Archive for the ‘Comedy’ tag
Belles of Dublin
Belles of Dublin returns for 4th engagement
at
The Red Room at Society Hill Playhouse,
home of BCKSEET Productions
A Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day tradition!
What: Belles of Dublin
Who: Polly MacIntyre, Kim Robson, and Evangeline Williams
Where: 507 S. 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147
(between Lombard & South streets)
When:
Wednesday March 17, 2010 - 8 pm
Thursday March 18, 2010 – 8 pm
Friday March 19, 2010 – 8 pm
Saturday March 20, 2010 – 8pm
Sunday March 21, 2010 – 3pm
Tickets: Tickets are $20.00 and include 1 free drink. 215-923-0210 or www.societyhillplayhouse.org
About: Belles of Dublin interlaces stories of coming of age and illicit love affairs gone wrong with traditional Irish music featuring vocals, flute, and Celtic harp.
According to Tim Treanor of DC Theatre Scene, “The stories are carved and scoured with language like a cascade of diamonds. It is not simply MacIntyre’s brogue which identifies the pieces as Irish. They radiate the sort of liquid cynicism which has marked the Irish literary voice from Swift through Frank McCourt. The protagonist tells her story from the point of view of love, and the opportunity for love, long past. This could be depressing, but MacIntyre makes it sound rueful, wistful, and, with surprising frequency, funny. That’s in large part because she excerpts her content from the writing of the fine, if underappreciated, Irish writer Edna O’Brien. I do not know what O’Brien would sound like reading her stories, but if she doesn’t sound like MacIntyre, I bet she wishes she did.”
The Wilma Theater presents the World Premiere of Language Rooms
The Wilma Theater presents the World Premiere of Language Rooms
by Yussef El Guindi
directed by Blanka Zizka
March 3 – April 4, 2010
The Wilma Theater continues its 2009 – 2010 season with the World Premiere production of Language Rooms, a black comedy that exposes the divided loyalties among today’s immigrants, discovering the rising cost of the American Dream. The play, from rising Arab-American playwright Yussef El Guindi, is directed by the Wilma’s co-Artistic Director Blanka Zizka.
A recipient of the Edgerton Foundation’s prestigious New American Play award, Language Rooms begins previews on March 3, opens on March 10 (press night), and closes on April 4, 2010. Tickets range from $36 to $65, and are available at the Wilma’s Box Office by calling (215) 546-7842, visiting www.wilmatheater.org, or coming to the theater, located at 265 South Broad Street in Philadelphia. Student tickets are available for as little as $10, depending on date and time, made possible through a grant from PNC Arts Alive.
Ahmed is a shining example of the American Dream, successfully landing a big-time position as a translator at a top-secret detainment facility. But things are not what they seem in this twisted workplace, as he soon finds himself dodging shifty video cameras and absurd interoffice mind games. Brilliantly shifting between comedy and political suspense with surprising twists along the way, Language Rooms is a riveting dark comedy about the abuses of patriotism and loyalty.
Director Blanka Zizka says, “What I like so much about the play is that it deals with the world we live in right now, without suffering from ideological or political agendas or predictability. Just the opposite: the play is fresh, inventive, darkly funny, and fiercely original. It explores the absurd reality that can ensue from pursuing a dream without noticing that the dream has lost its moral standing, leaving merely insistence on loyalty.”
Language Rooms tells an updated immigrant story, pinned down in the glare of an interrogator’s lamp and through the lens of the Arab-American experience. El Guindi’s script highlights the tension between first- and second-generation immigrants, as their personal desires get caught in the machinery of the outside world. As Egyptian-born playwright El Guindi says, “the price for a better life is always a little higher than you think it will be.”
As El Guindi tells Wilma Dramaturg Walter Bilderback, “The wonderful optimism of this country, the propulsion to keep going, to reinvent, that weightlessness, the acceptance that you can change your name, your history, kick your past to the curb as you gun for a new beginning, I think all those good things end up gutting you of a center, a wholeness. What becomes of your touchstones, your anchor, your story, after you leave so much behind? Who are you when you’re always in flux?”
The Wilma’s World Premiere of Language Rooms grows out of an intensive development process, which began with a reading on the Wilma stage a year ago, in addition to workshops at Vassar & New York Stage and Film’s Powerhouse Theater and at the Wilma this summer. The Wilma welcomes back Yussef El Guindi – who The Philadelphia Inquirer calls “laugh-out-loud funny” – for an extended residency during rehearsals.
Scapin at the Lantern Extended til Jan 10th
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SCAPIN extended by popular demand! Adapted by Bill Irwin and Mark O’Donnell and directed by Aaron Cromie, this offbeat re-imagining of the Moliere classic puts famous servant Scapin at the center of an inventive interaction between actors and puppets in a production stuffed with chase scenes, revenge plots, slapstick and spoofery, live music, and lots of theater magic for the entire family. Appropriate for ages 8 and up. Final Performances This Week! Tickets are $27-$35 Student Rush Critical Roundup “The humor is quick-witted and the laughs are continuous and varied: slapstick, political, double entendre, silly, and insightful. This is theater at its best.” -Philly2Philly.com [Go] “The cast’s verbal and physical dexterity never ceases to amaze.” -Philadelphia City Paper [Go] “The Lantern’s production provides a welcome diversion from reality.” -Philadelphia Weekly [Go] “Retains much of Moliere’s original structure but also thrillingly engages a 21st-Century audience, adults and children alike.” -Broad Street Review [Go] “Absolutely hysterical and undeniably amazing!” -Philly Theatre Talk [Go] “What a fun way to end the holiday season.” -Phillyist [Go] |
The Seafarer
The Seafarer at the Arden Theatre, 40 N 2nd St., 1/2 price tickets May 14th – 19th. Call 215.922.1122 or visit the box office and mention PhilaCulturati.
10% off dinner at Bistro 7. 7 N 3rd St. Mention PhilaCulturati and Arden Theatre tickets. http://www.bistro7restaurant.com/index.html
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The Seafarer On a booze-filled, Christmas Eve in Ireland, a group of misfits get more than they bargained for in a high-stakes game of poker. This hauntingly comedic story challenges the ghosts of the characters’ pasts, aptly played by a cast including Greg Wood (Opus, Wittenberg), William Zielinski (Winesburg, Ohio), and Anthony Lawton (A Prayer for Owen Meany). The Seafarer was nominated for four Tony® Awards during its recent run on Broadway. Mention PhilaCulturati when you call the box office and receive 50% off the ticket price (May 14th – 19th). 215.922.1122 |
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Welcome to Old City or Historic Philadelphia. And yes, from the name you can deduce that this is where it all began. Independence Hall is just blocks away at 6th and Chestnut Streets, as is the Liberty Bell. This neighborhood is fascinating it contains the most “historic square mile in the US,” alongside some of the city’s best nightclubs, restaurants and cultural destinations. Easy to access with the El on Market St (stops at 5th and 2nd Streets), Septa busses, and the Phlash Bus. There is metered street parking along Front St and lots throughout the neighborhood. |
Bistro 7 Chef/Owner Michael O’Halloran (formerly of Fork and the White Dog Café) relies on local, organic farmers to create the eclectic American menu at Bistro 7. Its chic, minimalist atmosphere and quality entrees, have made it an award-winning BYOB. You’ll want to try the 5 course, $35 Chef’s Tasting Menu, available Tuesday through Thursday, or order from Dinner Menu. |
Where am I?
Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead
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William Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead
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Tickets are $10 for PhilaCulturati Readers (orig. $20) Show Dates/Times: March 12 at 8pm* March 13 at 8pm March 14 at 8pm and 12am^ March 15 at 3pm March 19 at 8pm March 20 at 8pm March 21 at 8pm and 12am^ March 22 at 3pm March 26 at 8pm March 27 at 8pm March 28 at 8pm Click here to purchase tickets or call (800) 595-4TIX. *Preview performance – pay-what-you-can. Phone reservations or walk-up only. ^Zombie Costume Night – Tickets $10, with free drink coupon if you dress in costume.
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| Dinner at The Black Sheep at 17th and Latimer
15% off Dinner with ticket stub
For beer lovers, The Black Sheep maintains the staples on draught: your Guiness, Hoegarden, Stella Artois, Chimay and PBC Rowhouse Red are ready to fill your pint. The bottled beer selection fills in the gaps, and the bar also boasts a decent wine selection, as well. Order a glass of Ancoro Pinot Grigio, The all day bar menu features the classic american gastro-pub favorites such as the gourmet burger, steamed mussels, fried calamari, baked mac and cheese, and quesadillas. The dinner entrees offer a variety you may not expect at an Irish pub: NY Strip Frites, Grilled Filet of Salmon, Sauteed Crab Cakes, Crispy Duck with Orange Plum Glaze or Pan Seared Rack of Lamb.
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First Person Arts
First Person Arts’ Story Slam @ L’Etage Cabaret, 6th and Bainbridge. Doors open at 7:30, slam starts at 8:30. $8 21+.
DINNER: Little Fish, 6th and Catharine St. Reservations recommended, 215-413-3464.
Comical, entertaining and inspiring, First Person Arts’ StorySlams blend open mic comedy with performance art. What is a ‘Story Slam?’ Much like a poetry slam, a story slam is an open competition for people to tell their stories drawn from real life occurrences, performed sans-script, in front of a live audience. Each month has a different theme such as “bad ideas,” “I think we’re alone now,” or “baggage”.
Nestled on the border of Queen’s Village and Bella Vista neighborhoods, L’Etage Cabaret is an awesome venue for these performances. Directly above Beau Monde Creperie, on the northwest corner (think: to your right if you’re walking down 6th from South St) the entrance is marked with a tile mosaic, just after the Creperie’s outdoor seating. During the StorySlam, L’Etage will be offering $4 well drinks.
Still not sure what a story slam is? Check out some of last year’s performances on YouTube: 
Make a night of it! Two blocks south from L’Etage at 6th and Catharine, is one of the best, most affordable seafood restaurants you will ever find. Period. AND it’s BYOB! The aptly named Little Fish is a small restaurant run by chef/owner Mike Stollernwerk and his wife, Marilyn. The almost one-room restaurant is open to the kitchen where you can see your fresh fish being prepared to order. Stollernwerk does incredible things with mahi mahi, diver scallops, skate, even surf and turf. And don’t get caught up in just the entrees, the calamari and mussels are superb starters, side dishes are paired with their entrees to perfection (butternut squash, braised collards, sweet potatoe puree), and I’ll be drooling on my keyboard as I list the desserts…star anise creme brulee, chocolate truffle torte… [sigh].
Please do make reservations, as the small restaurant fills quickly. Open 5:30 – 10. Call 215-413-3464 for reservations. Make sure you stop by the Wine & Spirits store at 724 South Street for libations.
Stay tuned for other places in the vicinity to visit.
Mütter Fun
19 South 22nd Street, Mütter Museum, 215 563-3737
When it comes to being “disturbingly informative” there’s weird and then, there’s Mütter weird. Quirky, slightly eccentric and 100% unique, the Mütter Museum is basically the Marilyn Manson of the museum world. Boasting some of the world’s strangest medical pathologies, the museum was once a surgery professor’s personal collection (aka Dr. Mütter). Building on his collection, the museum now has some 20,000 + objects including anatomical specimens preserved in fluid (think: baby in a jar), archaic medical tools (before laser surgery it was approximate-and-cut surgery) and plain old weirdness.
Want to see the world’s largest colon? A lady who decomposed into soap? Conjoined twins attached at the chest? Yeh, they’ve got that.
Well before I oversell it with tantalizing facts about the body’s abnormalities and medical wonderment, let me pass one more tidbit by you: the museum is open late every Friday evening. With normal hours of operation M-F 10 to 5, the Mutter has decided to accommodate all of the Friday weird-date-night business by staying open until 9pm.
So make a date of it! The Mütter Museum is on 22nd St between Market and Chestnut (easy access from the trolley stop at 22nd and Market). Ideas: walk a half block south to Sansom St and check out the Helium Comedy Club (2031 Sansom St.) and hit up the Rum Bar or Monkey Bar both easy-going bars with a hip vibe on Walnut St just before 20th.