the sampling from five mid-career artists from around the country doesn’t represent any new art movement. In fact, some of the work is pretty traditional. But the voices raised are people- and earth-centered, and the works are life-affirming without posturing, and that makes them—and the show—endearing.

Among the strongest works in the show are Bill Smith’s mechanized electronic pieces—made of lacy high-tech filaments shaped into galaxy-like starbursts and decorated with low-tech beads, flowers and small animal bones. Five light-weight works hang from the ceiling and undulate to the movement of air in the room. Two works— Decline of the eastern songbird (2008) and Integrated coaxial magnetic orbs with flagellating arms (2007)—perform a song and dance when triggered by hand or by blowing on them.  

Decline makes birdsong come alive via valves, balloons and hot propane gas in a delicate and prickly contraption that sounds like a falsetto-calliope. Smith has a technical degree in diesel mechanics and an undergraduate degree in biology. But the works transcend the Franklin Institute with their metaphorical underpinnings about the fragility of nature and wonder of our ecosystem. 

“ New American Voices ”: Through Nov. 22. Fabric Workshop and Museum, 1214 Arch St. 215.561.8888. fabricworkshopandmuseum.org

Three artists make work focused on ethnic identity, and of those, Ruben  Ortiz-Torres’s video performance of Hi ’n’ Lo (2008) is the most unexpected and pleasing. Ortiz-Torres tricked out a standard-issue industrial scissors lift with bling at the bottom and new platform capabilities at the top and then choreographed the machine to do hip-hop dance moves. Drawing inspiration from the Mexican-American car culture in Los Angeles as well as the caliber of infrastructure jobs that employ Latino workers, the piece is wry and knowing.  

Marie Watt’s wool felt cave Engine (2009) honors the artist’s Seneca forefathers. The cave is constructed of felted parts made at FWM and includes a projection on the inside of a Native American telling a traditional story. It’s an expected ode to indigenous peoples. 

So, too, are Tommy Joseph’s carved animal headdresses and Tlingit Suit (2009), a man’s suit imprinted with Tlingit  patterning. These works—in the tradition of tribal art-making—are great to see in Philadelphia, although the objects themselves are updates on natural history museum arti- facts. 

Robert Chambers—who performed a new piece, Silent Film Drop in Color at the opening, unraveling dozens of spools of colored cloth ribbon onto the street outside the museum—is the one artist whose work seems out of place. His sculptural model of two John Deere tractors welded together at the noses doesn’t reverberate with meaning. And while the ribbon performance at the opening was reportedly fun, the ribbons—now piled in the museum’s windows—seem like party leftovers and are unappealing. ■ 

For more on the Philadelphia art scene go to theartblog.org. 

The Calendar: November 11 - November 17

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:34:43 PST

Wednesday November 11

Naughty Bingo
Maybe ladies is pimps too but any single person can tell you that getting laid ain’t easy. And with the economic downturn, supplies for self-gratification don’t always make the short list. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Try your luck at Ladder 15’s Naughty Bingo, a night of orgasmic thrills outside the bedroom. Ten bucks buys you your first drink and 10 unorthodox bingo cards featuring sexual poses. (The center square is the Playboy bunny, natch.) Call out “bingo” and you just might be heading home with a new battery-operated toy. This is one event that promises to keep you coming. Passion Rutledge
7pm. $10. Ladder 15, 1528 Sansom St. 215.964.9755. naughtybingophilly.com

Hair Rocket
Despite the name, Lumberville’s Hair Rocket is not an ironic hair-metal band, though they have a gimmick more bizarre than spandex and over-the-shoulder guitar straps. Operating off the slogan “We cut, we light, and we release” and a desire to create a “Hair Rocket movement,” the group insists you cut off a lock of your hair, attach it to a rocket, and fire it into the air (and document it for YouTube). Why? We haven’t a clue. The tunes seem to take a back seat to this silliness, which is odd because Hair Rocket’s new (and aptly titled) Novelty is a solid dose of garage rock/power-pop with a Mod edge. But since you can’t very well launch a rocket inside a rock club without risking a Great White, the music alone will have to carry the evening. Michael Alan Goldberg
8pm. $8. With Acres of Diamonds + the States. Khyber, 56 S. Second St. 215.238.5888. thekhyber.com

Views of a Changing World
When 2004 took the lives of both Susan Sontag and Jacques Derrida, some bemoaned that the age of philosophy—or at least of the celebrity intellectual—had gone with them. That’s not even remotely true, claims Astra Taylor’s chatty, heady doc Examined Life, which rounds up an octet of our era’s great (English-speaking) thinkers to ramble—not in a stuffy room but while in semi-thrilling motion. Cornel West (pictured) compares philosophy to jazz, blues and break-dancing while zipping through Manhattan. Slavoj Zizek talks ecology and porn while picking through a garbage heap. Peter Singer raps about ethics while striding past Bergdorf Goodman. An active mind is an entertained mind, Taylor’s film tacitly argues—a message that sits with the other offerings in I-House’s annual doc round-up Views of a Changing World. Other not-so-obvious issues include punk icons (Who’s Afraid of Kathy Acker?, Thursday), consumerism (Malls R Us, Friday) and Native Americans (1961’s The Exiles, Saturday). Matt Prigge
7pm. $5-$8. International House, 3701 Chestnut St. 215.387.5125. ihousephilly.org

Thursday November 12

Birds of Prey
If you’ve grown bored of those tedious trips to the bodega for your nightly noodles, you might consider falconry. Go medieval with a domesticated owl or hawk, especially if you don’t mind trading pizza rolls for pigeon or squirrel. Turn up your nose at an entree of chipmunk, but this is the sport of kings. You’ll need a permit though, and you won’t be able to do it in Hawaii. It would also help to learn about these clever aerial assassins if you’re going to pass the written test. Luckily, the Academy of Natural Sciences offers a workshop to help you get acquainted with the world of raptors, from the tiny kestrel to the mighty eagle. Learn about bird rehabilitation and what you can do to help preserve these creatures at home and abroad. Know your buzzards from your vultures and even figure out where their ears are. Paul F. Montgomery
6:30pm. $15. Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy. 215.299.1060. ansp.org

BOAT + Pants Yell!
Dispelling the notion that indie pop is wimpy to a fault, the Seattle trio BOAT is signed to a record label called Magic Marker yet manages to rock out nicely. In fact, bruising hooks, lurid keys, and cheeky vocals are all running features of the band’s ramshackle new Setting The Paces. Rest assured it’s bubbly, falling-down fun. As for New England’s Pants Yell!, there’s another example of pop with an emphasis on punchy moves and a stream of inquisitive and introspective lyrics. That band’s Received Pronunciation just came out on Slumberland, the revived indie label home to Philly’s own Brown Recluse, wholo and beholdare also on this bill. Doug Wallen
8pm. $TK. With Brown Recluse + Post Post. Pi Lam, 39124 Spruce St. myspace.com/thepilam

Dan Auerbach +Justin TownesEarle + Jessica Lea Mayfield
If you were overhauling your roots music team, this young trio would immediately revitalize your lineup. While Black Keys guitarist Dan Auerbach is the cleanup hitter, the supporting acts could potentially surpass him one day. On a break from his band, Auerbach’s solo debut, Keep It Hid, indulges quieter acoustic blues-folk moments, employing more restraint than the feral Keys, though Auerbach’s electric still occasionally wails. Justin Townes Earle’s a maverick like his dad, Steve, but his sound is more beholden to old-time Americana, delivered with crisp sonorous tenor and plucky bluegrass-inflected intelligence. Auerbach neighbor Jessica Lea Mayfield’s haunted country sway suggests Jolie Holland spooning in a graveyard at midnight. Chris Parker
9pm. $20-$23. Theater of Living Arts, 334 South St. 215.922.1011. livenation.com

Friday November 13

Jim Snidero
Alto saxophonist Jim Snidero is part of an elite straightahead jazz contingent in New York—stone beboppers and consummate pros who have never bowed to prevailing fashion and never will. A lithe and forceful soloist and a prized educator as well, he has a discography stretching back to 1984, featuring sidemen on the order of Mulgrew Miller and Tom Harrell. Such is the fund of authority that Snidero brings to every gig. His latest outings, Tippin’ and Crossfire, feature the tight, inventive guitar of Paul Bollenback. This week he’ll bring another guitarist, Peter Bernstein, whose complex, bluesy phrases sound like they’ve been aged underground in oak casks. David R. Adler
8pm and 10pm. $15. Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom St. 215.568.3131. chrisjazzcafe.com

Friday the Firkenteenth
Those suffering from paraskevidekatriaphobia, or the irrational fear of Friday the 13th, may find it cathartic to force themselves out from under their beds to attend a special group therapy session hosted by the folks at the Grey Lodge Pub. The event, the timing of which is “totally at the mercy of the calendar” and admittedly “makes no sense whatsoever,” is a celebration of cask-conditioned ale (a process involving a second fermentation resulting in a naturally occurring carbonation and the freshest possible product). The self-medicating will begin with seven different beers that are replaced until upwards of 20 firkins have graced the bar top. Some local legends like Victory’s Yakima Twilight will be pouring next to North Carolina’s Duck Rabbit Brown Ale and Brooklyn’s Sixpoint Vienna Pale. Grey Lodge will supply the beer but it’s BYO rabbit’s foot. tim mcginnis
Noon. Pay as you go. Grey Lodge Pub, 6235 Frankford Ave. 215.825.5357

Broken Lizard Live
If you’ve ever been pulled over by an actual state trooper, you’ll know it isn’t all that funny. (Except for the mustaches.) Though, it might depend on why you’re being pulled over, in which case everything might be funny. Broken Lizard made a cult hit of it in 2001 with their first film, Super Troopers. They’ve gone on to lampoon seaside murder (Club Dread) and Smirnoff Ice (Beerfest). In December, they tackle the madcap world of waiting tables competitively in The Slammin’ Salmon featuring Michael Clarke Duncan. For a sneak preview of that as well as a smattering of standup, short films and sketches, check out one of their two live performances tonight at the Troc. Just make sure you’re over 18, or someone with a very silly mustache will haul you out and call your parents. P.F.M.
7:30pm and 10:45pm. $26.50-$29. Trocadero Theater, 1003 Arch St. 215.922.6888. thetroc.com

Saturday November 14

Salt & Light
Good cause alert! Even a casual Law and Order: SVU viewer knows the scary truth about sex trafficking in the U.S. Here’s a chance to prevent future Polanski-like attacks. History Starts Now, an awareness group fighting against sex trafficking of minors in America, has teamed up with Old City’s SALT Art Gallery to raise some moolah for their cause. (The org often partners with the RedLight Children Campaign which pressures governments for more effective legislation to “expose, fight, and end child sexploitation.”) Enjoy complimentary champagne, as well as cupcakes from New York’s Tawny Treats. Spend the evening browsing the rtwork by SALT Gallery owner and New Hope native Michael A. Veneziale, whose gorgeous oil paintings embrace scenes from both Philadelphia and New York (think Di Bruno Bros. and Bleecker Street) while listening to the sweet sounds of local musician Kevin Grandstaff. Emily Freisher
7pm. $15-$20. SALT Art Gallery, 212 Race St. 215.939.7426. historystartsnow.info

Chris Smither and the Motivators
Chris Smither doesn’t look like the kind of guy who would kick your ass. At 65, the New Orleans native still has a worn, gentle face and soft eyes ... but listen to his acoustic blues picking and his gravel-voiced rumble, and it’s clear he’s got sorrow, sadness and rage out to here. His latest Time Stands Still harkens back decades, with stripped-down angst and a rough, slurry baritone that betrays what Chris Smither sounds like, even if he doesn’t look like it: a mean ol’ bluesman just lookin’ to get his. Guess you better give it to him. Jeffrey Barg
7:30pm. $27-$40. With Paul Cebar. World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St. 215.222.1400. worldcafelive.com

New York Hieroglyphics
He’s nearing 50, but Berkeley-born saxophonist and composer Peter Apfelbaum doggedly retains the spark of youth. During his Bay Area years he led the Hieroglyphics Ensemble, landing a Grammy nomination and gigs opening for the Grateful Dead. He moved to Brooklyn in 1998 and soon put together the 10-piece New York Hieroglyphics, which debuted in 2005 with the knotty jazz-worldbeat affair It Is Written. Apfelbaum is also super-busy with bands led by trumpeter Steven Bernstein and Cuban drum whiz Dafnis Prieto (a Hieroglyphics member), so catch this troupe while you can. Abdoulaye Diabate, who sang on the Hieroglyphics’ recent premiere “Aural Histories—Nine Lives,” will be there as well. D.R.A.
8pm. $25. Painted Bride Art Center, 230 Vine St. 215.925.9914 paintedbride.org

Sunday November 15

Found Footage Festival
An ancient employee training video for McDonald’s custodians prompted Nick Prueher and Joe Pickett to raid old video stores and Salvation Army’s to compile a bizarre and oddly hysterical collection of “found footage.” Now on their fourth installment, the duo is taking the show on the road, presenting an hour and a half of the quirky videos at Connie’s Ric Rac. With relatively few rules (footage must be on VHS—no YouTube!—and certainly no Richard Simmons), the assortment spans an array of genres. From an ’80s dating reel to home videos of a heavy metal concert, the clips are funny, both blatantly and ironically. So if you haven’t rummaged through your parent’s attic recently for old home movies, perhaps you should take a peek E.F.
7pm. $10. Connie’s Ric Rac, 1132 S. Ninth St. foundfootagefest.com

Star Wars in Concert
The Star Wars movie saga possesses the epic sweep of opera from its Faustian antagonist to John Williams’ Wagnerian score, an aspect highlighted by this national concert tour. Employing a full symphony, sixty-person choir, narration by Anthony Daniels (C3PO), and an enormous movie screen, this audio-visual spectacle pares the iconic franchise’s story arc to two hours, reiterating the essential threads with admirable concision. It’s a peculiarly appropriate tribute given the centrality of the soundtrack to the film’s action—from continuing character and plot leitmotivs to the cantina band and scoring of the fight scenes. The bite-size format makes it ideal for series newbies, while the accompanying memorabilia showcase will thrill diehard fans. C.P.
6pm. $32-$72. Wachovia Center, 3601 S. Broad St. 800.298.4200. livenation.com

Monday November 16

Fundraiser for DJ Reenie Kane
Reenie Kane is, quite literally, one of Philly’s first ladies. Old school Philly partygoers know her from “Rap-a-Reenie” and late nights at the now-defunct R.A.R. Club in South Philly, where she started spinning in 1974—way before female DJs were hitting the turntables. A trailblazer, she was one of the first women spin at gay mens’ clubs and has been a huge contributor to the gay club scene in Philadelphia throughout the last three and a half decades, spinning new tracks well before other DJs and contributing to LGBT charities and awareness. Last month, Kane suffered a massive heart attack after her set at the annual Blue Indigo Ball. Help her (and her beloved partner Adele) pay for health care by dancing your ass off at this fundraiser, which features sets by local and national DJs as well as snacks and booze. (Open bar till 9 p.m.!) Philly’s lost a lot lately. This is a chance to get part of our history back. Erica Palan
8pm. $10. Voyeur, 1221 Saint James St. 215.735.5772. voyeurnightclub.com

Shonen Knife
This groundbreaking Japanese girl punk band has been crossing wide-eyed manga cuteness with ragged Ramones riffs since the early 1980s. Their US debut in 1990 attracted the attention of bands like Sonic Youth and Redd Kross, and at their mid-1990s height, the band opened for Nirvana, toured on the original Loolapalooza and signed to Capitol. For Super Group, the band’s latest album, two of three original members reconvene, with Naoko Yamano singing sticky sweet lyrics about the rock and roll lifestyle, and Atsuko Yamano back on drums (rejoining after Mana Nishiura died in a 2005 car crash). Jennifer Kelly
9pm. $12. With Jeff the Brotherhood. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford. 215.739.9684. johnnybrendas.com

Tuesday November 17

J. Tillman
Seattle singer-songwriter J. Tillman (a.k.a. Josh Tillman) has been nothing less than prolific in his short career, releasing a half-dozen solo albums since 2005. For most of that time, he was operating in obscurity, but his new LP Year in the Kingdom received tons of advance attention this year. Why? It may have something to do with the fact that since early 2008, Tillman’s also been the drummer for Fleet Foxes. It may also have something to do with the fact that the album is fantastic. It’s stark and riveting indie-folk that aligns itself with the likes of Jason Molina and Damien Jurado, and will probably make you feel sad in all the right kinds of ways. M.A.G.
8pm. $12. With Pearly Gates Music. First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. 866.468.7619. r5productions.com

Hunter Gatherers

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:50:37 PST

Theatre Exile, Philly’s home for dark comedy, opens their season with director Deborah Block’s fierce staging of Peter Sinn Nachtrieb’s vicious farce Hunter Gatherers.

Sort of a Lord of the Flies set among the 30-something set, Gatherers takes place in the apartment belonging to Pam (Amanda Schoonover) and Richard (Ross Beschler). The occasion is the annual visit from their high school chums Wendy (the brilliant Sarah Sanford) and her doctor-husband Tom (Matt Pfeiffer). For dinner Richard is serving lamb, which isn’t unusual. Except that he insists on slitting the throat of a live sheep on the dining room floor.

It doesn’t take long to deduce that the couples are mismatched and sure enough the primal Wendy and Richard are screwing behind the backs of their more demure partners. Tom and Pam eventually also release their stifled passions and soon people are beating each other with raw lamb and battling over Richard’s semen.

The play would be more appealing if we actually liked any of these people, but Nachtrieb seems to have little interest in arousing our sense of empathy. Instead in this wickedly dark comedy he is content to show us two couples avoiding the complacency of middle age by reverting not to the joys of youth (though their hormonal urges make a horny teenager seem frigid by comparison), but the savagery of their more animalistic selves.

Through Nov. 22. $15-$30. The Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St. 215.218.4022. theatreexile.org

Zen and the Art of Personal Maintenance

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:54:45 PST

When I was a teenager growing up in Philadelphia, South Street was still counterculture. Mohawked punks smashed store windows after midnight screenings of Quadrophenia; kids had knife fights while still dressed in Rocky Horror wear. There were no chain stores – just a lot of artists and weirdoes. It looked more like Sammy and Rosie Get Laid than the United States. Now Starbucks, Auntie Anne’s and their ilk have siphoned off the singularity in the service of lattes and sugary pretzels.

One of the best things about South Street back in those days was Garland of Letters, a store that’s rolled with the changes and remains today. After getting hopelessly stoned inside the movie theater on South Street, my friends and I would move in a dopey clutch from store to store, and Garland of Letters never disappointed: Between the foreign (to us) South Asian music and the heavy funk of sandalwood, it was like getting stoned all over again – and the books were suitably wacked out, all about alternate universes and spiritualities that had no truck with bar mitzvah dance parties or First Communions.

This was before yoga and Madonna’s Kabbalah and doggy massage. This was when it was really radical that my Jewish cousin went Buddhist. Garland of Letters? We could only assume it was owned by cultists.

Nowadays, the bookstore-cum-gemstore is a well-worn institution, and the books have a less radical sensibility – or perhaps it’s my own sensibility that’s changed. Recently, I picked up Clean Cures: The Humble Art of Zen-Curing Yourself by Michael Dejong. It’s part of the My Kind of Clean series that includes advice on natural housecleaning and natural hygiene. This latest in the series advises readers on interventions for everything from wasp stings to anxiety to flatulence, which the book calls “humm-errhoids.” The solution? Varying combinations of six ingredients, all of them easy to obtain: apple cider vinegar, baking soda, honey, lemon, olive oil and salt. Sure, they’re good on pasta or in a tart. But they’re even better for a cold sore.

It’s like this: Let’s say you’re me, at 13, and you’ve just been sitting in the movie theater on South Street, smoking a doobie, and now you’ve got dry mouth. As Dejong writes, “a dry mouth can affect both your enjoyment of food and the health of your teeth … Don’t live with ‘cotton’ mouth another cotton-picking minute.” (There is nothing this man likes better than a pun.) Four out of his six ingredients can actually help with this: baking soda with water cleans and refreshes; honey relieves dry mouth, says Dejong, “and it’s yummy!” Sucking on a lemon rind will do the trick or try a saltwater gargle.

See how simple? Unfortunately, the other “cures” in this book are not only simple, they’re simplistic. Everything is a variation on the above. Have a hangover? Drink some apple cider vinegar, or do the same baking soda-in-water thing or have a spoonful of honey or maybe some honey mixed with lemon juice. Wait! This one is a little different: “A shot glass of olive oil before a night of drinking prevents a nasty hangover.” I like it when he brings the olive oil in.

The problem with this very nicely designed little book -- which features what I can only call hipster black-and-white line drawings – is that you get the feeling it’s a bit of a gimmick. Dejong’s intro is bright and endearing, proving he’s a funny guy and a breezy writer. And since he’s not especially fond of doctors and pharmacies, he finds it comforting to have some natural remedies in the house, so he doesn’t have to go outside. I hear that. But the advice in this book is too vague: Having trouble with digestion? Well, “the acid in lemon juice may aid digestion.” But it may not? Um, thanks. I’ll suck a lemon and get back to you.

Some of the suggestions are novel: If I can’t sleep, perhaps I will massage olive oil into my toes and see what happens. But overall, the book seems like a good way for Dejong to keep the party going with this series. It’s supremely unessential reading, and the kind of thing – I’m sad to say –you might even find in Barnes and Noble.

PW's Guide to First Friday

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:58:41 PST

Big news this First Friday: A new gallery, Marginal Utility , is opening in the Vox building. The six-story former factory building already houses Vox Populi , Copy , AHN/VHS , Progressive Sharing , Jeffrey Stockbridge Fine Art and Tiger Strikes Asteroid . With the addition of Marginal Utility on the second floor, the alternative art scene truly has a new center of gravity.  

• Ronnie Bass: “ The Astronomer, Part 1: Departure From Shed ,” Through Jan. 10. Reception: Fri., Nov. 6, 6-9pm. Marginal Utility, 319 N. 11th St., second fl. 917.355.4487. marginalutility.org  P.

• Timothy Gierschick II: “ Patch and Plot ,” Through Nov. 27. Reception: Fri., Nov. 6, 6–10pm. Tiger Strikes Asteroid, 319A N. 11th St., fourth fl. tigerstrikesasteroid.com 

• Marianne Berstein: “ Shelter ,” Through Dec. 18. Reception: Fri., Nov. 6, 5-7pm. Painted Bride Art Center, 230 Vine St. 215.925.9914. paintedbride.org 

• Philadelphia Cartoonist Society: “ Creature Double Feature ,” Through Nov. 25. Reception: Fri., Nov. 6, 6-9pm. Brave New Worlds, 45 N. Second St. 215.925.6525.  bravenewworldscomics.com

Founded by Basekamp ’s David Dempewolf and Yuka Yokoyama —who also launched the recent art theory zine Machete—Marginal Utility has 700 square feet of space including a 500-square-foot gallery and a separate work space for artists in residence.  

First up in the new space is “The Astronomer, Part 1: Departure From Shed , ” a nine-minute video projection and sculpture project by New York artist Ronnie Bass . The video—still in production—is a yarn about oppression and a better future acted out by a small cast which includes the artist. The piece is rooted in 19th-century French philosopher Charles Fourier’s writings on utopian societies.  

Still images show the actors highlighted against a black background giving a sense of disembodiment and foreboding. Bass’ sculpture project, which will grow and change during the show’s two-month run, is a water fountain made with garage sale and dollar store  purchases—highly un-utopian. 

P. Timothy Gierschick ’s abstract paintings at Tiger Strikes Asteroid whisper like Morse Code tapping a quiet but insistent message. The works in ”Patch and Plot” subvert universal signs and symbols like rainbows and geometrical shapes twisting them into new designs that suggest something familiar without being clear. Is the rainbow edge around a cloverleaf pattern happy? Geirschick uses spray paint, house paint, enamel and collage on found furniture, scrap wood and cardboard.  

From the impresario of ”Welcome House , ” the recent temporary public art project in Love Park, comes ”Shelter , ” at the Painted Bride Art Center . Marianne Bernstein , an artist and activist, organized the group show to foster a dialog between artists and the public about social issues. Before the show, 14 artists were paired with 10 Philadelphia families to make art dealing with issues of family crisis and homelessness. Printmaker Daniel Heyman created word-and-image portraits of veterans in transitional housing. Ricardo Rivera of the Klip Collective made a documentary video of a dying and bedridden woman, Gloria, and her devoted husband.  

Need more Halloween imagery? Check out ”Creature Double Feature” at Brave New Worlds . The show features original works by 20 artists who are affiliated with the Philadelphia Cartoonist Society. Concetta Barbera and Christian Patchell curated the show which will have small scale prints, drawings and books at reasonable  prices. ■

For more on the Philadelphia art scene go to theartblog.org. 

The Calendar: November 4 - November 11

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:58:01 PST

Wednesday November 4

Girls + Real Estate
As wish lists go, Girls’ “Lust For Life” is a corker. The single and opener of the Bay Area band’s gangly Album rattles off a slew of dreamy requirements, including wine, pizza, a suntan, a father, a boyfriend and a beach house. Christopher Owens’ lazily pleading vocals seal the deal there and on the rest of the record, which pays repeated homage to summer and, yes, girls. By turns barebones and shoegaze-y, it’s a splintered version of the beach-blanket odes of yesterday. Catching a similar wave are New Jersey’s Real Estate, who sing about Atlantic City and beach combing. Time to embrace your inner summer, autumn be damned. Doug Wallen
8pm. $10. Kung Fu Necktie, 1248 N. Front St. 215.291.4919. r5productions.com

Endgame
Samuel Beckett. The name sends a shiver down the spine of even the most veteran theatergoer. Obscure, inscrutable and depressing, such are the perceptions of audience members unlucky enough to have suffered through a dull production of the playwright’s work. Dull, however, isn’t a word often associated with the work of EgoPo Productions, which continues their season of Beckett’s plays with artistic director Lane Savadove’s staging of Endgame. An unqualified masterpiece from one of the 20th century’s most pioneering playwrights, Endgame is set in a post-apocalyptic world. EgoPo (which regularly re-imagines classic plays) moves Endgame into a 1970s suburban American home that has seen better days. Highlighting the play’s offbeat sense of humor, the four absurdly depressed characters are marooned in a world of tattered shag carpets, scarred vinyl couches and a hideous wood-paneled den where family dysfunction is taken to new heights. Think of it as Beckett meets The Brady Bunch. J. Cooper Robb
Wed., Nov. 4, 8pm. $30. St. Stephens Theater, 10th and Ludlow sts. 800.595.4849. egopo.org

Thursday November 5

Dar Williams
The folkie scene sometimes seems like a gated community where artists find stultifying acceptance dulling their creative edge until they’re unsuitable for anyone else. Clever stories and turns of phrase won’t rescue bland accompaniment—this isn’t a poetry slam. Dar Williams has avoided this pitfall during her 17-year career, plying a sweet cooing croon and smart writing in arrangements mixing rock and pop with strong folk undercurrents. The last three albums have been particularly engaging, showcasing the breadth of Williams talent from chamber warmth to jangly rave-ups. Brad Wood keenly produced the excellent stripped-down rock/pop of last year’s Promised Land, highlighted by the shrewd take on Milgram’s obedience experiment, “Buzzer.” Chris Parker
8pm. $33-$35. With Patrick Fitzsimmons. Sellersville Theater, Main and Temple sts., Sellersville. 215.257.5808. st94.com

Thao Nguyen and the Get Down Stay Down
“Sad people dance, too,” says Thao Nguyen, on the closing track of her latest Know Better Learn Faster. That’s “Easy,” the bass-driven break-out from Know Better, which may just be the year’s most raucous break-up albums. It’s brutally honest, laceratingly self-revealing, earthily sexual and, surprisingly, kind of a good time. Nguyen, on a roll since her 2006 We Brave Bee Stings and All, has honed a vibrant, eccentric sound through constant touring—equal parts pop, country blues and confessional songwriting. Portland Cello Project, whose own repertoire ranges from classical to Justin Timberlake, usually joins her on stage for a couple of songs, too. Jennifer Kelly
8pm. $12. With the Portland Cello Project + David Schultz. First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. 866.468.7619. r5productions.com

Kevin Smith
Attention geeks who fall squarely across the populist cinema and comic book axis: director Kevin “Silent Bob” Smith is stopping in Philadelphia on a rare six-city tour to discuss,presumably, the type of stuff he writes about his (unfortunately hyphenated) blog “My Boring Ass Life.” Comic books! Movies! Guaranteed curse words! Perhaps a gratuitous anecdote about how he used to be able
to touch the tip of his cock with his tongue? We can only hope. There must be other people out there who still harbor a soft spot for Smith. After all, he provided my first brushes with greatness by hiring my old babysitter to cameo in Mallrats (Yo Dawn!) and imbued my hometown, a little place I like to call Stripmall, with can-do artsy flair by hanging out in Red Bank parking lots late at night blasting the Star Wars theme as we all stumbled out of the Dublin House. Also, he taught us all what snowballing was even before Catholic school health texts did. For that, I forgive the rain scene in Chasing Amy. Tara Murtha
8pm. $39-$66.50. Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad St. 215.732.5446. merriam-theater.com.

Friday November 6

Boom
Unofficially the most popular play in America, boom opens the season at Flashpoint Theatre Company. Ranked first in American Theatre’s annual list of the nation’s most produced plays this season, playwright Peter Sinn Nachtrieb’s script focuses on an awkward marine biologist named Jules (Derick Loafmann). Certain that all life is on the verge of extinction—based on a study he conducted on fish—Jules places an online ad in search of a mate to help him repopulate the world. Anxious to do her part to resuscitate humanity, a young journalism student named Jo (Melissa Lynch) replies and the pair meet in a subterranean lab. A mind-bending look at our need for myths, Flashpoint’s production features the reliable Susan Giddings as a mysterious woman who wields a strange power over the mismatched pair. JCR
8pm. $18. Second Stage at The Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St. 215.563.4330. flashpointtheatre.org

Submissive or Slave
First things first: Let’s get it straight. Just because a person is into bondage and discipline or S&M, doesn’t mean they’re raunchy pervs. There are classy ways to express your sexual appetite. Amour Partage is an upscale style of domination and submission which originated in Europe in the 1950s. Generally spread only by word of mouth, Amour Partage is a very private sexual journey shared only among small groups. Get the deets from Trinity, a master trainer for 16 years and involved in the D/s lifestyle for more than two decades. Nicole Finkbiner
7pm. $20-$30. Aphrodite Gallery at Passional Toys, 704 S. Fifth St. 215.923.1398. passionaltoys.com

Steven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra
The term is archaic, but “territory bands” used to tour circumscribed areas of the U.S., covering popular hits and riling up dance crowds. Trumpeter Steven Bernstein (of Sex Mob fame) nods to that storied past with his Millennial Territory Orchestra while adding a heavy whiff of the modern, jumbling together vintage jazz, Prince and the Dead in a spirit of avant-garde delinquency. Stacked with such unorthodox pros as Curtis Fowlkes, Charlie Burnham and Matt Munisteri, the MTO is just the ensemble to revisit “Relativity Suite,” a 1973 opus by the late Don Cherry, who’s being remembered by Ars Nova Workshop with a Composer Portrait series that runs well into 2010. David R. Adler
8pm. $12. With DJ hi-res. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave. 215.739.9684. arsnovaworkshop.org

Swimmers
Philadelphia quartet the Swimmers celebrate the release of their tremendous new album People Are Soft—the band’s second on Drexel’s MAD Dragon Records—which you’ll get for free if you picked up advance tickets for this gig. Pretty sweet deal, because People Are Soft is an irresistible indie-pop/nü-wave platter, with synthesizers both buzzy and billowy joining up with sturdy beats, the occasional bite of guitar, and charismatic guy-girl vocals in a manner that occasionally feels like Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark for a new generation of romantic misfits that like to dance once in a while. Michael Alan Goldberg
7pm, $10. With the Capitol Years. Kung Fu Necktie, 1248 N. Front St. 215.291.4919. kungfunecktie.com

Armen Donelian
Born in Queens in 1950, pianist Armen Donelian is one of today’s unassuming jazz masters, boasting early sideman credits with the likes of Mongo Santamaria, Sonny Rollins and Billy Harper. His latest output includes Grand Ideas, a three-volume solo-piano series; All or Nothing at All, a tightly focused duo album with Dutch saxophonist Marc Mommaas; Quartet Language, unearthed from 1992, with the late altoist Thomas Chapin; and Oasis, featuring bassist David Clark and drummer George Schuller, the longtime trio cohorts who join him this week at the Museum. Donelian’s got a pensive, lyrical streak a mile wide, but don’t underestimate his ability to swing hard and throw punches. D.R.A.
5pm. $12-$16. Philadelphia Museum of Art, 26th St. and the Benjamin Franklin Pkwy. 215.763.8100 philamuseum.org

Dead of the Living Night
Artists Jonathan Cammisa and Jonah Birns journeyed under the racecar-shaped beds of their youth, took aim at the things that went bump in the night, then hauled back the pelts. The result is Dead of the Living Night, a furry, flickering celebration of childhood wonder and paranoia. The exhibit begins with the claustrophobic recreation of an ’80s video shop replete with forgotten zombie flicks and vintage posters. Turn a corner and take a ride on a cousin of Falkor from Neverending Story, a big burly beast who’ll take you to the stars and back with the help of a video installation. The gallery includes sculpture, collage and multiple volumes of an ongoing collaborative scrapbook, in which Cammisa and Birns wax horrific on the late night frights that left them sneaking down to the TV and pissing in their Underoos. Paul F. Montgomery
Fri., Nov. 6, 7pm. Free. Space 1026, 1026 Arch St., second fl. 215.574.7630. space1026.com

Saturday November 7

Philadelphia Sketch Club 150th Anniversary
Set the Way-Back Machine to a time before Tweeting, before Facebook—even pre-Friendster!—when there were things called “clubs”: places where people of similar interests would hang out and talk. The Philadelphia Sketch Club is the nation’s oldest artist society, still going strong after 150 years. This is the common denominator connecting Thomas Eakins to A.B. Frost (of Br’er Rabbit fame) to the granddaddy of all things Wyeth, N.C. Wyeth. Next year 15 prominent museums and galleries in Philadelphia and New York will put up exhibits to celebrate the club’s sesquicentennial (from the James Michener Museum up in Doylestown, the Philadelphia Museum of Art on the Parkway, down to the Brandywine Museum in Chadd’s Ford) but it all kicks off this Saturday with a gala affair on Camac Street, where the clubhouse will exhibit 120 works from its collection. And it ain’t over yet—after the party the room will be cleared to be ready for live models to come in at least four times a week, every week, so the new wave of artists can hone their skills. Peter Crimmins
7pm. $50-$125. Philadelphia Sketch Club, 235 S. Camac St. 215.545.9298

Sunday November 8

Snuggie Pub Crawl
Whether you love it or hate it, the Snuggie has warmed its way into the cultural vernacular of 2009. After successful events in cities such as New York, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Scranton, the pub crawl inspired by the “blanket with sleeves” is coming to Philadelphia. Organizers Megan Bruce and Jennifer Shipman created a five-pub fest with stops at Paddy Whack’s Pub, Fadó, Field House, Tir na nÓg and Public House. Participating bars will donate a portion of their earnings to Project H.O.M.E, a local nonprofit dedicated to fighting homelessness and poverty in the city. Sherri Hospedales
2pm. Starts at Paddy Whack’s Pub, 150 South St. 215.464.7544. phillysnuggiecrawl.com

Bottom Feeders
Who doesn’t love a contra-alto clarinet? Saxophonist Dan Peterson breaks out the giant horn to play with his Bottom Feeders, and the floor-rattling low notes are all the more disquieting when combined with baritone sax (Elliott Levin) and trombone (Larry Toft). They shouldn’t need a bassist, but Peterson often adds one anyway. This week, however, it’ll be guitarist Travis Woodson, with drummer Tony Catastrophe locking down rhythm. Peterson, who recently gave us the evocative suite Five Simple Worlds ... And Ways of Getting There, looks to the BF’s to channel something wilder in his psyche. After this gig they play Tritone on the 18th, then hope to hit the studio. D.R.A.
6pm. $12. J.C. Dobbs, 304 South St. 215.925.4053

Sweet Tea
Light years away from the clubs, cafes and queens of Philly’s Gayborhood, a love that dares not speak its name flourishes alongside chitlins, cornfields and conservative religious values. Many vilify the South’s red state repression, while others celebrate its old-fashioned charm. Virtually no one, however, writes about its queer black culture. Except Northwestern University scholar E. Patrick Johnson. “I interviewed gay black men in every state of the Confederacy,” Johnson says of the research he did for his book Sweet Tea, which records the accounts of men who juggle their blackness, Southernness and homosexuality. In his performance at the First Person Arts Festival, he restages select interviews. When pressed to pick a favorite, Johnson is at a loss, but he fondly remembers his oldest interviewee, the fabulous Countess Vivian, who came of age in 1930s New Orleans. “We lost touch after Katrina,” Johnson says. “But I had a reunion with him last month. Not only did he survive, but he never left. He‘ll be 98 years old.” Gerald Johnson
6pm. $12-$20. Painted Bride Art Center, 230 Vine St. 267.402.2055. firstpersonarts.org.

Monday November 9

Fashion Faux Paws
Let’s face it, Project Runway has gone downhill since moving to L.A. What ever happened to the good-old days when a group of emotionally unstable designers had to make outfits out of garbage, plants and edible food? The young MacGyvers of fashion at Moore College are giving the current contestants a run for their money. For this year’s Jumpstart Fashion Show, 55 junior and senior students created faux fur garments using such miscellaneous household items as cotton balls, toothpicks, nails, mops and Brillo pads. The most innovative creations will be on display including garments made entirely of bobby pins, spray painted rubber bands and pieces of bath mat and fake silk flowers. N.F.
Through Dec. 12. Free. Wilson Gallery at Moore College, 20th St. and the Benjamin Franklin Pkwy. 215.965.4027. thegalleriesatmoore.org

Tuesday November 10

The Bacon Show
Local boy Mike Geno’s been playing with his food for a long time. The Tyler grad and professor at Moore College of Art & Design has gained cult-like Philly fame for his still life paintings of disposable comestibles ranging from rump roasts and lamb legs to French baguettes and jelly donuts. Peep his latest this month at Mew Gallery when he joins Highwire Gallery’s Ken B. Miller, fellow Meat Artists’ member John Wolfer and others in celebrating the trendiest of breakfast meats. Featuring photography, fine art painting and quirky crafts, “The Bacon Show” officially opened on Halloween and true cured protein lovers can meet the meat makers at this Saturday’s reception. However, we recommend making a morning of it and hitting up Sabrina’s for weekday (read: no wait!) brunch, ordering up a side of bacon with your French toast and then wandering in for some one-on-one drooling. Erica Palan
Through Dec. 17. Free. Mew Gallery, 906 Christian St. 215.625.2424. mewgallery.org

The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:46:42 PST

Hip-hop theater takes a big step forward with Kristoffer Diaz’s dynamic new play The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity , which is getting its regional premiere in a fine production from InterAct Theatre Company.

Director Seth Rozin’s staging of Entrance marks the first time since 1997 that InterAct has presented a production away from the company’s artistic home at the Adrienne. It doesn’t take long to figure out why. The moment you enter the space you encounter a regulation size wrestling ring inhabited by two wrestler/actors pounding on each other. Not that namby- pamby Greco-style wrestling, but rather the made-for-TV brand popularized by Vince McMahon and his promotional company World Wrestling Entertainment. 

Set in and around the ring, Diaz’s satire focuses on Macedonia Guerra (Juan Pacheco in an impressive professional stage debut). Known as “Mace,” Guerra is perhaps the most likeable narrator since Thornton Wilder’s stage manager in Our Town . He also happens to be Puerto Rican, which makes him a likely candidate to play a villain in Everett K. Olson’s (Jeb Kreager) jingoistic wrestling empire.  

Mace is an excellent wrestler, which ironically is a liability to his economic success. In pro wrestling, the winner (i.e., the good guy) can only succeed with the help of the loser (i.e., the villain). “You can’t kick a guy’s ass without the help of the guy’s ass you’re kicking,” says the reigning champ Chad Deity (Donté Bonner). Deity doesn’t have Mace’s athletic skills, but he is charismatic, good looking and extremely muscular. In an image carefully cultivated by Everett, Deity is an all-American hero who likes nothing better than to kick the ass of villainous “foreigners” who are paid to fall at the champ’s feet. 

The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Diety

Through Nov. 22. $25-$29. The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre, 2111 Sansom St. 215.568.8079. interacttheatre.org

The newest challenge to Deity’s crown comes from a swaggering Indian named Vigneshwar Paduar (an impressive Shalin  Agarwal). A legend on the basketball courts in the Bronx, VP trumpets India as the new world power. Like Mace, VP has been ostracized in the U.S. due to his race and nationality. Culturally ignorant but financially savvy, Olsen casts Mace and VP as wrestling’s newest scoundrels with Mace playing a Mexican revolutionary named Che and VP a Taliban-loving terrorist with a vague Islamic/Muslim/Socialist/Middle Eastern background called “the Fundamentalist.” To wrestling’s flag-waving fans, Mace and VP’s wrestling personas are the embodiment of evil, and a match is set between the Fundamentalist (who flattens opponents with a devilish kick known as the “sleeper cell”) and the heroic Deity.  

Rozin’s blisteringly paced, razor sharp production captures the play’s hip-hop rhythms and sense of moral outrage, forcefully depicting America as a parasitical consumer that routinely exploits less powerful nations and peoples.  

Both funny and smart, Entrance is the rare play that makes us laugh and think at the same time. America has real enemies in the world, but in Entrance it’s our need to stereotype alleged outsiders as a threat that emerges as the true danger. ■

Rabbit Hole

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:29:49 PST

A horrifying incident is the focus of David Lindsay-Abaire’s beautiful play Rabbit Hole, currently receiving a deeply affecting production at the Arden Theatre Company.

The play begins eight months after Howie (Brian Russell) and Becca (Grace Gonglewski) lost their 4-year-old son Danny in a tragic accident. Their grief is almost unbearable and everywhere they turn they see reminders of Danny, his little clothes, robot bed sheets, even other children they encounter in the supermarket. Becca’s sister (Julianna Zinkel) and mother (Janis Dardaris) try to help but the couple is inconsolable.

Director James J. Christy remarkably well acted production (Temple University undergrad Aaron Stall is magnificent as the traumatized teen who accidently kills Danny with his car) doesn’t shy away from the couple’s misery, but though the show is occasionally painful to watch it is not unrelentingly sad. A 2007 Pulitzer Prize winner for drama, Lindsay-Abaire’s extraordinarily well play is never sentimental or manipulative. Instead it’s an honest, tender and at times humorous story of people struggling with unimaginable pain. Howie and Becca argue, cry and lash out, but they go on living. In the end their relationship is damaged and altered, but amazingly still intact.

Absence

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:17:14 PDT

Poor productions of inferior plays are a rarity at People’s Light and Theatre, a fact that makes the company’s world premiere production of Absence all the more disappointing.

Penned by Wendy Hammond, the two character play follows the relationship of Peter (Greg Wood) and Mary (Judith Lightfoot Clarke) from 1945 to 2003. Mormons from Utah, the story begins in Boston where Peter is attending graduate school at Harvard. Mary has traveled across the country hoping Peter will propose. He does, but like everything else in Absence, it takes forever before he pops the question. (We’re told Peter is “long-winded,” an unappealing trait in any character.)

Set against the backdrop of such landmark events as World War II, the McCarthy hearings, Vietnam and the fall of the Soviet Union, the pair go about their lives, sometimes together, often apart.

There is nothing original about Hammond’s script and the only interest is generated by Peter’s job, which appears to be with the CIA or some other secretive government organization.

Director Ken Marini’s production does little to spark our interest. Known for his creativity, Marini’s production is almost shockingly bland. Clarke and especially Wood (normally two of the area’s top actors) struggle to find their characters in the multiple time periods. It’s not entirely their fault. Underdeveloped and uneventful, the play never finds its footing. Producing new work is essential, but Absence doesn’t yet warrant an audience’s attention.

Through Nov. 8. $29-$48. People’s Light & Theatre, 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern. 610.644.3500. peopleslight.org

The Calendar: October 28 - November 3

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:56:57 PDT

Wednesday October 28

Love’s Labour Lost
Shakespeare’s original home, the Globe Theatre, gives Philadelphians a dose of frolicsome Elizabethan fun with its staging of the Bard’s comedy Love’s Labour’s Lost. One of Shakespeare’s early efforts, Lost concerns a king and his band of merry men who pledge
to shun women and instead channel their energies in more academic pursuits. However, their vow to avoid romantic entanglements is tested when the princess of France and a trio of lady attendants arrive to interrupt the men’s studies. More laudable for its linguistic dexterity (which is truly impressive) than its simplistic story, Shakespeare employs every comic device in his arsenal including puns, outrageous parody, plays-within-a-play, eccentric syntax and a host of ridiculous impersonations. For the U.S. tour Dominic Dromgoole (who helms the production) hopes to recreate the full Globe experience (outdoor productions that adhere to Shakespeare’s original staging) by leaving the house lights on and having the characters speak directly to the audience. J. Cooper Robb
7:30pm. $20-$45. Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 3680 Walnut St. 215.898.3900. annenbergcenter.org

Thursday October 29

East Hundred
Yes, emerging Philly indie-rock quintet East Hundred has a compelling, Fleetwood Mac-esque backstory: Guitarist Brooke Blair and singer Beril Guceri started the band five years ago as boyfriend-girlfriend, broke off their relationship in 2007, but kept the group together for the music. It’s that music that deserves most of the attention, but it’s fair to note the heartache and difficulty of the former lovers being around one another in a creative situation has certainly fed the band’s excellent tunes, adding layers of emotional tension and complexity, and darkening the otherwise sweet vocals, engaging melodies, and lush, guitar-propelled dream-pop. Michael Alan Goldberg
7:30pm. $12. With the Dear Hunter, Annuals + Stephen Brodsky. First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. 866.468.7619. r5productions.com

Dish it Up
When PW ran a cover story last April that highlighted how severely under-serviced Philadelphia is to deal with domestic violence and how the one—yes, one—shelter was facing budget cuts threatening its ability to thrive, readers came out of the woodwork to ask how to help. Now there’s a sweet way to make a difference and get a smashing evening out of it. Enter the first-ever Dish It Up, a benefit evening where 10 prominent local female chefs—everyone from Top Chef contestant Jennifer Carroll at 10 Arts to the ever-soulful chef Delilah Winder of Delilah’s Southern Cuisine—cook and compete for best dish, an honor chosen by NBC anchor Kristen Welker and awarded by Mayor Michael Nutter. Guests will taste dishes, sip complimentary cocktails and beer, nibble desserts and hit the dance floor to shake moneymakers for Women Against Abuse, the largest anti-domestic violence program in the country that sadly, still just isn’t large enough to handle needs of local families shattered by violence. Sixty bucks is the new go-out minimum anyway; drop it where it can count. Tara Murtha
6pm. $60. Moore College of Art & Design, 20th St. and the Benjamin Franklin Pkwy. womenagainstabuse.org

Project H.O.M.E.: A 20th Anniversary Celebration
Whether you can tell the difference between Monet or Manet, we can all appreciate the work that Project H.O.M.E. has done for the city. The organization helps the homeless by encouraging artistic expression as a means for psychological and emotional development. They’re celebrating 20 years of philanthropy by catching up with former artists and redisplaying some of the work created through the program. All the artists featured have previously or currently live in one of Project H.O.M.E.’s residences and have moved into permanent housing. “The formerly homeless artists involved in this exhibit have overcome many challenges, and art has played a significant role in their recovery,” says Amanda S. Aronoff, Vice President of Development for Project H.O.M.E. “The art that will be on display is worthy of appreciation and recognition in its own right, but it is also inspiring as an expression of hope and potential.” Anastasia Barbalios
5pm. Free. Through April 14. Philadelphia Foundation, 1234 Market St. 215.563.6417. philafound.org

Michael and Michael Have Issues Live
Longtime frenemies Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter do a lot of sharing. Sometimes this makes them feel a little insecure. They share a first name and have similar IMDB pages, both turning up in The State and Wet Hot American Summer. They also share a popular Comedy Central sketch show called Michael & Michael Have Issues. In it, they play two sketch comics also named Michael, constantly vying for the lion’s share of the laughs. People do laugh, though there’s no way of knowing how to divvy it all up. Now Michael and Michael share a van and a toilet as they tour the country with a live production based on their series. Tonight, they take the stage at the Troc and share their wide-eyed, deadpan comedy with you. Isn’t that friendly? Paul F. Montgomery
Thurs., Oct. 29, 8pm. $24. Trocadero Theater, 1003 Arch St. 215.922.5483. thetroc.com

Friday October 30

Saul Williams
Don’t be surprised if Saul Williams’ performance Friday ends with dude asking for a hug. That’s been the word coming out of shows the spoken-word artist-cum-Afro-punk/industrial hip-hop hellraiser has been performing during his current North American tour. But it turns out these shows have been running the full emotional gamut, from Williams and his band igniting the crowd in a good ol’ fashioned, mosh-pit frenzy (especially when they perform tracks from Williams’ Trent Reznor-produced, 2007 album The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust!) to Williams intellectually stirring up said audience’s emotions by spitting some poetic verses and Williams jumping off stage and engaging in a post-show, mass embrace. Since a Saul Williams show has been getting a rep for draining a lot out of you, wouldn’t you want somebody to hold afterward? And wouldn’t you want it to be the performer in question? Just go to the show and hug it out, bitch! Craig D. Lindsey
9pm. $18-$21. With Black Landlord, West Vienna + American Fangs. Theater of the Living Arts, 334 South St. 215.922.1011. livenation.com

A Fine Frenzy
A Fine Frenzy is the elegant pop ensemble led by 24-year-old, flame-haired singer-pianist (and sometimes model and actress) Allison Sudol. AFF’s 2007 debut, One Cell in the Sea, had a dreamy, whimsical, romantic quality about it—it pulled off the neat trick of being charming without being dainty or cloying—and Sudol’s clarion voice and clever lyrics spoke to love and loss in simple but wise ways. On the group’s new Bomb in a Birdcage, Sudol and company expand their palette, adding a tad more complexity and texture and, gasp, even a bit more aggression to the mix. But they rarely stray from their essential strengths, making the album—and very likely, this show—an absolute winner. M.A.G.
7:30pm. $20.50-$30.50. With Landon Pigg. World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St. 215.222.1400. worldcafelive.com

George Burton Quartet
If you stopped into Tritone last year for one of Matt Davis’ enchanting gigs with Aerial Photograph, you may have seen George Burton playing viola and playing it well. But Burton is in fact a hot contender on piano, and he’s managed to score something very crucial to a young musician: high-profile gigs with seasoned, much older musicians like saxophonist Odean Pope, trumpeter Charles Tolliver and unsung Philly drummer Donald Bailey, Jr. As he imbibes jazz history from the source, Burton is able to bring a sense of wisdom to his own bandleading. These days his group includes fellow burners Jaleel Shaw on alto and Wayne Smith on drums. David R. Adler
8pm. $10. Ortlieb’s Jazzhaus, 847 N. Third St. 215.922.1035. ortliebsjazzhaus.com

Martha Graham Cracker Day Before Halloween Freak Out
Don’t bother asking Dito van Reigersberg who he’s going to be for Halloween this year. The Barrymore award-winning actor debuted his alter ego Miss Martha Graham Cracker in 2005 and more than four years later, his drag act is still going strong. Every second Thursday of the month, you can find the queen on stage at L’Etage serenading the crowd for the Miss Martha Graham Cracker Cabaret. But just in time to kick off your Halloween weekend festivities, the man dubbed the “drag queen king” by the Inquirer makes a special appearance at the Tritone that’s sure to “freak you out.” Join her and her equally-freaky band for a night complete with tricks and treats. If her hairy-cleavage hugging outfit doesn’t get you all hot and bothered in a good way, maybe the fact that she stands at nearly 7 feet tall in heels will. Sherri Hospedales
Fri., Oct. 30, 9:30pm. $10. Tritone,1508 South St. 215.545.0475. tritonebar.com

Saturday October 31

Queer Zombie Apocalypse Party
SPOILER ALERT: The new Zombieland ends with Jesse Eisenberg (aka Annoying Michael Cera) and Woody Harrelson getting it on in living-dead queer ecstasy. Okay, that’s not quite true (or even a little true), but wouldn’t it be great? And it just might happen at the Queer Zombie Apocalypse on Halloween. Put on by the worldbeat dance party Baile Crunk, the Apocalypse will feature music by Precolumbian DJ, who’ll spin baile funk, reggaeton, dancehall, soca, crunk cumbias and kuduro, a kind of propulsive, percussive beat from Angola. DJ Shoogacane, who reps for the queer ladies, will add Miami Bass and n.o. bounce (both booty-centric). This is the last Baile Funk ever, and it’ll be memorable. Costumes not required but encouraged, so come on, guys–play off pop culture and gay Woody up. Not like he needs it. Liz Spikol
10pm-2am. $5. Elena’s Soul, 4912 Baltimore Ave. 215.714.2043. elenassoul.com

Crew Love II: Boo Love
For those of you who can’t simply decide on one particular type of techno-beat to rock out to this Halloween, let the Crew Love II party at Pi Lam solve your problems. The multi-level club will be dividing the space between two DJ crews: Metropolis, a blend of house-disco sounds, and Subdivision, who produce heavy bass and dubstep beats. The crews have never performed together, so celebrate their merger with “two floors of ecstasy to tantalize the flesh” as the flier so eloquently states. The night may involve continually running up and down flights of stairs, but don’t let it exhaust you—leave that to the dance floor. Emily Freisher
10pm. $8. Pi Lam, 3914 Spruce St. myspace.com/thepilam

Sunday November 1

King Khan & BBQ
Two of the most explosive performers in retro rock, Arish Khan and Mark Sultan, came up as teenagers through Montreal’s raging garage punk scene. Space Shits, their first band, split up in 1995, but the pair reconnected in 2002 and rekindled the chemistry. Together, they mix a volatile cocktail of theater and stomp. Khan is one of garage’s most flamboyant performers, while turbaned, semi-dragged-out BBQ flails and pounds and sings with unmitigated abandon. The music hits on pretty much all the pre-digital genres—doo-wop, psychedelia, R&B, blues, punk and garage—in a campy overload that is, nonetheless, weirdly sincere and heartfelt. Jennifer Kelly
7:30pm. $12. With Dum Dum Girls + Teenage Whore Moans. First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. 866.468.7619. r5productions.com

The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity
On the surface, pro wrestling—part sport, part soap opera—is the teenage boys’ cheesy equivalent to the indulgences of bored Bucks County housewives. (Think Erica Kane on steroids and in Spandex, if you’re freaky like that.) But Minneapolis-based Latino playwright Kristoffer Diaz knows the business behind the suplexes and shit-talking is fertile ground for excavation. “Wrestling is racist, sexist and homophobic,” he says. “I like it, but, like a lot of things in pop culture, it’s complicated and messed up. Which is exactly why I wanted to explore it.” Shortly before arriving in Philly, Diaz’s politically-charged play world-premiered in Chicago, drop-kicking even anti-wrestling viewers’ expectations with a compelling argument that all the pro wrestling world is a stage, on which the forces of capitalism, race and politics discreetly play out. If there is a God—and if he likes his social commentary wrapped in clever writing, crowd-pleasing athleticism and classic hip-hop—the post-Philly stage for this production will be under the bright lights of Broadway. Gerald Johnson
2pm. $29. InterAct Theatre, 2111 Sansom St. 215.568.8079. interacttheater.org

Mastodon + High on Fire
Generally speaking, having one’s face melted off seems most unpleasant. That Nazi dude at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark didn’t appear all that into it, nor did Bob Geldof in The Wall. But somehow I don’t think you’ll mind when the gargantuan guitars and crushing rhythms of the bands featured on the Metalocalypse tour make the flesh drip off your skull. Those responsible for the inevitable carnage? Conceptual metal gods Mastodon, whose recent Crack the Skye imagines a quadriplegic discovering astral travel; High on Fire (pictured), who scale mountains of brilliance with their doomy ancient-warrior metal; metalcore/mathcore pioneers Converge; and Adult Swim’s animated-turned-very-real-and-loud death metal maestros Dethklok. M.A.G.
Sun., Nov. 1, 6:30pm. $34.50-$37. With Dethklok + Converge. Electric Factory, 421 N. Seventh St. livenation.com

Monday November 2

Taylor Ho Bynum + John Hebert + Gerald Cleaver
These three are pacesetters in modern improvisation, so the very idea of their convergence as a trio is rich with promise. Cornetist Taylor Ho Bynum has worked alongside Cecil Taylor, Anthony Braxton and other giants; his own bands include SpiderMonkey Strings and Positive Catastrophe. Bassist John Hebert played with the great Andrew Hill until the pianist’s death in 2007; he’s currently with Fred Hersch and leading his own Byzantine Monkey. Drummer Gerald Cleaver can wail with free-jazz icons like Roscoe Mitchell and Matthew Shipp, then turn around and offer swinging, melodic treasures with his own group Violet Hour. Together, they’ve got six wide-open ears and infinite musical options. D.R.A.
8pm. Free. The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St. 215.573.3234. arsnovaworkshop.org

Illinois
“Look at that girl/ Now look at me/ She’s so blonde/ And I’m so ugly,” Chris Archibald comically bemoans on the pounding “She’s So Blonde,” a song from Illinois’ latest, The Adventures of Kid Catastrophe. The inventively rockin’ Bucks County quartet runs the gamut of moods from dejected to jovial and instrumentation from banjo melodies to electronic dance beats. On the 20-track album, it is near impossible to notice much continuity from song to song. Warmly received at this year’s EXPoNential Music Festival, Illinois’ live show is fun for that reason and the band keeps crowds on their toes. In between the toe-tapping, at least. Kevin Brosky
7:30pm. $13-$20. With the Heavy. World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St. 215.222.1400. worldcafelive.com

Tuesday November 3

Meme Homebrew Competition
Everyone has a buddy who’s big into home brew. Whenever you reach into the fridge at his place, it’s a crapshoot: You never know what you’re going to get from that unlabeled bottle of beer. The concept is nice, but wouldn’t it be ideal if someone did a little quality assurance, so that you’re not stuck with something from a bad batch? At Meme’s fall home brew contest, owner/chef David Katz and his staff are providing a little help. They’re selecting 10 top beers (samples can be entered at the restaurant Wednesday-Saturday afternoon between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.) and bringing in a panel of experts to judge. Joey Chimko, chef of the new Resurrection Ale House, will be whipping up a bunch of beer-friendly snacks, too, included with price of admission. And even with the “experts” there, you’ve got a vote too. At last, give your friend an honest opinion. Dan Packel
6:30pm. $25. Meme Restaurant, 2201 Spruce St. 215.735.4900. memerestaurant.com

Coming Home

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:12:27 PDT

The Wilma Theater opens its season with a supremely enriching production of Athol Fugard’s new play Coming Home . 

Home continues the story Fugard began in his 1995 play Valley Song . In Song, a 17-year-old farm girl named Veronica is preparing to leave her grandfather’s home to find fame and fortune as a singer in Cape Town. Veronica’s youthful optimism is symbolic of the hopes of South Africa in the heady days following apartheid. 

Coming Home

Through Nov. 15. $36-$55. Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. 215.546.7824. wilmatheater.org 

In Home, it’s more than a decade later and Veronica (Patrice Johnson) has returned to the small village where she was raised. Her dreams have not only gone unrealized, they’ve become a nightmare. 

Accompanied by her young son (ably portrayed at different ages by Elijah Felder and Antonio J. Dandridge), Veronica finds employment as a maid with the help of her friend Alfred (Nyambi Nyambi). Life is hard, but it’s a vast improvement over her years in Cape Town, which she describes as a place made by the “devil.” There, broke and disillusioned, she contracted HIV and her life quickly unraveled. 

Fugard takes his time in developing the story, yet the play is never slow or dull. Featuring extraordinarily well-crafted characters, we become fully immersed in their lives, thanks in part to strong performances from the excellent cast. Veronica could be little more than the typical courageous woman in a man’s world, but in a searing performance, Johnson unearths not only Veronica’s heart, but also her nearly unbearable sense of guilt. Nyambi is equally good, effectively communicating Alfred’s own disappointments and his devotion to Veronica. 

Director Blanka Zizka isn’t heavy handed in her leadership of this play. She coaxes and caresses the story forward with a marvelously fluid, almost magical production that fully embraces the play’s lyricism. A huge assist is provided by lighting designer Thom Weaver whose expressive lighting is so soft it often appears that the stage is bathed in candlelight. Composer/musician Mogauwane Mahloele adds to the effect with music that is heartbreakingly soulful. 

Unlike the optimistic Valley Song , in Home something has gone horribly wrong in South Africa. President Thabo Mbeki and his government responded to the AIDS epidemic not with medicine (which exists but is absurdly expensive) but rather with the recommendation that those afflicted eat bananas. The result: Nearly a quarter of all South Africans have become stricken with the virus.  

Yet while Fugard recognizes the nation’s profound hardships, the play is far from depressing. Rich in metaphors, hope is embodied in Veronica’s young son Mannetjie. Excited about learning, Mannetjie keeps his “special words” in a tin can that previously contained the seeds for the family crops. In a nation seriously wounded by the ignorance of its leaders, it is education that holds South Africa’s hope for the future. ■

'Dance With Camera' at ICA

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:57:29 PDT

“Dance With Camera” at the Institute of Contemporary Art is a visual and audio delight. The sprawling show in the ICA’s first floor gallery features video and photography about dance—but you won’t catch any Nutcrackers or black swans. Rather, there are head bangers, suited up lawyers and ball players. The show, composed of work by 31 artists and artist groups, demonstrates artists’ long-time fascination with bodies in motion.

For the show—one of three on view—ICA turned the first floor gallery into a black box with the only light sources coming from video monitors and projections. What’s lost in not being able to read wall labels is more than made up for in the heightened drama of being in a darkened space that evokes a theatre.

Several early performance artists are included in the show and their groundbreaking works give historical context to later works. Eleanor Antin’s Caught in the Act from 1973 sets a whimsical tone. A series of black and white photographs features Antin in tutu and toe shoes posing en pointe. Next to the photos is a video that unmasks the artist as a faker. She can stand en pointe but needs to hold on to a stick to do so. She falls repeatedly. The seemingly perfect photos are a sham. The whole project is an exercise in truth-telling. 

“ Dance With Camera ”: Through March 21. Institute for Contemporary Art, 118 S. 36th St. 215.898.7108. icaphila.org 

Three short works by New York artist Oliver Herring are also about truth. Herring, who films ordinary people in his short videos, places his first subject, Nathan, in a cramped hotel room and asks him to pirouette and dance in Nathan (Hotel Room CT) , 2007. The young man in his suit tries gamely—he stands on the swivel chair, strikes a pose and falls. He does the same on the bed. He is sweating hard and his suit is a mess by the end. Herring’s hand-held camera dances around the room, adding to the sense of instability.  

Even more striking are two works with other subjects— Dance 1, 2002 and Joyce and Davis , 2005. Joyce (middle-aged, short and heavy) and Davis (young, tall and athletic) perform a pas de deux mimicking each other’s moves and falling into each others’ arms ala dance legends Rudolph Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn. The deadpan performances are funny and poignant, conveying the beauty of the human body in motion and the impossibility of achieving perfection. 

Ann Carlson and Mary Ellen Strom’s Sloss, Kerr, Rosenberg & Moore, 2007, brings humor to the show with four lawyers in suits and ties performing choreographed fidgeting in an office corridor. The taut, aggressive movements call to mind scenes from The Matrix , only, here, the men look harmless—albeit annoying—and your first impulse is to laugh. 

Many other works stand out including an early Zen minimalist performance, Dance or Exercise on the Perimeter of a Square , 1967-68 by Bruce Nauman and Bruce Connor’s BREAKAWAY (1966), showing performer Antonia Christina Basilotta (better known as Toni Basil of “Oh Mickey, you’re so fine” fame) gyrating in various stages of undress to the strains of her own song, “Breakaway.” Connor’s videos are “widely acknowledged as the forerunners of music video,” according to ICA.  

Most of the videos are short, and you don’t need to be a dance aficionado to appreciate them. Happily, the museum has sprinkled stools around the gallery to make viewing more comfortable.

For more on the Philadelphia art scene go to theartblog.org. 

Dickens on My iPhone

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:24:06 PDT

For a couple years now – ever since I discovered David Copperfield and fully renounced A Tale of Two Cities – I have been trying to convince people that Charles Dickens’ novels aren’t ponderous 19th-century doorstops but hilariously funny contemporary critiques. It usually doesn’t work given that many of his books are the size of 25 Kindles stacked atop each other – not what the modern reader (i.e., commuter) is looking for these days. Even if people believe that Dickens is a fun read, they’re reluctant to get caught up in it: It’s too much of a commitment, and too low-fi.

So I have a recommendation: BBC Audio’s dramatised (Brit spelling, that) version of Dickens’ Little Dorrit. Available on iTunes or at Audible.com, and worth the relatively steep price ($23.95), the adaptation isn’t merely a dry audiobooks experience. Instead, it’s a lively abridged idea of the book, with much of the language and plot intact, but without all that pesky folderol about the miseries of the French prison in Marseilles or the fluffy side plots with which Dickens tantalized serial readers. This Dorrit is all meat, no potatoes. It’s presented as a mystery and a love story. Ian McKellan, at his rumbling best, reads a few paragraphs and then the audio cuts to the scene itself: We hear footsteps on cobblestones, huffing breaths as people climb stairs, crackling fires and Dickens’ even more crackling dialogue, voiced by marvelous British actors, all inhabiting their parts completely. There isn’t a moment that isn’t completely gripping; whether on the trolley, in bed, walking down the street, sitting at restaurants – all my surroundings fell away as I found myself in England, standing on the bridge over the gurgling river, listening in as Little Amy Dorrit and Arthur Clenham stumbled to understand each other. People passed me in mid-century finery; horses clomped by, kicking up dust and dirt. I was utterly there, and when I turned my iPhone off and looked around, the 21st-century world seemed absurd. Where was I again? I was dislocated every time.

The story concerns the generous, sweet, admirable and largely faultless Arthur Clenham, who, upon his father’s death, returns to London from China, where he’s lived for 20 years. In the audio version, his father’s dying words are about a watch inscribed with the initials DNF for “Do Not Forget,” which leads the guilt-prone Arthur to assume his family has done something horrible. He asks his mother about the inscription, but she and her awful servant Flintwinch (shades of Uriah Heep) reject his entreaties and cast him out.

But not before he gets a look at his mother’s seamstress, a girl called simply Little Dorrit. As is typically frustrating with the audio version, it’s assumed that you understand certain facts without being told them, like how old Little Dorrit is. I was thinking 10 when it turned out she was in her 20s. No matter. It all becomes clear soon enough, when Arthur follows her home from work one day to find she lives in the Marshalsea Prison, a debtors’ prison, with her father.

Dickens’ father was imprisoned at Marshalsea, material he mined again and again, though never so directly as in Dorrit. In the book he takes a shot at articulating the horrors of incarceration (partly informed by his visit to Philadelphia’s Eastern State Penitentiary). But there is much laughter and merriment in Marshalsea too, and that’s what the audio makes the most of. The scenes in the prison are richly evocative and amusing.

The story proceeds when Arthur becomes obsessed with Little Dorrit’s position in the world and decides he’ll do anything to help her, which leads him on a bizarre journey. Along the way we meet a host of classic Dickensian characters, including the Father of Marshalsea; Uncle Frederick, who says, “yes yes yes” all the time though he has no idea what’s going on; Mr. Tite Barnacle and the other Barnacle family members, who run the government’s Circumlocution Office; kind, oft-heated Mr. Meagles and his beautiful daughter Pet, who’s inconveniently engaged to an artist (gasp!); and the buffoonish, meddling Flora, Arthur’s lover prior to his exile in China. There’s even a Bernard Madoff double, who makes you realize that nothing really new ever happens.

Most of all, we fall in love with dear sweet Little Dorrit, who keeps her family together by sheer force of her good heart. I won’t say more because that would spoil the mystery and the fun, but it’s all very captivating. After I listened to audio -- as compulsively as I once watched episodes of Mad Men and Dexter – I found myself surprised by an unavoidable conclusion: I had to read the book. And though I’m only a little ways into it, I can already see how much richer it is than the BBC’s audio version. Of course.

So who says new technology will be the death of publishing? The audio version led me straight back to print. Although, to be honest, I am reading the book on my iPhone. It just seems less … long.

Malcolm McLaren At PAFA

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:41:54 PDT

Before he became the godfather of punk Malcolm McLaren—former manager of the Sex Pistols—was an art student and a mischief-maker. McLaren’s new video at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts proves he’s still out to make trouble as well as art.

“Shallow 1-21,” a mash-up of ’70s porn imagery and pop love songs, is deeper than it may appear on the surface. With dated visuals that are campy, funny and sad, and dance-beat updates of classics like “Foxy Lady,” “She’s Not There,” “I Want to be Loved By You” and “My Funny Valentine,” the piece could easily be dismissed as simply eye (and ear) candy. But McLaren’s embrace of pop culture is more than that. The 63-year-old artist is also commenting on the lies we love to hear perpetuated by pop culture.

“Shallow 1-21”: Oct. 24 through Jan. 3. Reception: Fri., Oct. 23, 6pm. Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Morris Gallery, Broad and Cherry sts. 215.972.7600. pafa.org

PW spoke with McLaren in August when he visited Philadelphia to meet with PAFA curator Julien Robson and see Morris Gallery where “Shallow 1-21” would screen. This was his first trip to Philadelphia. Or so he thought. McLaren admits he could’ve been here with the Sex Pistols, but just doesn’t remember. He’d certainly never been to PAFA, though. He found it to be “adorable.”

“It reminded me of going to museums in the ’60s. It’s anti-corporate, not packaged,” says McLaren—and he knows about aesthetics and packaging. McLaren and then-girlfriend Vivienne Westwood are credited with inventing the ripped-pants-and-safety-pin style of punk.
McLaren is a first-class raconteur. And when he turned on the juice and stared at a place on the wall behind and began telling his tale, it was clear he was channeling another time and place. The words flowed out of him without stopping, a stream of spicy colors, characters and scenes a bit too rich—but totally captivating.

As a young impressionable teenager in London, McLaren had a classical art education, drawing from life and from plaster casts like those in the Academy. He listened to lectures on poetry while surrounded by the art of romantic visionary William Blake. One teacher in particular shaped his future by telling him art was not a career but “the noble pursuit of failure.”

“[The teacher told me] it’s better to be a magnificent failure than a benign success,” McLaren recalls. “That was my ground rule and that changed my life. At 17, you’re vulnerable to this indoctrination. It took me eight years of art school to digest it. It gave you a new perspective,” he said, adding it sparked his “art into action” style of thinking, which resulted in punk rock.

After art school, McLaren had a crisis of confidence, unsure of what to do next. He was depressed and desperate.

Inspired by Elvis, one day he made “a sparkling blue lame jumpsuit and walked the walk on King’s Road” in hopes of getting noticed.
“A man dressed in black crossed my path. He was tall, big, handsome. He spoke like an American. He said, ‘What are you doing around here?’ I was dumbstruck,” recalls McLaren. “He pointed to a tin shack. Inside, the room was painted black and had a mirror ball. A guitar-shaped mirror and ripped blue jeans were on the wall. A free jukebox played ’50s music. It was a rock memorabilia den. I thought, ‘This is marvelous. I want to stay here.’”

The American—who McLaren refers to as “Brad”—asked the young artist if he had “stuff” and offered him a spot to sell his wares. “I ran home and phoned my friends. We brought flea market stuff to the man’s shop and hung around the jukebox.”

Brad disappeared and put McLaren in charge, warning him not to sell any of his things. But McLaren did just the opposite and sold a bunch of Brad’s torn jeans and T-shirts. He later became worried and made replicas by distressing, tearing and dying new items until they looked old and dirty. It was the birth of the punk look.

One of McLaren’s customers was advertising mogul Charles Saatchi. He purchased a Chuck Berry single “Let It Rock” and then came back to buy out “85 percent of the store.”

When McLaren opened his next shop on King’s Road he called it Let It Rock in memory of those early days. He began calling himself “a tradesman in rock and roll.”

A few years later, McLaren expanded and opened a new boutique with a decidedly punk rock twist. “I decided to have a shop that was all about what 13-year-old boys wanted: sex.” McLaren and his associates created sex clothes with one guideline: “everything should fit Vivienne, who had the body of a 13-year-old.” The shop became a hangout for local teenagers and young adults. The Sex Pistols was an outgrowth of that time and McLaren became the band’s manager.

Through all this, McLaren says, he’d accomplished the romantic, artistic goal of achieving success outside traditional capitalism.

Speaking of his new video, McLaren said he was inspired by Mexican artist Stefan Bruggemann who was curating a show at Gallery 1-20 and wanted him in the show. “He [Bruggemann] said, ‘The title of my show is shallow.’ The way he said it almost frightened me. It’s a word used to describe pop culture and pop rock. I’ve been called shallow,” says McLaren.

“I rarely look at video art. I’m not interested. It bores me,” he explains. He sees his own video vignettes in “Shallow 1-21” as “magical portraits” or “musical paintings,” something more like an updated William Blake, who “is all about sex and death in the most symbolic manner.”

Cabinet of Wonders

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:41:54 PDT

Gas & Electric Arts opens their fourth season with an absorbing production of Kira Obolensky’s bold family drama Cabinet of Wonders, An Impossible History .

The first play commissioned by the enterprising G&E, Wonders is a bizarre but fascinating exploration of what defines a family. Under Lisa Jo Epstein’s imaginative direction the show uses inanimate objects, bodies, movement and sound to immerse audiences in a world both strange and oddly familiar. 

Although the scenario bears a passing resemblance to Arthur Miller’s The Price , Obolensky takes a unique approach to the subject of family. Described as a “physical object theatre piece” the play combines storytelling and installation art to show a familial history composed of equal parts reality and fiction.

Wonders focuses on Leopold (Ross Beschler) and Christina (Catherine K. Slusar). They appear to be brother and sister, but like everything else about the family, their precise relationship is uncertain. Evicted from the family home, they can only take what they can carry. Deciding what to save among the family heirlooms stuffed into a variety of cabinets is no small task, and they argue. Christina (who says one cabinet contains “maps to show me where I was”) wants to take “things that will help us remember.” Leopold argues they should only bring “things that we can use.” 

It would be unfair to reveal how the pair resolves the difference, but as the play develops, the family’s mysterious history captures our attention. We learn the clan had an entertainment act. The father was a knife thrower and the kids performed a song and dance. Beyond that, nothing is certain. 

It doesn’t help that Christina is reluctant to reveal information. She won’t even tell us her name. Instead she calls herself “the opener.” “I open what deserves to be open,” she explains. 

Leopold calls Christina by another name: “castration queen.” Regardless of the unflattering title the two seem dedicated to each other if for no other reason than that they have nowhere else to turn. 

Instead of a defined playing area,  Epstein uses the play’s hybrid form to expand the action into every corner of the cavernous underground space. Lighting designer James Clotfelter makes great use of the objects that clutter the area giving the production a visual signature that is both distinct and effectively dreamlike.  

Obolensky’s script is in sore need of some judicious edits and even at a mere 90 minutes the play has moments of tedium. Slusar brings some clarity to the proceedings with her thoughtful portrayal of the enigmatic Christina, but Beschler (who gave a terrific performance last season in Lantern Theater Company’s The Lonesome West ) is a disappointment and his overly eccentric depiction of Leopold lacks dimension.  

Nevertheless Obolensky’s play and Epstein’s production are so artistically audacious we can forgive the faults. Daring and unpredictable, Wonders doesn’t always achieve its goals, but its originality more than compensates for its occasional lapses. ■

Cabinet of Wonders, An Impossible History 

Through Oct. 24. $22-$25. Underground  Arts at the Wolf, 340 N. 12th St. 215.407.0556. gasandelectricarts.org