Tuesday Pianist Gary Graffman turned a right hand injury around into a brilliant career performing repertoire written for the left hand alone. Hear him play works by Bach, Brahms, Scirabin, Corigliano, and more. Perelman Theater (Kimmel Center); 8 PM; $22.50 Thursday Crossroads Music presents Kalman Balogh, accomplished player of the cimbalom, a difficult 36-stringed Central European hammered dulcimer. Calvary Center for Culture and Community (48th and Baltimore); 7:30pm; $10-$20 The new chief conductor of......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Chick Lit: Local author and blogger Jennifer Weiner (Good in Bed, In Her Shoes, etc.) will be reading tonight at Kol Tzedek at Calvary Center (801 S. 48th Street) where she is Writer-in-Residence. Her talk begins at 7:30, and there is a suggested donation of $5. Josh Komorowski and Friends Featuring Joel Ackerson: Philadelphia musician Josh Komorowski hosts a free night of music at Upstairs Live! (3025 Walnut......

This week’s quote comes from Shakespeare’s Richard III, act five, scene four. In this scene, the king’s horse has been killed in battle, and he’s so desperate to stop fighting on foot that he offers his kingdom for a horse. Full quote: “A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!” Why did we choose it? Because Shakespeare starts us of this week. Now, on with the listings! Love’s Fire - We at Phillyist are......

This week's quote comes from novelist Douglas Adams, in conjunction with the impending production of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galxay (see below). The quote continues: “At any rate, you live.” Now, on with the listings! Mission to Mercury - We have this friend who’s written two books of poetry dedicated to British rock band Queen. That’s how we learned that Queen was a big part of artsy culture and not just the band that......

We’ll be back in Philadelphia tomorrow (after an extended stay with the folks in Texas), and we’ve certainly picked a good theatre weekend to return for! Macbeth - We all read it in high school, and we probably remember it at least a little, so we’ll spare you the trouble of reading our summary and just let you check out the Curio Theatre Company’s production of “The Scottish Play.” The play opens this weekend and......

We’re still Deep in the Heart of Texas, as it were, but our love for performing arts in Philadelphia knows no bounds. Keep reading for exciting upcoming events! Hairspray - Those of us who are fans of the Fox summer hit So You Think You Can Dance have heard the producers say on more than one occasion that they’d like to be able to say that big girls can dance. Hairspray proves that at least......