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Archive: September, 2011
Let me preface this by saying I went to a sushi restaurant before this show and ate chicken hearts, livers and pork bellies. This is a musical for any meat-loving guy who's fallen hard for a sexy vegan, vegetarian or pescotarian. I can't think of a better conflict of interests between two lovers. I laughed hard the whole time. You couldn't squeeze in another meat innuendo if you tried. This was one of the best fringe musical performances I've seen. I love meat!
Through Sept. 13, $12, Mainstage at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St. MORE INFO HERE.
Shakespeare reduced, simmered, teased and troubled into a peppery, satisfyingly complex dream-theater stew that makes the most out some truly captivating ingredients: a fantastically fanciful fabric-strewn set (including aerial acrobatics tissu that went sadly underutilized); inventive, evocative costuming; Catherine Slusar's fierce, authoritative lead performance, and a shadowy chorus of "spirits" whose slinky hive-minded movements and murmurs occasionally felt silly and stilted, but more often effectively creepy and surreal. In less assured hands, Lady M might have been no more than nebulously nifty, but all the susurrating sound and feminist fury here lends itself to plenty of signification — though brushing up your Macbeth wouldn't hurt in untangling its web.
Through Sept. 9, 7 p.m., $25, Arts Bank at the University of the Arts, 601 S. Broad St. MORE INFO HERE.
The steamy basement of St. Stephen’s is an apt place to witness the joyous and poignant South Philadelphian gender-fuck comedy where guidos buck, wing, tap and vogue and guidettes pump iron and bench press. “I’m a stripper, not a dancer,” says the hair-product-drenched Vincenzo (Peter Smith) when questioned about pole-dancing for gay men. Then again, nothing is what it seems in Heavy Metal Dance Fag land, what with the deceased Pops' double life and the likes of Bon Jovi and Poison as a soundtrack du jour for the straight-faced Timmy Bagley, played by Tribe of Fools artistic director Terry Brennan. Every actor plays his hard-ass part with smashing duality, and if you had any investment chops, you’d Kickstart HMDF into a long-term main-stage run.
Through Sept. 11, $20, St. Stephen's Theater, 10th and Ludlow streets. MORE INFO HERE.
Want to see TVotR FRIDAY night at the Mann? Good, cause we want you to, too. (Oops our headline originally said "tomorrow" — the show is Friday.)
Here's what you have to do:
1. Write a haiku about TV on the Radio (yes, we count syllables)
2. Send it to pat@citypaper.net (subject: GIMME TV ON THE RADIO TICKETS) by 4 p.m. Wednesday.
We'll pick our favorite and send the winner and a guest to the show.
TV on the Radio plays Fri., Sept. 9, 7:30 p.m., $25-$39.50, with Broken Social Scene, Mann Center for Performing Arts, 5201 Parkside Ave., 215-878-0400, manncenter.org.
If you dig screwball and suspense but wish the dame would ditch the dick and gaslight her own damn self, Paper Cut’s the one for you. Yael Rasooly’s one-woman show uses pop-up books and paper-cut puppets to get inside the buttoned-up (but rapidly unraveling) mind of secretary Ruth Spencer, who’s got a thing for her boss and nothing but film-fueled fantasies to fill her nights. In Rasooly’s deft hands, Ruth goes from office outcast to romantic heroine to human torch-song shuffle without breaking a sweat. It’s a pleasure to watch.
Through Sept. 7, $15, Media Bureau, 725 N. Fourth St. MORE INFO HERE.
Supposedly about today’s hooked-in culture, Secret Room Theater's Wired plays more like an argument against technology in theater. Consider two people, staring into laptops, apparently conversing through Skype: a lifeless thing to watch. So, too, is Ed Miller holding up a laptop, playing Beth Doughtery’s “Webcam with Marie” — at least clean your grubby screen, dude! And what does Alex Dremann’s goofy backstage farce “The Red Play” have to do with modern technology? Only Elle McComsey’s “iGod” comes close to meaning something with its salvation app. We’ve seen all this, and better, on YouTube; just send me the link.
Through Sept. 17, $15, Second Stage at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St. MORE INFO HERE.
Only a few of these short plays (20 in 90 minutes) have actual stories, like Alex Dremann’s Skank by Proxy, or are genuinely clever, like Mark Harvey Levine’s The Order and Jeremy Gable’s Digital Verite. Most are ideas minus dramatic action, like What Can We ..., a masturbatory musing about what a five-minute play can do (hint: more than this) and The Cock Robin Porn Shop, oodles of naughty bird puns that don’t fly. One, despite Jessie Holder’s committed performance and hot dress, provides all in its title: “If Paris Hilton Wrote Poetry.”
Through Sept. 17, $15, Second Stage at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St. MORE INFO HERE.
View galleryDid you find poetry along your path this weekend? As reported in this week's Agenda section, the Guerilla Haiku Movement (GHM) rolled through town on Saturday, leaving more than 200 poems in Fishtown, NoLibs, Old City, Rittenhouse and Queen Village. While 15 artists appeared for duty, they made impromptu poets out of nearly 100 participants.
Actress-educator Caley Vickerman wanted to share her passion for haiku, giving GHM its start on New York City’s sidewalks in November of 2010. This first materialized in theater classes, where she asked students to spread the love and write to one another. She was shocked at how positive the results were, and it wasn’t long before she took it to the streets.
We checked in with GHM, and they graciously sent us photos from their hard day’s work here in Philly. Some fave moments included kids getting their scribble on outside of a Starbucks, a rooftop haiku extravaganza on a parking lot garage and a wedding party dedicating a haiku to their bride and groom. If you’re bummed that you missed out on the fun, not to worry, the Movement should be back in time for spring.
Reporter Meg Augustin takes you inside some of Philly's most fab dwellings to showcase our city's unique grasp on design and architecture.
The Great Indoors recently discussed amateur designer and interior blogger Ashley Hannan and her knack for creating one-of-a-kind pieces out of thrift store finds and bargain basement goodies. If you don’t know where to look, though, finding unique, functional items can be tricky. To make your hunt easier I did some research to dig up some of Philly's lesser-known one-of-a-kind havens of DIY-able finds.
The Newbie Recently opened in the up-and-coming Passyunk Square area, Era-Atomica is a showcase of everything quirky. Owners Stacey and Michael Barthaletti opened shop when their own home’s mid-century collection was getting too big. Now collecting from the best estate sales and auctions, the duo has come to be the go-to for quirky finds ranging from Deco and Eames-style mid-century to '70s shag. The shop is laid out like a home — dining room, living room and family room spaces — which not only gives buyers ideas but provides the shop with a approachable homey feel that Stacey looks for. 1726 E. Passyunk Ave., 215-551-2345, era-atomica.com.
The Good Eye Only a shuffle down the Schuylkill and you will find Phantastic Phinds, a popular consignment shop in the Chestnut Hill area. The store offers in-shop items as well as an online store for buyers near and far. And while the showroom does feature some beautiful finds, the most unique feature of owner Angela Sipe’s space is her designer’s eye. Most pieces are accompanied by a helpful design mag feature that shows buyers how, with a little ingenuity, an old antique can be turned into a high-style show piece. 631 Bethlehem Pike, Erdenheim, 215-233-3325, phantasticphinds.com.
Tuesday: The early revival pop-rock of the cleaned up Share the Joy has more California sunshine than prior releases from the Brooklyn trio, Vivian Girls. Sure, they like to sing about boys, but that’s no less rock ‘n’ roll than guys singing about chicks. 9 p.m., $10-$12, w/ Widowspeak & Ninjessa, Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 215-739-9684.
Wednesday: Perpetual Groove isn’t new to the jam band world. Their live shows are based around spacey synths, syncopated bass and busy guitar work. Duh. But as the summer festival circuit winds down, this is your chance to see them without having to stand in a field with a couple thousand smelly, sandal-wearing, rock-trading, PB&J-selling-to-get-tickets-to-the-next-show types. 9 p.m., $12-$15, w/ The Heavy Pets & Greg D, The Blockley, 3801 Chestnut St., 215-222-1234.
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