Performing Arts

Please call the phone number listed with the venue for specific dates, times and ticket information.

dance

• backward in heels Known for their sexy and comic performances, David Parker and the Bang Group perform this show along with young local dancers to present well-known and newer hits, including selections from their "Annie Get your Gun" suite. Runs through Jan. 26, $25, Painted Bride Art Center, 230 Vine St., 215-925-9914.
• DREXEL WINTER DANCE CONCERT The Drexel Dance Ensemble — along with guest choreographers Marianela Boan, Steven Welsh and Miriam Giguere — present a concert of works with historical themes. Runs through Jan. 26, $5-$10, Mandell Theater, Drexel University, 33rd & Chestnut sts., 215-895-2453.
• HIP HOP DANCE THEATRE Featuring Continuous Movement's Rep Stylez, this theatrical hip-hop dance performance is directed by J.T. Wilcoxson. Sat, Jan. 19, 7:30pm, $10-$15, Community Education Center, 3500 Lancaster Ave., 215-387-1911.
• IDENTITY Eclipse Dance Company taps into their repertoire for this performance exploring identity as defined by cultural customs and beliefs, as well as by relationships. Sun, Jan. 20, 2 & 5pm. $15, Philadelphia Arts Bank, 601 S. Broad St., 215-545-0603.
• IN FLUX This showcase of works-in-progress by features pieces by choreographers Nicole Bindler, Jodi Netzer, Mark O'Maley and Erica Saben, followed by an in-depth conversation about the works. Sat, Jan. 19, 8pm, $5, Mascher Space Cooperative, 155 Cecil B. Moore Ave., 530-906-5073.
• LEVYDANCE The San Francisco-based dance company presents this informal contemporary dance. Choreographed by Dan Levy. Fri, Jan. 18, 7:30pm, $5-$10, The Performance Garage, 1515 Brandywine St.
• THE NEW FESTIVAL This festival for emerging dance theater in Philadelphia presents "Road Kill" by Megan Mazarick (a revealing abstract dance at a truck stop) and "Dancehouse" (featuring work by Jeffrey Gunshol, Jaamil Kosoko PerFORMance, Olive Prince Dance and more.) Runs through Jan. 20, $10-$20, UArts Dance Theater at the Drake, 1512 Spruce St., 215-829-9800.
• PARAPHRASE/NEXUS Exploring the concept of what is "yummy," sound and video artist Aaron Igler, dancer and choreographer Scott McPheeters and performance artist Audrey Culp add a live piece to Nexus' current exhibit. Wed, Jan. 23, 8pm, FREE , Crane Arts Building, 1400 N. American St., 215-235-3405.

  theater

• ART French playwright Yasmina Reza's comedy examines the human standards of both art and friendship with an unsympathetic eye. When Serge buys a piece of modern art — a canvas painted white — for a very high sum, it throws a kink into his relationships with his two best friends, Marc and Yvan. Directed by David Stradley. Runs through Feb. 10, $31-$220.50, Delaware Theatre Company, 200 Water St., Wilmington, DE, 302-594-1100.
• A BODY OF WATER In this portrait of the human condition, a man and a woman wake up one morning and find themselves in a strange house atop a mountain surrounded by water with no idea who they are or where they've come from. Directed by Gene Roland Frank. Runs through Feb. 17, $30-$40, Act II Playhouse, 56 E. Butler Ave., Ambler, 215-654-0200.
• CRISPIN THE CROSS OF LEAD Set in 1300s England, where plague and tyranny reign, this is the story of a young orphan with a price on his head. While running for his life he meets Bear, a traveling entertainer who becomes his protector and teacher. Directed by Andrew Belser. Runs through Feb. 24, $28, People's Light & Theatre Company, 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern, 610-644-3500.
• DOROTHY PARKER AND FRIENDS This celebration of the short story writer, critic and poet is staged in a party atmosphere. Directed by David O'Connor. Runs through Jan. 27, $10-$30, Hedgerow Theatre, 164 W. Rose Valley Rd., Media, 610-565-4211.
• EXTREMITIES Local playwright William Mastrosimone examines rape, the justice system and the unlikely relationship beween victim and attacker in the melodrama. When Marjorie is accosted by an intruder in her New Jersey farmhouse, she escapes and takes the law into her own hands. Runs through Jan. 20, $10-$18, Mum Puppettheatre, 115 Arch St., 215-563-7500.
• THE FANTASTICKS The Cadillac Broadway Series brings America's longest running musical to the Kimmel Center's Innovation Studio. In the classic coming-of-age, two youths will do just about anything to find true love. Runs through Feb. 24, $47, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 S. Broad St., 215-893-1999.
• HANDSOME CONSIDERS THE MIRROR Azuka Theatre's Spotlight Series presents a staged reading of this play about a "professional philosopher" of Ayn Rand, who also works as a professional parker of cars at a posh club. Tue, Jan. 22, 7pm, FREE , Plays and Players Theater, 1714 Delancey St., 215-735-0630.
• HERE ON THE FLIGHT PATH Written by Canadian playwright Norm Fisher, this story follows a desperate man's painstaking and maladroit attempts at seduction, providing an evening of humor and pathos. Directed by Christopher Wunder. Runs through Jan. 27, $12, Old Academy Players, 3544 Indian Queen Lane, 215-843-1109.
• INTIMATE APPAREL In this story by award-winning playwright Lynn Nottage, a black woman in turn-of-the-century New York City earns money by creating fancy panties she could never afford. Eventually, however, she finds inner strength by realizing her own artistic merit. Directed by Catherine Pappas. Runs through Jan. 26, $15, Stagecrafters Theater, 8130 Germantown Ave., 215-247-8881.
• JEFFREY This romantic comedy by Paul Rudnick tells the story of Jeffrey, a gay actor and waiter who has sworn off sex after too many fights with partners about what "safe" means. Soon after, he meets the man of his dreams, who also happens to be HIV-positive. Runs through Jan. 20, $12-$20, Walnut Street Theater, Studio 5, 825 Walnut St., 215-574-3550.
• LEND ME A TENOR This farce revolves around world-famous tenor Tito Merelli. He's scheduled to sing the lead in "Otello," but chaos soon ensues, setting off a chain-reaction of confusion, plot twists, double entendres and innuendoes. Runs through Feb. 24, $20-$47, The New Candlelight Theatre, 2208 Millers Rd., Ardentown, DE, 302-475-2313.
• M. BUTTERFLY Inspired by Puccini's opera "Madame Butterfly," David Henry Hwang's Tony Award-winning play explores the stereotypes that threaten relations between East and West — and men and women. Based on a true story about a French diplomat who falls in love with a Chinese opera singer, this play centers around lust, politics and betrayal. Directed by Joe Calarco. Runs through Feb. 24, $10-$58, Philadelphia Theatre Company, 230 S. 15th St., 215-985-0420.
• THE MISANTHROPE The Maukingbird Theatre presents Moliere's comedy about the hypocrisies of 17th-century French aristocracy with an all-male cast set in a gay society. Dito Von Reigersberg (aka Martha Graham Cracker) stars as Alceste, who is disgusted by the insincere men around him yet relentlessly pursues a narcissistic pretty boy. Runs through Feb. 2, $15-$20, Second Stage Theatre at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St., 215-563-4330.
• OSCAR AND THE PINK LADY Rosemary Harris — a Tony- and Emmy-award winner as well as Aunt May of the "Spiderman" trilogy — stars in this funny one-woman show about a volunteer in a children's hospital. Directed by Frank Dunlop. Runs through Feb. 10, $28-$64, George Street Playhouse, 9 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick, NJ, 732-246-7717.
• PETER PAN Family Stages, a touring children's theater, puts on this classic children's tale of a mischievous boy who refuses to grow up. Runs through Jan. 23, $8, Christ's Lutheran Church, Rech & Pennsylvania aves., Oreland, 215-886-9341.
• THE PRICE This new production of Arthur Miller's classic features Philadelphia native and Tony Award-nominee Robert Prosky. After not speaking for 16 years, two brothers come together to sell their parents' posessions. They end up battling about much more than heirlooms and are forced to go over painful memories in front of the furniture dealer. Directed by Michael Carleton. Runs through March 2, $10-$57.50, Walnut Street Theatre, 9th & Walnut sts., 215-574-3550.
• PUPPETS GO GREEN WITH AL GOR Celebrity impersonator Al Gor hosts the latest comedy romp of the Puppet Karaoke Inconvenient Goof Show. This musical event features singing, hand puppets, stand-up comedy, improv skits and, of course, karaoke. Thu, Jan. 17, 9pm, $5, M Room, 15 W. Girard Ave., 215-739-5577.
• SLEEPING BEAUTY This play for families puts a modern, comedic spin on the classic tale of happily-ever-after. Runs through Jan. 27, $14-$30, Arden Theatre Company, 40 N. 2nd St., 215-922-1122.
• SOUVENIR Tony-nominated actress Ann Crumb stars in this play about the legendary Philadelphia socialite Florence Foster Jenkins, a soprano who became famous for her complete lack of rhythm, pitch, tone and overall singing ability. Runs through Feb. 17, $22-$39, The Media Theatre, 104 E. State St., Media, 610-891-0100.
• THE TEMPEST Shakespeare's classic dramatic comedy is a tale of mystery, magic, romance and vengeance among a collection of castaways on a deserted island. Runs through Feb. 2, $15, Footlighter's Playhouse, 808 Pomona Rd, Cinnaminson, NJ, 856-829-7144.
• THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE This Tony Award-winning musical tells the story of a small-town girl, Millie Dillmount, who comes to New York City to marry for money instead of love. Even more problems arise when she checks into a hotel owned by the leader of a white slavery ring in China. Runs through Feb. 16, $23-$26, The Ritz Theatre Company, 915 White Horse Pike, Haddon, NJ, 856-858-5230.
• THREE DAYS OF RAIN In this love story by Richard Greenberg, a shy architect finds an unlikely match in an outspoken Southern belle. Thirty years later, their children sort out the story in a Manhattan loft. Runs through Jan. 19, $8-$15, Players Club of Swarthmore, Rt. 320 & Fairview Rd., Swarthmore, 610-328-4271.
• THE VICIOUS CIRCLE Presented as a staged reading, this new play by Michael Gerhardt covers the lives of three members of the infamous Algonquin Round Table in the 1920s and '30s. Runs through Jan. 26, $12, Footlighters Theater, 58 Main Ave., Berwyn, 610-296-9245.
• VIVIEN This humorous play examines the life of Hollywood legend Vivien Leigh. Her 30-year career, marriage to Laurence Oliver and most notable film roles are covered. Directed by Pete Sander. Runs through Jan. 17, $28, Walnut Street Theatre — Independence Studio on 3, 825 Walnut St., 215-952-9560.
• WELCOME HOME, MARIAN ANDERSON Written by and starring Vanessa Shaw, this is the triumphant story of Philadelphia native Marian Anderson, an African-American singer who overcame racial bias with talent and dignity. Runs through Feb. 10, $15-$42, Bristol Riverside Theatre, Radcliffe & Market sts., Bristol, 215-785-0100.
• WITTENBEREG Set in 1517, this battle of wits features the imaginary meeting of a man of God (church reformer Martin Luther), a man rebelling against God (Dr. Faustus) and a young man searching for moral guidance (Shakespeare's Hamlet himself). The showdown of reason versus faith tells the story behind the stories we all know. Directed by J.R. Sullivan. Runs through March 16, $27-$45, Arden Theatre Company, 40 N. 2nd St., 215-922-1122.
• THE WOMAN IN BLACK Adapted from a book by Susan Hill, this play operates as a ghost story which travels through the moors, churchyards and marshes of England. Runs through Jan. 19, $9, Cheltenham Art Center, 439 Ashbourne Rd., Cheltenham, 215-379-4660.

  opera

• GRAND PASSIONS Presented by the Academy of the Vocal Arts, this night covers the most-loved scenes from Verdi's "Un Ballo in Maschera" and "La Forza del Destino" and Puccini's "Manon Lescaut." Performed in concert style with the AVA Opera Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Christofer Macatsoris. Fri, Jan. 18, 7:30pm, $28-$48, Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, 300 S. Broad St., 215-790-5800.
• THE SEA James Sugg of Pig Iron Theatre spent two weeks aboard a freighter vessel in preparation for his one-man rock opera. The sights and sounds of sailors influenced the classical song cycle, which is presented with stage design and lighting by Lars Jan. Runs through Jan. 19, $12-$15, Old Swedes Church, Delaware Ave. & Christian St., 215-389-1513.