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Ground Crew Filling the Balloon

Stan Hess says there’s no average landing of a hot air balloon.

Even around Philadelphia, a region with likely the richest tradition of ballooning in the country and among its most experienced pilots, you always depend on the wind. Sometimes the wind takes you to a mowed public field and sometimes what looks like a nice quiet country road perfect for an uneventful landing proves otherwise.

Hess is a founder of U.S. Hot Air Balloon Team, which flies out of small airports in Pottstown, Lancaster and Lahaska in Bucks County and is part of a national coalition of companies ballooning from at least 125 locations countrywide.

Ground Crew Filling the Balloon w/ a Gas Powered Flame

The experience starts on a small airport landing strip. The grounds crew fills one of their enormous balloons — when filled, they can stand 100 feet tall, 80 feet wide and cost nearly $100,000 — with air from large commercial floor fans. Then a powerful gas-powered flame heats the air inside the balloon nearly three times as warm as the air temperature — approaching 200 degrees for a humid 75-degree morning.

Hess, who has been piloting balloons that use gas to feed a flame which creates the hot air lift affect for more than 20 years, or whoever else leads your balloon, welcomes a half dozen riders aboard, by climbing into the balloon’s gondola, which looks like a large wicker basket. Slowly as the balloon’s air heats up, it begins to lift up, with only extra weight and crew holding it in place for final setup.

Inside the Wicker Basket, Looking Up @ the Flame

And then in what seems like nothing more than a bounce, you are below a towering balloon and a butane flame gracefully putting distance between the wicker basket you’re standing in and the ground below.

The U.S. Hot Air Balloon team flies between 1,500 and 3,000 feet, giving views of sweeping farmland, historical town squares and suburban sprawl. From the Pottstown location, on mornings less hazy than today, riders can spot the glitter of the Center City skyline, pegged between Route 422 and the Schuylkill River, with the prominent Limerick Nuclear Power Plant in the fore. Riders float and spin high above the ground below, without any sense of motion or turbulence.

Bouncing Over the Tree Tops!

On this morning, Hess brings us down into the tree tops, bouncing and brushing evergreens to give a sense of proximity. By releasing or heating air, the pilot has great control over the altitude of the balloon, but its direction has everything to do with the winds. So Hess occasionally spits off the side to get a sense of wind direction and talks over a radio to his grounds crew, who are following the balloon in a van with a trailer in tow.

Running seven days a week in the summer and stretching into the fall, there are few better ways to enjoy the sky and take in the region. Indeed, knowing the first hot air balloon ride in North America took to the air in Old City and that a tradition of ballooning is rooted throughout Philadelphia makes taking the trip nearby that much more meaningful.

Coming in for a Landing, The View From Inside the Balloon

As one hour-long 6 a.m. morning flight comes to a close, Hess begins lowering toward a field — some 12 miles from the airport from which we launched. Landing in fields here in Pottstown can sometimes mean startling livestock, Hess says, so he decides instead to brush through a patch of trees and drop on a desolate, single-lane road just beyond the field. It proves perhaps tighter than Hess imagined, getting caught on another line of trees but still managing to land squarely on the narrow patch of pavement, in between two sets of live electric fence on either side.

Helping Pack Up the Balloon

After flattening the balloon and getting the gondola into the trailer, riders and staff pile into the van and trek back to the airport. There, we share celebratory mimosas and completion certificates. Hess tells other stories of ballooning in the big skies, where the land seems to unfold toward Philadelphia. He talks about landings that went right and those that went wrong and how much depends on where the wind takes you.

That unpredictability and leaning on the winds, Hess says, is very likely the most beautiful part of ballooning and an experience to be had for sure.

U.S. Hot Air Balloon Team
Pottstown, Lancaster and Lahaska, Bucks County
$199, with summer couple discounts
(800) 763-5987
ushotairballoon.com

Kathryn Meisle as Irena and David Strathairn as Vilem Rieger in U.S. premiere of Vaclav Havel’s Leaving, directed by Jiri Zizka at The Wilma Theater

The quirky and colorful travails of a deposed chancellor and his grappling with a new administration and rumors of infidelity landed with a wallop on the stage of the Wilma Theater Wednesday night. The political tragicomedy, written by former Czech President and revolutionary Vaclav Havel, uses a captivating and often self-deprecating voice to imbue the play with perspective from the playwright — concerns on choices of character entrance, dialogue and setting.

The Avenue of the Arts production stars David Strathairn, who earned an Academy Award nomination for his leading role in the 2005 film Good Night and Good Luck directed by George Clooney. Strathairn plays former Chancellor Vilem Rieger who is managing his eccentric family while he transitions out of office.

Havel, who hasn’t penned a play in 20 years, came from Prague to see this premiere, having already consulted on the production’s development, and was joined by a host of contacts and friends, including former U.S. Secretary of State Albright, whose appearance was downplayed, save for a bevvy of cameras at the post-show reception.

The cast of the U.S. premiere of Vaclav Havel’s Leaving, directed by Jiri Zizka at The Wilma Theater

Wilma scoring a premiere of this weight speaks to the lobbying from the South Broad Street mainstay and the maturity of the Philadelphia theatre community. It doesn’t hurt that noted director Jiri Zizka is himself a Czech native who lived through its Communist regime and has called Philly home for decades. Beyond even Strathhairn, the cast is a fine team.

Victoria Frings plays Chancellor Rieger’s demanding, doting and faithful companion Zuzana, and the Chancellor’s sexy and sultry graduate student admirer is fit snugly by Mary McCool. Other cast highlights include Trevor Long playing a sleek version of the cooly, vengeful technocrat Patrick Klein and Geddeth Smith winning laughs as an old and tired, if sometimes incompetent, butler. All told, the cast of 15 enters more than a half dozen doors and battles reporters, rain, a new administration and a King Lear-inspired scene or two.

Leaving
May 26th – June 20th, 2010

Wilma Theater
265 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 546-7824
www.wilmatheater.org

Wilma Theater co-Artistic Director Jiri Zizka went all the way to the Czech Republic to make sure the U.S. premiere of Leaving was done right.

Zizka went to Prague to meet playwright and former Czechoslovakian President Václav Havel in December to prepare for putting on a translated version of the play that opens with a recently deposed Chancellor coming to grips with losing his political position.

Suffering the indignities of powerlessness, his struggle echoes The Cherry Orchard and King Lear. Leaving is a meditation on politics and their perversions, and its insightful humor and pathos contribute greatly to Havel’s previous work as a playwright and a much-admired international political figure.

This version, which runs at the Avenue of the Arts theater from May 19 to June 20, 2010, will save all attendees the European trek to see this contemporary dramatic victory.

Tickets for Leaving range from $36 to $65. Student tickets are available for as little as $10, depending on date and time, made possible through a grant from PNC Arts Alive.

Leaving
May 19th – June 20th, 2010

The Wilma Theatre
265 South Broad Street Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 546-7824
www.wilmatheater.org

Photo by G. Widman for GPTMC

The 11th Hour Theatre Company, a local Philadelphia production group that has developed a reputation for putting on outstanding musicals, is showing off with a rock romance that takes place in Glasgow, London, and New York City.

Debuting Thursday, April 15, the 11th Hour Theatre Company’s performance of the off-Broadway spectacle Rooms will make the Prince Music Theater just the second location in the country to get the rights to the show.

The musical begins in late 1970′s Glasgow where ambitious singer-songwriter Monica meets reclusive rocker Ian. After becoming entangled creatively and romantically, their music takes them first to London and ultimately to New York City, where they find a new music scene and create an partnership, their love deepening while their personalities drive them apart.

A five-piece rock band accompanies these two characters as they search for the balance between ambition and happiness. The show runs through May 2nd. For more information on ticket prices and dates, visit the 11th Hour Theatre Company’s official website.

Rooms: A Rock Romance @ the Prince Music Theater
April 15th – May 2nd, 2010

Prince Music Theater
1412 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102
(215) 569-9700
www.princemusictheater.org

Mahira Kakkar as Juliet, Anthony Lawton as Friar Laurence and Evan Jonigkeit as Romeo. Photo by Mark Garvin.

Usually four hundred year old tragedies don’t get this many laughs.

But the Matt Pfeiffer-directed rendition of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet that is playing at Old City’s Arden Theater through to April 11 manages to summon more than a casual chuckle from a full audience.

It’s not that anything is re-envisioned. Rather, where some performances of the classic get bogged down in Shakespeare’s thick dialogue, Pfeiffer’s cast seems to rarely lose their place in time. Mahira Kakkar, whose Juliet is more convincing by the scene, put viewers in fits with her take on the famed balcony scene. Looking at each other across the bare stage, Evan Jonigkeit’s Romeo and Kakkar’s Juliet vividly cast themselves as the headstrong, lovestruck young people that Shakespeare wrote them to be.

James William Ijames as Benvolio and Evan Jonigkeit as Romeo. Photo by Mark Garvin.

Indeed not even Shakespeare’s dense, four-centuries-old prose can keep Kakkar from conveying that Juliet is trying her best to keep her gushing at a respectable, honorable pitch, though a man for whom her heart is singing has climbed garden walls for her.

Aside from some trimmed scenes and parsed words, all that is updated in Pfeiffer’s version is the wadrobe, again keeping eyes and ears focused on the dramatic elements. It’s not a piece from literature class, it’s a timeless and recognizable tale of conflict and impetuous youth.

Look for a standout performance from Shawn Fagan as Mercutio and an otherwise altogether well fit cast.

Ticket prices range from $29 to $48, with discounts available for seniors, students, military personnel, and educators. The show wraps up on the 11th, so see it while you can. For more information, visit the Arden Theatre’s official website.

Romeo and Juliet
Now through April 11th, 2010

Arden Theater
40 N. 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 922-1122
www.ardentheatre.org

Mahira Kakkar as Juliet and Evan Jonigkeit as Romeo in Arden Theatre Company's production of Romeo and Juliet. Photo by Mark Garvin.

When an established theater company puts on a performance like Romeo and Juliet, the weekday morning matinee tickets are the first to go.

Such has been the case for Old City’s Arden Theater, which had its student-geared shows sold out before opening night this past Wednesday.

And with good cause. Director Matt Pfeiffer has tried to make this version of William Shakespeare’s classic better than English class. Set on a simple stage, Pfeiffer’s focus is meant to be the language and characters of the masterpiece.

Though the piece has been cast for centuries, Arden’s production aims to bring a familiar sense, pairing modern fashions and contemporary compositions with handheld weapons and a stripped-down stage reminiscent of Shakespeare’s famed Globe Theater.

Ticket prices range from $29 to $48, with discounts available for seniors, students, military personnel, and educators. For more information, visit the Arden Theatre’s official website.

Romeo and Juliet
Now through April 11th, 2010

Arden Theater
40 N. 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 922-1122
www.ardentheatre.org

Philadelphia Baroque Orchestra, Photo by Mark Gavin

It’s a form of music first popularized before Philadelphia and Baltimore became anything resembling the major cities they are today.

This weekend, major groups that focus on 17th-century style Baroque music from the two mid-Atlantic hubs are partnering for a weekend program, featuring Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos No. 2 and 3, alongside works by Vivaldi, Heinichen and Pisendel.

The Philadelphia Baroque Orchestra, Tempesta di Mare, is meeting up with Baltimore’s Baroque ensemble, Pro Musica Rara, over Concerto alla Venetiana, a program with two shows in Philadelphia and a third in Charm City.

On Friday, Jan. 22 at 8 PM, the two groups are joining together at The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, a big, beautiful facade that rises from a particularly tree-lined stretch of Germantown Ave. Then they’ll play in the first Catholic Church erected in Philadelphia, on Saturday, Jan. 23 at 8 PM, at Old St. Joseph’s Chuch. For the rubber match, it’s back to Baltimore on Sunday Jan. 24 at 3:30 PM at Towson University Center for the Arts.

It’s a chance to see the collaboration of two celebrated music organizations playing Baroque styles, composers and works not often played today. Tickets range from $10 to $35, and can be ordered on Tempesta di Mare’s official website.

The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill
8855 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA
www.chestnuthillpres.org

Old St Joseph’s Church
321 Willings Alley, Philadelphia, PA 19106-3897
(215) 923-1733
www.oldstjoseph.org

The cast of a Christmas Carol, Photo by Mark Garvin

Just a handful of performances of A Christmas Carol remain at the Walnut Street Theater, and it is a great way to kick-off your holiday celebration in Center City with the family.

This version, directed by Bernard Havard, is fitted nicely with the makings of a great production for kids: a fast pace, fun score, bright colors, and recognizable story. Check out matinees this Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.

The stage production of the 1843 Charles Dickens classic includes a lively score and the classic story of how grouchy and miserly Ebeneezer Scrooge, played endearingly by Benjamin Lovell, is reminded of the Christmas spirit.

Children sit on the age of their seats when a spooky Jacob Marley (Nathan Holt) bursts through the curtain, one of a dozen stage tricks and gags that keep kids interested. The performance is built on a small cast playing multiple roles and stripped of needless transitions in a story that most have seen countless times.

A Christmas Carol @ the Walnut Street Theatre
Dec. 5 – 19th, 2009

Walnut Street Theatre
825 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA
(215) 574-3550
www.walnutstreettheatre.org

Photo courtesy the Walnut Street Theatre

For about 150 years, it hasn’t really been Christmastime until Ebenezer Scrooge learned about that season’s spirit.

The Walnut Street Theatre for Kids is putting on a musical production of A Christmas Carol that will run weekends from Dec. 5-19. The Charles Dickens classic, first published in 1843, shows how some ghostly guests visit Scrooge on Christmas Eve and with images of holidays past, present and (the possible) future.

This stage version set in Dickens’ 1840s London includes an original score based on mid-19th century musical stylings. The show will feature authentic instruments, sets and theatrical special effects of the time period. It’s a chance for children (and parents!) to watch a period-specific production in the country’s oldest theatre.

The hour-long production is perfect for young children, and for anyone who wants to see the classic again.

A Christmas Carol @ the Walnut Street Theatre
Dec. 5 – 19th, 2009

Walnut Street Theatre
825 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA
(215) 574-3550
www.walnutstreettheatre.org

One of the most significant productions of the 20th century is due to arrive on Sansom Street for $10 a seat.

Debuting Nov. 11, Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot will open the 2009-2010 season of the Amaryllis Theatre Company at its home in The Playground at the Adrienne, located at 2030 Sansom Street.

Often considered Beckett’s finest masterpiece, Godot centers around two men who are waiting for someone or something that may or may not ever arrive. The landmark drama is both lyrical and earthly, profound and comic, and speaks to the meaning of existence. Heavy stuff on Sansom.

The production is directed by Mimi Kenney Smith and features an ensemble cast of Philadelphia theatre regulars.

Tickets have recently been reduced by Amaryllis to attract a wider audience. Now listed at $10, they are available on their official website, by calling, or simply at the door. For a full list of dates and times, visit their website.

Waiting for Godot
November 1th through the 22nd, 2009

The Playground at the Adrienne
2030 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103

The phone calls that serial killer Bollin gets from a young admirer serve as a fine tool of scene transition.

And that’s just the kind of production that Günter Grass’s dark comedy Mister, Mister is, riddled with homicidal dialogue that sounds more like fans fawning over a movie star. In the version now set in the intimate confines of Studio 5 at the historic Walnut Street Theatre, director Rich Rubin puts together a fast-moving, 90-minute show, with more than a few nods to the script’s German writer.

Rubin’s star is Robert Cutler, who puts a fittingly menacing face on Bollin, the killer who murders by series — slaying teenagers, forest rangers, opera singers, etc. The production, which is staged cleverly on the limited set, is book ended by Bollin himself being tormented by two 14-year-old children, played by Katie Gould and Robert DaPonte. Their humanizing harassment of the methodical murderer comes with much sing-song teasing that leaves its own eerie echo.

Kudos too, to Ian Boston McCafferty, who plays a delightful and prideful Greensward, the forester who runs across Bollin. Definitely a show worth checking out.

Mister, Mister
Oct. 2-11 Walnut Street Theatre, Studio 5
Oct. 15-25 Shubin Theatre
www.quinceproductions.com

Sometimes the funniest theater, happens to involve death.

Such is the case of Mister, Mister, the dark comedy from Nobel Prize laureate Günter Grass about murder, fame, and less-than-innocent childhood. The show is set to make its Philadelpha premiere with Quince Productions this month, running from October 2nd to the 11th, and again Oct. 15th through the 25th.

The production, with 10 days at the Walnut Street Theatre and 10 more at the Shubin Theatre near Headhouse Square, follows the misadventures of Bollin, an obsessively methodical serial killer, who murders by series, jumping from one random group to another — teenagers, forest rangers, opera singers, etc. in his murderous and often-foiled pursuit of the “law of series.”

With Halloween around the corner, this just might be the sinister type of laughter you’re looking for.

Quince Productions’ Presents Mister, Mister
Oct. 2nd – 11th @ Walnut Street Theatre
Oct. 15th – 25th @ Shubin Theatre
www.quinceproductions.com