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A neighborhood’s arrival often has a lot to do with its arts. The Walking Fish Theatre is doing its best to make it known that Fishtown is back.

Hugging the Frankford Avenue corridor that divides Kensington and Fishtown, the young arts space has shared a growing collection of performances and events in recent months, highlighted by the beginning of its second annual Fresh Fish Ten Minute Play Festival on April 1. The show runs every Wednesday to Saturday from April 1 to 18 at 8 p.m., and then a final performance on Sunday April 19 at 2 p.m.

Each night features eight 10-minute plays, varying in focus from time travel and the Amazon to, um, cheese. Buy tickets at the door or online: www.walkingfishtheatre.com. Tickets are $16, $12 for students and seniors, but the theatre, in its effort to increase access to the arts, offers pay-what-you-can entry every Wednesday.

Fresh Fish 2.0 Ten Minute Play Festival
April 1-18, Wed-Sat @ 8:00pm, April 19, Sun @ 2:00pm.

Walking Fish Theatre
2509 Frankford Avenue, Fishtown, Philadelphia
(215) 427-9255
www.walkingfishtheatre.com

She’s become known as “The Tree Mother of Africa.” She founded the movement that planted over 30 million trees in Kenya. She won the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize. This is only a small part of Dr. Wangari Maathai’s story, which also includes creating jobs for hundreds of thousands of Kenyans and using sustainable development to improve the lives and environments of countless more.

Alan Dater and Lisa Merton tell Maathai’s story in the documentary film TAKING ROOT: The Vision of Wangari Maathai. Independent Television Service, WHYY and Philadelphia CineFest will host a free screening of the film on Monday, March 30 at the WHYY Civic Space. Presented in partnership with the African Studies Center at the University of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, the documentary will be followed by a Q&A with co-creator Lisa Merton.

Reservations required, doors open at 6:30. Come learn about the woman who makes today’s “green” movement look like a drop in the bucket.

TAKING ROOT: The Vision of Wangari Maathai
Monday, March 30, 7p.m.

WHYY Civic Space
150 N. 6th Street, Philadelphia, PA
(215) 351-0511
www.whyy.org/memberexperience

The annual Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival tends to celebrate traditional Japanese culture, but one of its upcoming events is decidedly modern. Next Monday the city will get an introduction to present-day Japanese fun at the Robot Sumo Battle seminar and competition at Liberty Place.

Robot-sumo melds the traditional sport of sumo wrestling with contemporary engineering. How does it work? Two specially made sumobots attempt to push each other out of a ring. Just like with wrestling, first one out loses. Though the game is popular enough to have national tournaments in Japan, the Philadelphia competition probably won’t be quite as cutthroat. After the opening ceremony, “Dr. Robot” will lead participants (limited to kids between ages 7 and 15) in assembling and decorating the six-legged robots and readying them for battle.

The bots hit the battlefield a few hours later, and after the award ceremony everyone gets to take their creations home.  While the actual robot-making is limited to 15 kids, anyone can show up to watch the battle and cheer on the contestants. It may be as close as most of us get to a sumo-wrestling ring.

Robot Sumo Wrestling Tournament
Monday, March 30, 2009
Opening ceremony at 10:30am, tournament at 12:30pm

Liberty Place
16th & Chestnut Streets, Philadelphia PA 19103

The positive reviews about the Cézanne exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art keep coming in. This one is from TIME Magazine.

An excerpt:

It’s one of the ironies of art history that Paul Cézanne used to warn young painters, “Beware of the influential master.” Could there have been a more influential master than he? “The master of us all” is what Henri Matisse once called him, by which he surely meant himself, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Piet Mondrian and any of the other pioneers of modernism. Fernand Léger once told an interviewer about his “battle to quit Cézanne,” as though he were a narcotic. “Then one bright day,” Léger insisted, “I said, ‘Zut!’”

But shaking Cézanne is not so easily done. His discoveries were too fundamental to the course that painting would take. By the time of his death, in 1906, it was plain he was the hinge on which the art of the new century was turning. And his influence didn’t end with the first cohort of modernists. His grip on the imagination continues well into the present. As proof, there’s “Cézanne and Beyond,” an ingenious new exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art that combines a choice selection of Cézannes with the work of 18 artists whose practices owe something to his.

Cézanne and Beyond is at the Philadelphia Museum of Art through May 17, 2009.

CLICK HERE for more info.

SOURCE: Paul Cézanne, The Master of Us All [TIME Magazine]

When you write as many bar night event posts as I do, you begin to get an attitude like you have seen it all. From wacky drink specials to game contests like Quizzo and Rock Band, there is truly nothing new under the sun.

But leave it to Fergie’s”"the veritable Quizzo heaven“”to melt my poor, cynical heart with Funhouse. Written by Eric Bogosian, Funhouse is a hilarious, moving, terrifying, compelling series of monologues. And no one better to tackle a Funhouse than the folks from a Madhouse.

Madhouse Theater Company has been entertaining and challenging audiences on stages and, yes, even in bars with their wild performances. They have been written up for their work in the Philly Fringe Festival and for their performance of another Bogosian piece, Pounding Nails in the Floor with my Forehead. Their late night comedy show, Saturday Night Special!, also performs in bars, and has been called “consistently irreverent” by Philadelphia Weekly.

“Madhouse” is a series of monologues exploring the crazyness and the anger of Americans. The monologues will be read in this staged reading by some of Philadelphia’s most experienced actors including: Colleen Corcoran, John D’Alonzo, Allison Heishman, Robert Neddoff, and Gregg Pica.

So break the cycle of simple bar nights and have some fun in the Fergie’s Funhouse.

Through Saturday, April 4th, Fergie’s Pub. Presented by Madhouse Theater Company. $15-$20. Call 215-260-2498 to order.

Fergie’s Pub
1214 Sansom St, Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 928-8118
www.fergies.com

Post by Carl Ritger

The folks over at R5 Productions have more or less been the beating heart of Philadelphia’s independent music community for years now, offering an alternative to the Clear Channels and Live Nations of the world by bringing a diverse range of talent to off-the-beaten path venues across the city. 2008 was a banner year for R5, filled with big name artists and events selling out left and right. 2009 is already shaping up nicely, and this Friday’s show with Efterklang and Peter Broderick at the First Unitarian Church is getting set to be one of Spring’s “Ëœcan’t miss’ events.

Hailing from the Danish capital, Copenhagen, Efterklang have been refining their unique vision of pop music for the better part of the last decade. Pairing electronic elements with post-rock song structures, they’ve carved out a sound that lies somewhere between Sigur Ros’ reverb-laden whale song, the cinematic crescendos of Explosions In The Sky and Björk’s eclectic experimental bent.

However, the real draw here is the inclusion of up-and-coming singer/songwriter Peter Broderick on the bill. Thanks to the impeccable quality of records like Home and Float, Broderick has become a critical darling practically overnight”¦ so don’t miss this chance to say you knew him before he blew up and started headlining the Tower Theater!

Efterklang and Peter Broderick hit the Church Friday, March 27th. Doors open at 8:00pm.

The First Unitarian Church
2125 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
(866) 468-7619
www.r5productions.com

Ok, so I thought I was a tough chick because I played rugby in college. And I continued to think that even after I stopped playing when I graduated. That was until I met real, live roller derby girls. Now they are hardcore. Although, being the competitor that I am, I still thought “they don’t look that tough; I bet I could be a roller girl.” Now my competitive thoughts can be put to the test.

On Monday, March 30th, you and I can try out to be Philly Roller Girls! (Sorry dudes.) It starts promptly at 7pm at Millennium Skateworld in Camden, NJ. Be prepared for the tryouts to last about 3 hours. Skates can be provided at the rink for no charge if you don’t have your own. Also, be sure to take your ID with you because all skaters must be 21 years or older. (It’s a dangerous sport for those kiddies!) It is recommended that skaters wear comfy clothing. You wouldn’t want your favorite pair of jeans ripped when you’re mauled by an opponent.

At tryouts, each girl will fill out a questionnaire for PRG to find out how bad they really want it, then skaters will be put to the test on wheels. Things the trainers will be looking for: good balance, comfort on skates, direction-taking, and a few laps around the rink with air to spare. By the end of the week, each girl will find out whether she has made the cut for the Fresh Meat team.

If you can skate, are in good physical condition, and have always longed to be a Philthy Britch or Broad Street Butcher, attend the try outs on Monday! Can’t hurt. Er”¦ yet.

Philly Roller Girls
www.phillyrollerderby.com

Millennium Skateworld
1900 Carman St, Camden, NJ 08105

If you visit the Headhouse Square or Clark Park farmers markets, you’ve probably found yourself drawn to the Betty’s Tasty Buttons stand, which sells delightfully packaged fudge, chocolate sauce, and other creative confections such as marshmallow “phluff.”

In just two years, the company has become massively popular, developing a reputation for both its delicious goodies and dedication to using organic, fair trade, local ingredients. It’s fitting, then, that Betty’s new headquarters on Grays Ferry Avenue feels as comfortable and breezy as a Pennsylvania farm kitchen, with exposed brick, a chalkboard menu, and a bowl of apples on the communal table.

Betty’s Speakeasy functions as both a storefront and a cafe, where you can take your time with a luscious cup of hot chocolate and a tasty morsel. You could try one of the famous fudges made from owner Liz Begosh’s grandmother’s original recipe, but there are plenty of other options as well. The inventive cupcakes have been especially popular (the newest variety has a curry-inflected frosting), and Begosh is always coming up with new ways to collaborate with nearby businesses, such as offering a cheese plate full of goods from a local cheesemaker.

Summer should also see the addition of an awning and sidewalk tables, perfect for enjoying a very decadent brunch. Until then, you can enjoy what is arguably Betty’s Speakeasy’s biggest draw: you can order all of the treats you want without throwing your elbows at the market.

Betty’s Speakeasy
2241 Grays Ferry Avenue, Philadephia PA 19146
215-735-9060
www.bettysfudge.com

Kate Fahrner as Billie Dawn (Photo by Mark Garvin)

“To all the dumb chumps and all the crazy broads, past, present, and future, who thirst for knowledge and search for truth… who fight justice and civilize each other… and make it so tough for crooks like you and me”¦”

Such are the words of Ed Devery, former Assistant Attorney General of the U.S. government and current financial advisor to Harry Brock, the rapidly rising “junk” salesman who made his fortune from the ground up, and is now camped out in Washington, hoping to strike a deal with a shady senator.

Devery’s toast is the result of a few too many scotch-and-sodas”¦but comes to sum up a major question for many involved in the political sphere”¦how important is it to dedicate yourself to truth, especially in a world where corruption runs rampant?

If it seems like a modern conflict, that’s because it is”¦but it’s also a question that has plagued generations. Welcome to 1946, DC, setting of Garson Kanin’s acclaimed screwball comedy, Born Yesterday, which recently opened at the Walnut Street Theatre…

Read the review after the jump!

(more…)

I don’t know if there was much pop youth culture in Japan before the Beatles came along, but like so many other things, the Japanese have taken the idea of pop culture and absolutely trumped the rest of the world in intensity, devotion and outright craziness when it comes to the ‘next big thing’ of the moment.

I got a heads up from the Japan American Society of Greater Philadelphia, or JASGP (pronounce it how you will…) about a screening of the film Gs Wonderland, a kooky romp through the lives of a group that reinvents itself as fluffy psychedelic pop stars, but ratcheted up the way only a Japanese pop group would dare.

Mistaken sexual identity, good deals gone wrong, and other various comedic twists mixed with Japanese pop culture is the irresistible dish to feed my hungry and rather nutty soul.

Part of the Philadelphia Film Fest, Gs Wonderland screens at the Ritz on Sunday, March 29 and Tuesday, the 31st, and at the Bridge Cinema on April 1st. Check the Film Fest site for times.

Philadelphia Film Festival
www.phillycinefest.com