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Post by Anna Cutler

“If I have left something unsaid, they will say it.”- Paul Cezanne

Philadelphia certainly has caught the “Impressionist Itch” lately. Between the Barnes Foundation’s upcoming move to the Parkway and the Cezanne exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the city has utterly immersed itself in the impressionist and post-impressionist movements But why? Maybe we like to escape in the vivid colors and swirling designs, or get lost in the emotions of these artists. Perhaps we’re looking for motivation or to feel inspired by the artists’ innovation and unique interpretations of the world.

Understanding that we are all drawn to Cezanne for different reasons, the Philadelphia Museum of Art has put together a special lecture series, Cezanne, Still Going with a variety of topics for those who wish to explore this artistic master in more detail than the Cezanne and Beyond exhibit provides. Learn about Cezanne as an artist, his influence on Albert Barnes or contemporary artists, or take a deep dive into his nude “bathing” subjects.

Plus, if you think you’re extra special and need a VIP tour of the exhibit, don’t worry- the Museum can pamper your ego during its private tours as well. For more information, visit Private Tours or go to the general exhibit website, where you’ll find exhibit hours and ticket pricing information.

Check out the lecture topics after the jump!

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Noam, Lulu, and Yali, three young Israelis, live the bohemian life in the coastal party city Tel Aviv. But everything changes when Noam falls in love with Ashraf, a gay Palestinian man, whom the roommates take in. Ashraf must live a lie and pretend to be a Jew while living illegally with his lover and friends. The lives of the group change as they are faced with the challenges of being openly gay and of hiding a love that stretches across the Israeli-Palestinian divide. Can love truly conquer all?

The Bubble, directed by Eytan Fox (of Walk on Water) won Best Picture at the International Gay Film Awards and won the prestigious International Confederation of Art Cinemas Award (CICAE) at the Berlin International Film Festival.

The Bubble
Thursday, March 26, 7:30 pm
www.iffphila.com

Temple University Student Center
1755 N. 13th St, Philadelphia, PA

Post by Carl Ritger

What do William Shakespeare “” who is arguably the greatest playwright and poet of all time “” and George A. Romero “” the godfather of the classic zombie flick “” have in common? In all honestly, not much! However, the forward thinking folks at the Plays & Players Theater have set out to change that notion by staging John Heimbuch’s genre-bending new play: William Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead.

A theatrical mash-up of sorts, the play chronicles the 1599 zombie plague, which is said to have brought Elizabethan London to its knees and threatened Shakespeare’s very own Globe Playhouse. It’s all very historical (nudge nudge, wink wink) of course; but the play ranks as a must see for Shakespeare aficionados and zombie enthusiasts alike.

Having claimed the title of #1 best selling show at the 2008 Minneapolis Fringe Festival, the play has already been met with both critical and commercial success”¦ so get out there and check out some gratuitous undead carnage! English 101 was never this entertaining!

The play runs through March 28th. Check out Plays & Players website for details.

Plays & Players Theater
1714 Delancey Place, Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 735.0630
www.playsandplayers.org

In the spirit of the Art Museum’s Cézanne exhibit, Fri Sat Sun is offering patrons a free salad inspired by the iconic salad painting on display at the museum. All you need to do is bring your museum receipt with you when you order any meal at the restaurant.

Philadelphia’s vibrant dining and nightlife owes a tremendous amount of gratitude to the accomplishments of the Restaurant Renaissance of the 1970s. Many of these culinary pioneers continue to stand strong, even through today. And yes, FridaySaurdaySunday is one of them. The cozy setup and well prepared seafood, duck, and lamb dishes have kept a steady following of customers here for more than 35 years.

Dine upstairs and experience the romantic ambience of the restaurant’s highly successful Tank Bar. Best of all, Mondays through Fridays the new happy hour special features ½ price drinks, beers and wines between 5:30pm and 7:30pm.

A new snack menu to compliment this special is also available, with funky features such as Wasabi deviled eggs or my top pick”" pastrami bread sticks. Mmm.

In case you find yourself head-over-heels for the interpretative salad, you can also catch the recipe for free on their website.

Friday Saturday Sunday
261 S 21st St, Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 546-4232
www.frisatsun.com

SATURDAY

Third Annual Festival of Hispanic Music
230 Vine Street
Two new compositions by Angel Fernandez and Rodney Whittenberg, plus plenty of tango and salsa. Audrey covered it here. 8pm, $25.

Jack Rose, Andy Giles, Glenn Jones, David Daniell
Plays & Players Theater, 1714 Delancey Place
Always weekend-picked sunny Philadelphia guitar personality Jack Rose headlining Bowerbird’s “Guiter Heroes II”; Carl covered it here; full artist profiles here. 8pm, $10.

Scrapplefest
Reading Terminal Market, 51 N 12th, or Krakus Market, 3150 Richmond Street
There’s a free festival for the most gruesome and Pennsylvanian of breakfast meats; Albert covered it here. 10am-4pm, free.
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It’s true. Philadelphians do not live on cheesesteaks alone.

For breakfast, brunch, or lunch, we occasionally feast on scrapple. What? You’ve never heard of this savory creation? To sum it up, scrapple is a combination of pork scraps and cornmeal made into a loaf and then deep fried. It goes perfect with a side of scrambled eggs and home fries.

When it comes to my love for scrapple, I’m far from alone. The Reading Terminal Market is hosting Scrapplefest, an ode to all things scrapple this weekend. Enjoy a variety of samples, including ones made from turkey, chocolate (what?) and a special kind created just for vegans… vrapple.

Scrapple souvenirs will also be available and so much more! So come have a slice. It’s what the locals would do!

Scrapplefest @ the Reading Terminal Market
Saturday Mar 21st 10am-4pm (Free)

Reading Terminal Market
51 N 12th St, Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 574-8808
www.readingterminalmarket.org

Post by Carl Ritger Photo by Seth Tisue

The Bowerbird collective has been championing experimental music, dance and film works since 2005, bringing a broad range of artists and performers to Philadelphia every year. This Sunday, they’ll be hosting an evening of guitar-based music in conjunction with the renowned Plays & Players Theater.

Dubbed Guitar Heroes II, the event is set to feature four artists, encompassing a range of distinctive styles, exploring the vast possibilities of one of the world’s most popular and flexible instruments.

Alongside Chicago’s David Daniell and Boston’s Glenn Jones, Guitar Heroes II will feature Jack Rose and Andy Giles, two local Philadelphia talents. Rose’s presence on the bill alone is reason enough to make it out, as his finger-picking style “” which harkens back to John Fahey’s ragged Avant-Blues stylings “” is a true treat for the ears, and his local performances are sadly few and far between. No matter what, this is a sure bet if you’re looking for a low-key way to close out the weekend!

Plays & Players Theater
1714 Delancey Place, Philadelphia, PA 19103
215.735.0630
www.playsandplayers.org

Photo by K. Ciappa for GPTMC

Post by Anna Cutler

You remember the Franklin, right? You probably went there for a middle school class trip (it was called the Franklin Institute back then), raced through the giant heart a couple of times, fidgeted through the planetarium show and bolted up the spiral ramp toward to sports gallery. Well, it’s time you rediscovered the Franklin as an adult, and there’s no better time than the present.

This April, the wardrobe doors will close on the current Narnia exhibit and open to the final frontier of Galileo’s dreams. Galileo, the Medici and the Age of Astronomy is a monumental occasion and truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. In celebration of the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s telescopes and for the first time in history, one of Galileo’s original telescopes will be leaving its Italian safe house and traveling around the world as part of the International Year of Astronomy’s celebrations.

As one of the exclusive hosts of this special exhibit, the Franklin offers Philadelphians the chance to discover Galileo beyond what we’ve learned in our history books. In addition to showcasing his teachings, philosophies, politics, instruments and discoveries, the exhibit also contains paintings, prints and manuscripts from the Medici family’s collection and explores their unique relationship with Galileo.

As an adult, you will appreciate this unique opportunity to learn more about Galileo’s impact on the world of astronomy. But don’t leave the child-in-you behind. The big heart is still there”¦ waiting for you”¦

Galileo, the Medici and the Age of Astronomy
April 4-September 7, 2009

The Franklin
222 North 20th Street, Philadelphia, PA
(215) 448-1200

You can tell someone is from Philadelphia when they call it Water Ice rather than Italian Ice! Oh, and it’s pronounced “wudder” ice. What is up with that?

As funny as all that sounds, there is nothing like a cool refreshing cup of fruity slushy goodness. Especially when it’s free! To mark the first day of Spring, stop by any participating Rita’s Water Ice from noon to 10pm, to enjoy a free regular size cup of Italian… er, I mean Water Ice.

Now reaching its 17th year, this annual giveaway just reinforces the fact that you can’t enjoy this city if you don’t go outside!

Ready. Set. Go!

Free Water Ice at Rita’s!
Mar 20th -First Day of Spring
12noon-10pm
www.ritasice.com

First Person Arts hosts plenty of events perfect for dinner and a show. But what about skipping the show and replacing it with five more dinners?

That’s what Philadelphia Inquirer food critic Rick Nichols is proposing. He’ll lead exceptionally hungry diners through Port Richmond’s delicious Polish eateries next Saturday afternoon, March 28th. The 12-block tour starts at Krakus Market and includes stops at Szypula’s Bakery, Syrenka Lunch Counter, Czerw’s, New Wave, and Tom’s Bakery.

This year’s focus is on traditional Polish winter foods like goulash, cheese and cherry babka, Lech Beer, borscht and kielbasa. Last year’s tour was through South Philadelphia’s Italian Market. And if last year’s tour is any indication, tickets for this year’s Port Richmond romp might be hard to come by.

First Person Arts Edible World Tour
Saturday, March 28 1:00 “” 4:30
$85/person, $160/couple, $75/FPA members
http://edibleworld.firstpersonarts.org/

Krakus Market
3150 Richmond Street, Philadelphia, PA