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Inside Cups & Chairs, a Cup of Tea

Philadelphia is chock full of coffee shops. But what’s here for us tea tottlers? Eh, not so much.

So I was pleased to see the arrival of Cups & Chairs Tea Cafe — a cozy place to enjoy a spot of tea.

There’s a world of tea here. From China, Japan, Taiwan, South Africa, and South America. The full stash adds up to 59 varieties, all lined up on shelves and nicely labeled so you can know exactly what’s in each jar — many hold a combination of goodies. Like Hawaiian Island, a green tea with pineapple and cornflower petals; or Cocoa Motion, which includes rooibos, cocoa beans, apple and chocolate.

If the plentiful array makes it tough to choose, feel free to chat up the proprietor Kylie Tsai. She’s happy to explain the various teas and their special properties. From her I learned oolong boosts the metabolism and is a favorite weight loss drink of women in Tsai’s native land of Taiwan. Cape Town made with green rooibos and sweet mango, has high vitamins and helps your immune system.

Every tea has a story, and an aroma – you’re encouraged to open jars and take a whiff. All teas are available hot or cold. Drink ‘em straight, or try one of Cups & Chairs’ special concoctions: Bubble teas, lattes and smoothies.

There’s a small selection of sandwiches and baked goods. During my visit I had a Cape Town tea and an oatmeal raisin cookie. The cookie was nice and moist and the tea most flavorful.

I’ll be back; to sit a spell and maybe buy tea in bulk for home brewing. Speaking of which, the shop sells teaware – to include a traditional Japanese cup with whisk as well as contemporary ceramics, in case you want to steep in style.

Cups & Chairs
701-03 South 5th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147
215-238-8TEA
Cups & Chairs [Official Site]

Set in 1935, Black Pearl Sings! follows a simple storyline: Susannah, a song collector for the Library of Congress, is conducting research at a prison where she meets Pearl, who’s serving time for murder. Pearl knows spirituals and folk songs that Susannah wants to keep from dying out. Susannah hopes the research will catapult her to the highest heights in academia. Meanwhile, Pearl is consumed by concern for her daughter who she fears is in trouble.

The two form a curious bond: Both are proud women who value their self-identity. The depth of Pearl’s humanity runs deep and she is soon challenged to fight for her soul while being presented on stage as “authentic.”

Both lead actresses, C. Kelly Wright (Pearl) and Catherine Slusar (Susannah) are marvelous. I would not be surprised to see Wright’s emotionally wrenching performance earn a Barrymore nod. The entire production, the scenery, costumes and lighting, is wonderfully crafted.

There are more laughs than you might expect from the storyline. A capella songs underscore the heart and tensions of the plot. They’re so affecting you may find yourself inclined to sing along.

Black Pearl Sings! @ The Adrienne
2030 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 568-8079
www.interacttheatre.org

Pieces from Other Nature, a New Exhibit @ Bahdeebahdu

Other Nature, a fantastic new exhibit at bahdeebahdu, features stunning works made from found objects… aka, trash.

The show is the brainchild of RJ Thornburg, co-owner of bahadeebahdu, interior designer and admitted clean freak, who became obsessed with tidying up detritus found near his country house. In all the piles of junk he collected, RJ saw an opportunity to craft works of art.

He’s clearly got a fondness for rusted objects — paint cans, nails, cooking pots — where various stages of deterioration create intriguing patterns. Now hermetically sealed in Plexiglas containers, these items are elevated to elegant beauty.

RJ invited eight kindred spirits to display their wares as well. Robert Larsen creates meticulous quilt-like canvasses from discarded Marlboro cigarette packs while Kent Latimer’s provocative works are fashioned from items popular in the African-American community — his “Fear of a Black Planet” is built with a bunch of Afro hair picks.

A Porcelain Piece by Lauren Herzak-Bauman

A few artists use raw materials to make things that look like they were used by humans and then left somewhere. Lauren Herzak-Bauman’s porcelain pieces, which look like used envelopes and stacks of paper, are marvelous.

The show fits snugly into bahdeebahdu’s usual fare, the spectacular light sculptures by Warren Muller are made from, you guessed it. Found objects.

Other Nature run through June 3rd, 2010

Bahdeebahdu
1522 N. American Street. Philadelphia, PA 19122
(215) 627-5002
www.bahdeebahdu.com

The Cast of An Evening Without Woody Allen, Photo by John Flak

Woody Allen once observed, “80 percent of success is showing up.” Of course, in his own instance, there’s more to it. Like prodigiously cranking out films, some of which have become icons of their time. He’s also written a slew of stories, which as per many of his flicks, offer idiosyncratic perspectives on life, love, religion and death.

Few can ruminate on these topics with such smart comedic flair as the Woodman. He’s a master of the zany zinger. And you’ll hear plenty of ‘em during An Evening Without Woody Allen, a new play by 1812 Productions featuring short stories and essays penned by Allen as published in the New Yorker, Playboy and The New York Times, among other fine publications.

Just like in his movies, Allen’s tales serve up a heaping helping of quirky characters. 1812 Productions, an all comedy theater company, will surely have a field day with this material. They’re keeping things lean and mean with just a bare stage, a bit of video, plus three cast members — Charlotte Ford, Dan Hodge, and Thomas E. Shotkin. It’s the written word that get the big spotlight here, and considering who these particular words are written by, they promise to shine brightly.

An Evening Without Woody Allen
April 29th – May 16th 2010

Plays & Players Theatre
1714 Delancey Street, Philadelphia PA 19103
(215) 592-9560
www.1812productions.org

Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Photo by G. Widman for GPTMC

The world of opera is wrought with passion, betrayal, friendships and feuds; and that’s just what goes on behind the curtain.

In Golden Age, a new play by Terrence McNally, we observe how prima donnas and divas hardly require music to create dramatic tension. Yet the biggest drama is drummed up by the composer Vincenzo Bellini, a man who truly lives for the honor of creating artful music. He’s antsy about the debut of his latest masterpiece, I Puritani. Bellini wants this work to help him win the hearts of the fervid French fans over his arch-rival Gaetano Donizetti, whom he despises for “cranking out operas like sausages.”

From the start we know that’s not the only thing Bellini needs to worry about — his hacking cough infers he’s also deathly ill.

As portrayed by the expressive Jeffery Carlson, Bellini is a moody quick-witted character. Not to mention quite the fluid playboy; or so we hear from others. Meanwhile his quartet of fickle opera stars are arrogant and insecure creatures who wrestle with the slings and arrows of loves won and lost.

There’s also a best friend and a visiting stormy soprano to deal with. Multiple storylines start off slow and gradually intertwine. Tensions build and disperse, and there’s a good number of inside references that unless you’re a real opera buff, will fly over your head.

If all that sounds melodramatic. Well, it is, and the play is funny throughout.

Golden Age
Now through February 21, 2010

Suzanne Roberts Theatre
480 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146
(215) 985-0420
www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org

Jered McLenigan, Kevin Meehan, Jared Delaney and Brian McCann across the counter in the back in Amaryllis Theatre Company's production of Gagarin Way

“It’s a messy business, politics,” says one of the characters in Gagarin Way. And so it is, especially when your ideology is out of sync with the times.

The play centers on Scottish workers named Eddie and Gary, who hatch a plot to fight against multinational capitalism by kidnapping an executive of the computer chip company they work for. They’re both enamored of the socialist tradition and believe their “terrorist” action will make a big statement. Only problem is, this takes place in the summer of 2001 and the Iron Curtain has long fallen by the wayside. They’re rebels … but with a cause that’s doesn’t matter anymore.

That’s just one bit of bungling in a string of mishaps. The entire plan is ill-conceived. A security guard gets pulled into the caper, the kidnapped executive doesn’t meet expectations, and, well, I’ll leave the rest to your surprise.

All the while Eddie, a skittish wannabe philosopher, seethes with resentment, while Gary is determined to make sure his anarchist action sends a message. The dialogue flows fast, and in order to catch it all you need a darn good ear for a thick Scottish brogue. It takes a while to get used to the dialect, but in the end, it’s worth it. An exciting combination of dark humor and violence, this is a stimulating 90-minutes of theater with the main characters doing a first-rate job of it.

Gagarin Way
Now through February 7th, 2010

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

Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Photo by G. Widman for GPTMC

You can’t blame the Philadelphia Theatre Company if it has high hopes for Golden Age, a new play penned by Terrence McNally focused on the world of opera.

After all, PTC presented the world premier of Master Class, another work by McNally that revolved around the opera scene. That show went on to win three Tony Awards, including one for best play.

With Golden Age the playwright takes a trip back in time, to imagine the backstage goings on at the Théâtre-Italien in Paris for the 1835 premiere of Vincenzo Bellini’s I Puritani. A discerning audience sits on one side of the curtain, while on the other side there’s the composer, his best friend Francesco, plus four renowned opera singers. Bellini is excited about his latest creation, written especially for this powerhouse quartet. He wants I Puritani to help him, once and for all win, the hearts of the French opera crowd over composer Gaetano Donizetti. The two are fierce rivals and this production is to be Bellini’s greatest triumph.

Add that tension to having four opera stars in close quarters — hey, they’re known to be histrionic — and you’re bound to get high drama.

Golden Age
January 22 through February 21, 2010

Suzanne Roberts Theatre
480 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146
(215) 985-0420
www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org

Jered McLenigan, Kevin Meehan, Jared Delaney and Brian McCann across the counter in the back in Amaryllis Theatre Company's production of Gagarin Way

Eddie and Gary are disgruntled working class guys who aim to strike back at an unjust world. They’re lookin’ for revenge against the exploitative capitalist powers in charge. So the pair kidnap a visiting company executive and reckon to give ‘em the what for. Alas, the plan goes awry.

So goes Gagarin Way, a play that first received notice at Europe’s famed Edinburgh Festival. It’s got lots of Scottish references, however even here in the U.S.A. people can relate to rants against corporate greed and other socio-economic inequities. The kicker here is; people aren’t always who you presume them to be. And politics are messy all the way round.

I won’t spoil all the surprises, but let’s just say things get out of hand.

Gagarin Way
Now through February 7th, 2010
$15-$20

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

Cecily and Gwendolyn

Pip, pip everyone! Here comes Gwendolyn and Cecily, a pair of eccentric ladies touching base in Philly while in the midst of touring around the world via hot air balloon. They’re loquacious raconteurs with stories, and vocabularies, to thrill and amaze you.

These daffy characters are the creation of Karen Getz and Kelly Jennings, two leading players in Philly’s improv comedy scene. As Gwendolyn and Cecily they play Victorian British social anthropologists who hop around the time continuum to record history and make curious observations. Their bizarre and  completely improvised stream of consciousness presentations are both sophisticated and absurd, with salacious tidbits tossed in for good measure.

Gwen and Cecily share stories on YouTube and Facebook, but seeing them in-person more than doubles the fun. And heads up, these gals are all about engaging with the audience — that means you.

Cecily and Gwendolyn’s Fantastical Balloon Ride
January 13th – 31st, 2010
Tickets: $10 – $20

Latvian Society of Philadelphia
531 North 7th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123-3501
(215) 922-9798

Peter Apfelbaum & The Hieroglyphics Ensemble, Photo courtesy the Painted Bride Arts Center

Lenny Seidman, music curator of the Painted Bride Art Center, tells me that Peter Apfelbaum keeps adding more people to the group he’ll bring in November 14. At the moment, the count stands at one dozen. But hey, that can change. It just means even more variety for an ensemble that’s already a mega-mix of personnel and musical styles.

Apfelbaum’s group, the Hieroglyphics Ensemble, is often tagged as presenting world or multi-culti music. Those affiliations are apt, however Peter himself doesn’t care to categorize what he does.

He’s primarily interested in how sounds fit together. If that means cooking jazz, blues, gospel and African music into a tasty stew, well, then that’s the dish he serves. His spice cabinet includes Middle Eastern, Latin and Indian flavors and he can also readily riff on on the avant-garde.

Stellar members of Apfelbaum’s outfit include Cuban-born percussionist Dafnis Prieto who builds powerful rhythms atop elaborate patterns, and vocalist Abdoulaye Diabate, who’s descended from a long line of Malian griots. Part of the fun of a Hieroglyphics Ensemble show is that you never really know what the crew will toss together.

Apfelbaum does love a good groove, so you can count on that.

Peter Apfelbaum and the Hieroglyphics Ensemble
Saturday, November 14

Painted Bride Art Center
230 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA
(215) 925-9914
www.paintedbride.org

Photography courtesy the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts

Having created an eerie dance work featuring a woman suspended in a fabric tornado as well as a hilarious “tragic ballet” between a man and a giant John Deere earth mover (set to the music of Saint-Saëns “Dying Swan”), it’s surely an understatement to say that BodyVox has a flair for the dramatic. You don’t need to know anything about dance to understand what they’re getting at.

BodyVox loves to play with props and real-life elements. They push that penchant to the limit with Water Bodies, which dives into all things wet and wild. The full-length production is said to present water as the source of both fun and disaster (just like in real life).

Who knows exactly what they’ve got up their sleeves here. Whatever it is, you know it will be immersed in creative theatrics and tons of tomfoolery.

And while it’s early in the season, I’m betting Water Bodies is one of the season highlights on this year’s dance calendar.

BodyVox Presents Water Bodies
October 22nd – 24th, 2009

Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
3680 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
(215) 898-3900
www.annenbergcenter.org

Sure, many folks swoon over Twilight’s sulky Edward Cullen and the crew of TV’s True Blood, but please, let’s not forget the vamp who kicked the whole gothic horror genre into high gear… dear, sweet Count Dracula. Undead since the late 1800s, Dracula’s still got a dedicated fan club thanks to a literary tome that’s still part of school reading lists.

This month the Rosenbach Museum’s 7th Annual Dracula Festival celebrates this icon, whose story has prompted much speculation regarding the “real” meaning of his tale, with theories ranging from historical allegory to psychosexual intrigue. The festival features several events, from lectures, to parties, to books readings and more!

Tales from a Poisoned Past
This house tour unearths some of dangerous pieces in the Museum’s collection.
Oct. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 & 31. 6 p.m.
Oct. 3, 10 & 21, 3 p.m.

The Growth of Stoker’s Dracula
Explore Stoker’s notes and learn how these papers led to the creation of a horror classic.
Oct. 25 & Nov. 1, 3 p.m.

Reading & Book Signing by Dacre Stoker
Bram’s great nephew keeps the family’s literary flame alive with his own book, The Undead.
Oct. 21, 6 p.m.

Dracula Party: A Bloody Good Halloween Event
Starts with an outdoor event in Fitler Square with face painters, a pumpkin hunt and crafts.
Oct. 24, All Day

Also, throughout October, the Rosenbach displays Stoker’s original notes and outline for his long-lived tale. You can learn more about all of these individual events on the Rosenbach’s official website.

The Rosenbach Museum & Library
2008-2010 Delancey Place, Philadelphia, PA
(215) 723-1600
www.rosenbach.org