33 Things to Do in Philly This Weekend
Screaming Females headlines Pilam’s Human BBQ on Saturday. (Girlie Action)
FRIDAY, APRIL 7
First Friday @ All Over The Place
Yesterday I ran down five visual art shows you should check out: Chris Peters at Gravy Studio, Poets and Painters at Painted Bride, David Eichenberger at Space 1026, Wind Challenge 2 at Fleisher Art Memorial and JohnF at Head Games.
Art Unleashed @ University of the Arts
Annual exhibition and sale of some renown. This year’s Art Unleashed shines a spotlight on beloved multidisciplinary artist Shelley Spector. Through April 10.
Pigeon Poetry Slam @ PhilaMOCA
Live, original poetry in a competitive atmosphere, featuring award-wing poet and podcaster José Olivarez. Bring a haiku.
Cabaret @ Academy of Music
Theater critic David Fox had this to say: “Cabaret is a brilliant piece of theater, and it looks as good as ever here — in fact, I’ve seen the staging three times over the years (once on Broadway, twice on tour), and what I saw at the Academy last night strikes me as perhaps the most vividly acted of all.” Runs through April 9.
Cryptopictos @ Fleisher/Ollman
Group show of create cryptic pictures. Through May 26
The Fighter and the Kid @ The Trocadero
Live/standup interpretation of the podcast by ex-UFC fighter Brendan Schaub and comedian Bryan Callen.
Kingfisher @ Creep Records
The local psych/jam/funk/rock instrumental band releases its debut record.
Anna @ EgoPo Classic Theater
Theater critic David Fox had this to say: “Trees, lights, tents, rugs, screens — who could resist the gorgeous decorative excess of EgoPo’s Anna (scenery designed by the multi-talented Aaron Cromie)? Over the next two hours, this marvelous adaptation of Anna Karenina, devised by director Brenna Geffers and the ensemble, will build on that magic.” Runs through April 16.
Todd Barry @ Punchline
The dry-witted comedian sets up shop all weekend long.
Half Waif @ Everybody Hits
Nandi Rose Plunkett especially crushes it when her baroque pop synth sound bleeds into other genres, be it classical, Celtic or trip-hop.
The Prisoner of Zenda @ Hedgerow Theatre Company
Anthony Hope’s 1894 adventure novel — in which a hapless Brit must stand in for the king he happens to look like — gets a new adaptation by Matt Tallman. Through April 8.
DeadMau5 @ BB&T Pavilion
The DJ with the big giant mouse mask.
The Broken Heart @ Sedgwick Cultural Center
Quintessence presents the John Ford 1633 tragedy, performed in rotating repertory with Love’s Labor’s Lost. Through April 23
Pilobolus Dance Theater @ Annenberg Center
The renowned performance group presents Shadowland, “dreamlike dance narrative” about “about a teenage girl who wakes up one day to something incredible lurking behind her bedroom wall — her shadow.” Warning/bonus: The show contains “brief nudity, strobe lighting, haze and gunfire.” Through April 8
You for Me for You @ InterAct
Theater critic David Fox had this to say: “Don’t try too hard to make all the pieces fit. Mia Chung’s provocative, gripping, occasionally frustrating play is rich in ideas. Some are fully developed; others appear and disappear out of nowhere, without a resolution. Even the genre is an open question. You for Me for You is a comedy, a drama, a thriller, and pretty much everything in between. Don’t ask why — just go with it.” Runs through April 16.
Great Philadelphia Comic Con @ Greater Philadelphia Expo Center
Really, this is in Oaks, PA. Includes appearances by LeVar Burton, Alan Tudyk, Marina Sirtis and more pop culture/sci-fi notables. Through April 9.
SATURDAY, APRIL 8
Our Heavenly Bodies @ International House
A restored version of Hanns Walter Kornblum’s 1925 silent sci-fi film Wunder der Schöpfung with a live score performed by the band Coupler. Looks amazing.
Electrifest Day 1 @ the Rotunda
This two-day LGBT/QPOC wellness and healthcare festival is full of workshops, readings and live performances. Day 1 acts include King Azaz, Ramona Cordova, Pinkwash and more.
Swampoodle: A Philadelphia Noir Novel @ Big Blue Marble Bookstore
Author DP Curran presents his new novel, set in Irish North Philly “in the years between the Easter Uprising in Ireland the boon years of Prohibition in the underworld of Philadelphia and Atlantic City.”
Mumbo Jumbo: Jazz, Poetry and Invention @ African American Museum
This “family fun day” promises crafts, performances and such for the kids.
Dirt Day @ The Dirt Factory
If you want your soil tested, bring it. If you need “high quality organic compost” come on by. Plus learn about dirt.
PILAM BBQ XXXIX @ Pilam
The all-day barbecue/punk tradition continues with another “flesh-roastin’, face-meltin’ day of sacrifice” and live performances by Brandon Can’t Dance, Laser Background, Sad13, Screaming Females and more.
Ars Moriendi: Visions of Death Made Beautiful @ Mutter Museum
Joanna Ebenstein, co-founder of Brooklyn’s lamented Morbid Anatomy Museum, presents a “heavily illustrated talk.” Then writers Chris McCreary and David Spolum read pieces influenced by the Mütter’s collection.
Boss Hog @ Underground Arts
Cristina Martinez and Jon Spencer — ’90s punk-blues power couple — revived their old band to see if they’re still as loud and weird as they used to be. They are. “Shh Shh Shh” is off their comeback record, Brood X.
Emily Wells @ Boot & Saddle
Part trip-hop, part classical, a little hip-hop and rock and pop and soul. At shows, she loops her violin over echoey beats and belts out breathy vocals that build to big-belting choruses. I’m listening to her new odds-n-sods record In The Hot right this minute and her take on “In My Time of Dying” is sort of freaking me out.
Where We Belong: Artists in the Archive @ Historical Society of Pennsylvania
The South Asian American Digital Archive presents a “day-long symposium bringing together archivists, artists, activists, and academics to explore ways to challenge the systematic erasure of stories of marginalized communities in America.” Includes music, visual arts and dance by Rudresh Mahanthappa, Chitra Ganesh, Chiraag Bhakta, Joti Singh and Zain Alam.
Tom Brokaw @ Nesbitt Hall
NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw in conversation with his former producer at the Today Show, Karen Curry. Free.
Joe Jack Talcum & Dandrew @ Connie’s Ric Rac
Live music by two Dead Milkmen. Also a celebration of the release of a new EP by The Founders.
Cultures in the Crossfire: Stories from Syria and Iraq @ Penn Museum
A new exhibition that explores “the ongoing destruction of cultural heritage in the Middle East by showing what’s at stake — the rich history of the region and the diversity of its people — and what’s being done to prevent the loss of this history and cultural identity.” Saturday’s opening reception features music, discussions and family activities.
SUNDAY, APRIL 9
Agnostic Front @ Boot & Saddle
Thrashy hardcore forefathers just dropped a fresh one, My Life My Way. Still heavy and ornery.
Electrifest Day 2 @ the Rotunda
The two-day LGBT/QPOC wellness and healthcare festival continues with more workshops, readings and live performances. Day 2 acts include SWARM, M|GHTHAUNT, Solarized and more.
Morgan James @ World Café Live
Soulful singer-songwriter with a Broadway bent. Check out her cover of a Hall & Oates classic.
Dancing Figures @ Class of 1923 Arena
Figure skating/dancing “featuring the choreographed works of Brooke Frieling.” Not every day you see something like that. Free, too.
Le Cabaret Melange @ Johnny Brenda’s
A “sort of” revival of Robert Drake’s late night cabaret/variety show with Jeffrey Marsh and lots of old favorites doing new stuff.
