Yo Philly!

VEREKAI

Does this look familiar?  Some Varekai characters landed in Philly recently to visit some of our city's most popular landmarks and historic sites (Liberty Bell, Independence Mall, South Street, Love Park and the Rocky Steps) before their September engagement at the Wells Fargo Center.  Be sure to come check them out when Cirque du Soleil's Varekai invades Philadelphia on September 10-14 @WellsFargoCenter!

http://youtu.be/K7LdynZv0CY?list=PL759CF6306E48FB7A

EgoPo's American Giants Festival

Following its tradition of year-long themed theater productions, EgoPo has announced its 2014-15 season as the American Giants Festival in which the company will present theatrical giants and their examination of the American dream. The season begins with celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Arthur Miller by producing his iconic Death of a Salesman, and continues with Tennessee Williams’ Stairs to the Roof and Eugene O’Neil’s The Hairy Ape.  EgoPo will examine what the American dream is today and whether class barriers deny the dream for some or for all.  The first production, Death of a Salesman, is set in 1940 in a working-class neighborhood in Brooklyn where audience members will find themselves attending Willy Loman’s Shiva. Willy Loman, portrayed by Ed Swidley, can readily be recognized by last year’s audiences of Gint and Lady from the Sea.  Stairs to the Roof is a rarely seen early play written by Tennessee Williams.  It examines the inner life of an office clerk who dreams of a higher purpose in life. Eugene O’Neil was one of the first writers to focus on characters who live on the fringe of society.  The Hairy Ape takes the audience into the lower regions of a luxury ship where a coal stoker has a chance encounter with a rich heiress and sees himself through her eyes, subsequently destroying his sense of self. All three shows can be seen at The Latvian Society, 531 North 7^th Street.  Death of a Salesman will run from October 24-November 9. Stairs to the Roof will run from February 13-March 1 and The Hairy Ape will run from April 10-26. 

NEWSIES

Carpe Diem! Seize an opportunity to see Philadelphia’s one-week limited engagement of Disney’s NEWSIES at the Academy of Music from Tuesday, October 28 through Sunday, November 2. The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and The Shubert Organization are collaboratively presenting this Broadway Philadelphia’s Tony Award winning production.  NEWSIES broke all sales records and was the highest grossing show of the 2011-2012 Broadway season.  It not only won Tony Awards but Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Score and Choreography as well, and the original creative team is reuniting for this inception. Inspired by the real-life “Newsboy strike of 1899,” NEWSIES tells the tale of a band of teenaged newspaper boys who strike against Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst after they raise distribution prices at the boys’ expense. Tickets will go on sale on Friday, September 5 at 10:A.M. and can be obtained by calling 215-731-3333, visiting online at kimmelcenter.org/broadway, at the Kimmel Center Box Office, Broad and Spruce Streets,  or the Academy of Music Box Office, Broad and Locust Streets.  Don’t wait until this smash hit is sold out!

Philly Pops

Rajaton- singing with the Philly Pops

. The Philly Pops is launching its 2014-2015 season with the ERA of ABBA, conducted by Music Director Michael Krajewski and featuring the internationally renowned vocal ensemble Rajaton from Finland.  Playing the sounds of the ‘70’s and highlighting the music of ABBA which gained fame through the Broadway musical, Mama Mia! the Philly Pops will also feature the disco hits of Carole King, Paul Simon and John Denver.   Performances will be held  on Friday October 17 at 8 PM, Saturday October 18 at 3 PM and Sunday October 19 at 3 PM.  You can be part of what should be a delightful season debut not only of the 36^th season of The Philly Pops but also of Finland’s Rajaton in Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 S. Broad Street. For more information about the Philly Pops and its 2014-2015 season schedule, please visit www.phillypops.org. 

. 

Varekai-Cirque du Soleil

Guess who has been visiting some of Philadelphia’s most popular sites!

Some characters from Cirque du Soleil’s Varekai have been enjoying well-known attractions in the city before their September engagement at the Wells Fargo Center. Be sure to come check them out when Varekai conquers Philadelphia on Sept. 10-14@WellsFargoCenter!  

Grab a sneak peek of Cirque du Soleil’s most dazzling show to date!

http://youtu.be/K7LdynZv0CY?list=PL759CF6306E48FB7A

Book of Morman

Scavenger Hunt!
There is an exciting new opportunity for Philadelphia area residents to win a pair of tickets to see The Book of Morman, winner of nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It is currently playing a limited engagement through September 14, at the Forrest Theatre as part of the Broadway Philadelphia season, presented by the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and the Shubert Organization.  The show is hosting a scavenger hunt in Philadelphia.  The Book of Morman will be announcing clues about the location of hidden doorbells around Philadelphia on its Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. To play along and have a chance to win a pair of tickets, follow The Book of Morman on Twitter (@BookofMorman), Instagram (TheBookofMorman) or Facebook (TheBookofMormanOnBroadway) and the hashtag #HelloPhilly.  There is only one entry allowed per person. After finding a doorbell, winners must go to the Forrest Theatre box office and show a valid ID to pick up their tickets. For more information, visit www.forrest-theatre.com. 

One-Minute Play Festival

Get your party hat on to enjoy a season’s worth of local theatre adventure rolled into one spectacular evening. The One-Minute Play Festival (#1MPF) and InterAct Theatre Company are presenting the 2^nd Annual One-Minute Play Festival Sunday August 3 through Tuesday August 5 at 8:00PM.  The festival will be held in the home of InterAct Theatre Company, the main stage of the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom Street.  “We’re incredibly pleased to host the 2^nd Annual Philly One-Minute Play Festival featuring a tremendous number of local playwrights, actors and directors,” says Seth Rozin, InterAct Theatre Company’s Producing Artistic Director. “In addition to being a fun, fast-paced evening of theatre, OMPF is a great way to celebrate the vitality of our theatre community.”  The festival will feature over 90 brand new One-Minute Plays by close to 60 playwrights from Philadelphia’s extraordinary contemporary writers; among them some of the most well-known and important voices throughout the country.  At least 39 of the participating playwrights contributed to the #1MPF in Philadelphia last year, among them Seth Rozin, Jacqueline Goldfinger, Sam Henderson and Michael Hollinger. The playwrights have been selected by invitation and are encouraged to write about anything which inspires their passion. As various themes and ideas have become apparent, the plays are grouped together to reflect these themes.  Teams of actors and directors work together to stage each group. The result is over 90 complete plays, all staged with 4 chairs. #1MPF examines the spirit of different communities through dialogue and consensus building.  Its goal is to represent local cultures of playwrights of different ages, genders and races  at various points in their careers. One half of the proceed of this event will benefit The Philadelphia New Play Initiative. This is bound to be an exciting evening.  It was amazing last year and I expect it to be equally remarkable this year as well. Tickets are available online at www.interacttheatre.org  or by calling 215-568-8079.