Arts & Events: November 2009 Archives

Who the fuck laughs at Rashomon?

I've gone out of my way to try to find some really great things for you, your kids, and all their annoying cousins in from out of town this week. Lots of outside stuff, lots of places for them to run around and burn off the sugar from that Cool Whip coated pumpkin pie.

And that quote obviously comes from Charles Dickens' , which practically every theater in this town is doing a production of in the upcoming weeks. Luckily for those of who just cannot bear to sit through that story yet again, there's plenty more going on:

Playing at... - Trailer - Reviews

We at Phillyist love a comedian with well-developed bits (ahem...so to speak) on food and dessert, so we are thrilled that comedian Gary Gulman will be bringing his standup act to Helium Comedy Club for two nights only this weekend.

Sometimes, darkness is a theater's old friend. It allows the cast of the currently running show a day to breathe, routine maintenance can be performed, and the stage can be reset for the next performance. But most times, darkness is an enemy to be fought to the death. The longer a theater is dark (without a show in residence), the longer it is without income. If dark is a fight for your life, closed is worse. Closed is dire. Closed is a battle back from the beyond. And in the case of the 941 Theater, a war is being waged right here in Philadelphia.

          

Opening band Gallows was pretty damn hardcore. Lead singer Frank Carter jumped out into the middle of the floor and sang almost the entire set in the midst of the pit. But Gallows are off the few remaining tour dates because their crazy antics have beat their bodies. So the very British band (as evidenced by the amount of times Frank said the word "fuck") flew back to England. I'm still undecided as to whether I actually liked them or not, but I was pretty entertained by the spectacle of the whole thing. However, Gallows must have gotten the bad kids all riled up because before AFI got to their encore I had shit stolen.

The Whole Hog Event, the fundraiser held by Greensgrow Philadelphia Project Saturday, November 21st, was an inspiration. We cannot remember when we had such warm response from a room full of people we didn't really know. Sitting in the expansive party room of the Philadelphia Brewing Company, sipping on a fine Red House while Ray Charles sang about Georgia in the background, all was right with the world. The room was comfortable; mothers fed toddlers amazing homemade salsa and basked in the warmth that comes from a true sense of community. Partygoers buzzed around the bar. They sampled all of the incredible brews the PBC has to offer. The scene was drawn directly from those often depicted in small town fair scenes in the movies. Christmas tree lights twinkled. People smiled and chatted. They shook hands. They got to know their neighbors.

Hey photobugs, are you ready for Phillyist Framed 2010? Well, here's your heads up. Our wildly successful photography competition is back for another go-round in January. We'll see you back at Studio 34 in West Philly with more of everything. More entries, more judges, more fun! Starting next week we're going to ask you to submit your best Photoist-type creations for a chance to exhibit at a week-long gallery show. (Yes, you will be able to price and sell your work!) Plus, this year our special guest judges will be selecting 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners.

When watching a concert, there are many thoughts that may pop into one's head. "Oh, this is pretty cool, maybe I'll buy their album." Or, "This is putting me to sleep." When I saw Shonen Knife live at Johnny Brenda's on Monday, the thought that immediately popped into my head was, "I wish I could bake this band in to a cake so I could eat them!" That's a weird thing to say, but Naoko (guitar), Etsuko (drums) and Ritsuko (bass) would totally understand I meant it as a compliment.

Tonight The Trocadero is treating you to three acts sure to rock your soul and your socks.

*Corrections have been made in this column concerning the Philadelphia Circus School Event*

311 has always been a band that puts on a fantastic, high-energy show and tomorrow night's sold-out performance at The Borgata should prove to be no exception. This Phillyist was a fan of 311 when Grassroots came out and their sound has evolved so fluidly, keeping us interested ever since. This new fall tour seems to stem off the most recent summer tour, promoting their newest album, Uplifter.

Normally when we go out in the world to review films, we end up in one of the smaller theaters at the Ritz 5 with a mere handful of other journalists and/or bloggers. For Twilight: New Moon, not so much.

Only four new movie choices for this weekend, folks. Looks like Hollywood couldn't rustle up many opponents who wanted to do battle against the juggernaut that is Twilight. Cowards.

You know we love BalletX. But have you had a chance to experience it for yourself yet?

. . .and we're back! Did you miss us? Were you itching to know just what shows were up and running in Philly? Well, here you go. Our title quote comes from the , which opens next Tuesday at the Media Theater.

Rather appropriately, Prince's "Party Like It's 1999" served as ring entrance music to the the main event at The Get Up Kids TLA show. The newly reunited band is currently touring to support their Something To Write Home About 10th Anniversary CD + DVD. After the new year they're off to see our friends in Australia and Japan, but it sure was nice to have them visit us in Philly for two dates.

To bring attention to the lack of proper sanitation that 2.5 billion people in the world must face every day, the World Toilet Organization (the other WTO!), is asking that people all over the world take a one-minute long squat Tomorrow, November 19. Hopefully all of you readers have been practicing your chair pose at yoga class, because a one-minute squat will get your thighs screaming. Lack of proper sanitation creates a breeding ground for disease. Sure, the bathrooms at some of Philly's bars aren't exactly vacation spots, but at least they work; it beats using a field or a train track. And women are gravely affected by this lack of sanitation. Because of culturally bound ideas of modesty, women often have to wait until sundown or relieve themselves before sunrise. These dark areas are also not safe places for women. So, consider it your workout for the day or a great way to get together with others to draw attention to a serious world issue. But give a squat!

There are innumerable ways to open this concert preview. We could do straight down the middle, noting the sheer amount of R&B power taking the stage at Temple University this weekend. Or perhaps a witty (sexual yet tasteful) reference to starting a love train? But seriously, just look at the photo. Who wouldn't want to spend a Saturday night with these guys? Fuggedaboutit!

Playing at... - Trailer - Reviews

Pot and incense. Although we could easily identify the aroma at the Dylan concert on Monday night, the show itself left us scratching our heads.

Today we were supposed to share with you, dear readers, an interview with guitarist Jade Puget. However, Jade's quotes were rather unfortunately sacrificed to the recordings gods (thanks a lot technology), so we're not able to recount everything we got to talk about, but we can give you some small nuggets of info along with our take on AFI's new album, Crash Love.

The world famous Mannheim Steamroller is giving what we are calling a "Christmas sneak peek" concert at the Academy of Music this Saturday, November 14th. As this is their 25th anniversary tour, the world famous instrumental group is bringing out the big guns and getting ready to rock your Christmas Tree sweater right off. Featuring both their incredibly popular Christmas music and a pretty impressive multi-media show, Mannheim Steamroller, or as we friends of the group like to call them, "Steam," offers a great way to kick off the beginning of that seemingly endless, but nonetheless magical, two month run up to Christmas awesomeness.

I am beginning this column by making a statement. It's controversial and I know I will probably get some hate mail, but I don't care. I'm taking a stand.

I saw Disney star Ralph Covert at the World Cafe Live on Sunday and I loved it.

Phillyist's quick-picks for your evening agenda.

Early in the Mourning is a new play by P. Seth Bauer, currently showing at the Plays and Players Theater. On a howling New Year's night in Massachusetts, an elderly Jewish couple try to come to terms with the loss of their son—a middle-aged, homosexual teacher of writing—whom they never quite accepted during his life. Their grieving process is first complicated by the fact that the dead son has appeared and is hanging around the house, unsure what he is supposed to be doing, and second because one of his former students, an aspiring and tortured writer, pays a late night visit, and has powerful, conflicted feelings for his old mentor.

When I previewed Stevie Wonder's upcoming performance at the Borgata, I was excited to say the very least. The event center at Borgata is large enough to hold the crowds that an artist like Stevie can draw, but it still feels intimate. My husband and I had fantastic seats and while we waited for the show to start we passed the time people-watching, which was a treat as everyone seemed to really dress up for this show. Maybe it was being at the Borgata or maybe it was the thrill of seeing Stevie Wonder in person but we felt under dressed—me in a black dress and heels and him in a suit, that's for sure. The Borgata, by the way, is one of our favorite places to catch a show when we we're down the shore. They always treat people well, especially Phillyist people, and although it's still a casino with casino-like pricing at some of their restaurants, we had no problem heading to Metropolitan and totally annihilating one of the greatest grilled cheese sandwiches we've ever had in our lives. Dinner for two (including a glass of wine apiece) was under $50.00.

Last week at the Annenberg Center, Phillyist attended a performance by trumpeter Herb Alpert and vocalist Lani Hall. Upon hearing about the show, this Phillyist's mother expressed surprise that Herb Alpert could still be alive, and indeed, the average age of the audience was remarkably high. Alpert began the show inviting these gray-haired fans to shout out questions, and by the end of the night he had realized his mistake: voices yelled, unprompted, "We love you!" or "Herb, I just want to say this: I love your music and I love your art!" Phillyist began to worry if Alpert and company would be allowed to leave the theatre at all, or whether he would be consumed in an elderly version of the finale of the movie Perfume.

Author Jonathan Safran Foer is probably best known for his works of fiction, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and Everything Is Illuminated. Foer's latest effort, Eating Animals, is a new and, some say, risky non-fiction look at our food industry.

Location: Rittenhouse Square

Phillyist's quick-picks for your evening agenda.

In conjunction with their Posters for the People exhibition, the National Constitution Center is inviting local artists of all ages to contribute to the WPA Poster Contest. The Works Progress Administration, for those of you who don't remember learning about it in history class, was part of FDR's New Deal in an attempt to stimulate a depressed economy and included artists, musicians, and writers back when the arts where considered an important facet of the culture.

The last time Bob Dylan went on tour in these parts, a police officer thought he was homeless and charged him with loitering. And judging from the reviews of his 47th album Christmas in the Heart, the icon's latest sound just might resemble a panhandler's plaintive tunes.

Maybe it's because I love war movies. Maybe it's because I love George Clooney. But The Men Who Stare at Goats, based on a book by Jon Ronson and directed by Grant Heslov (a distant relative-of-a-relative by marriage, but that's not really pertinent), was definitely on my list of most-anticipated movies of 2009. The film, which is based on more truth than you'd like to believe (a paraphrase of the opening title card), follows a reporter's quest to learn more about an elite group of psychic soldiers, nicknamed "Jedi warriors," also features (as Allison so eloquently put it in today's CinePhillyist) "Obi-Won, Kaiser Soze, and The Dude"—a cast list that at once made me giddy with anticipation and totally nervous that the movie wouldn't do its cast justice.

Playing at... - Trailer - Reviews

We've been waiting for this tour since the "Very Last" Reggie and the Full Effect show at the TLA in September of 2008. Back then The Get Up Kids reunion and Someting to Write Home About 10th Anniversary Live DVD was just a rumbling on the internet. Fortunately, a rumor fueled by James Dewees is a reliable one indeed. The Get Up Kids' keyboard player and Reggie founder dropped hints all along his tour that a reunion would be upcoming, and all but confirmed it during the encore at the TLA.

Ralph Covert, from Disney's Ralph's World, is coming to Philadelphia on November 8th at the World Café Live and I'm hoping he's bringing Pickles.

With weekends getting rainy and cold and just...horrible, the good city of Philadelphia has given anyone with children dozens of good reason to stay inside.

Sure, we have a bad rap for throwing snowballs at Santa, but do we deserve this title bestowed on us by The Daily Show with Jon Stewart? Phillyist wants to hear what you think!

       

Somewhere in the midst of the Phillies giving us one coronary after another, we lost track of the fact that we went to the Factory a couple Saturdays ago to check out a couple of our favorite live acts, Paramore (MySpace) and Paper Route (MySpace). It's not that the show was forgettable; we just get a little crazy around Phillies playoff time.

Tomorrow night, the husband and wife jazz team Herb Alpert and Lani Hall will perform songs from their new album, Anything Goes, at the Annenberg Center. Herb Alpert is a trumpet-playing legend: an eight-time Grammy® winner, bandleader of the Tijuana Brass and co-founder of A&M records. Among the friends of Phillyist with longer memories, Herb is famous for his 1965 album Whipped Cream, the cover of which displayed a rather attractive woman wearing nothing but. This time around, however, Herb is performing with his wife, Lani Hall, a Grammy® winning vocalist since the 1960s—we expect both musicians to be fully clothed. They are playing in Philadelphia for one night only.

No World Series game tonight, folks, which means that you can head out to see what's actually going on in the Philadelphia area—as long as you aren't relying on SEPTA to get you there.

You might know comedian Jim Florentine (MySpace) best as Special Ed from the Comedy Central show Crank Yankers. (You know, where you laughed, but then thought you might just be going to hell for laughing?) Phillyist got a chance to talk to Florentine before he yanks your cranks this week with a four-night run at Helium Comedy Club.

You may have caught this on our Twitter feed over the weekend, but after homering twice last night, we thought this love letter to Chase Utley was especially deserved.

Here's one for the standup comedy junkies: Comedy.com has posted their list of 10 funniest comedians in Philadelphia. (Even better, they didn't go with "Phunniest," for which we must give them mad props.)