Now See This

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Published: Feb 17, 2009

The imploding economy is causing folks to cut back on nonessentials — like a night on the town — but Brat Productions believes such drastic measures are unnecessary. Their new series at Fergie's, offering a play and a beer for just $10, features noted Philly actors (Anthony Lawton and Madi Distefano), Fringe favorites (Johnny Showcase) and a New York import (Charlie Bethel). The theater selections include contemporary Irish fare, reworkings of old classics and surreal variety show antics. Each play alone is worth the price of admission; the brewski is just icing.

—Deni Kasrel

Thu.-Sat., Feb. 19-21, and Thu.-Sat., Feb. 26-28, $10, Fergie's Pub, 1214 Sansom St., 215-627-2577, bratproductions.org.

  It's been a good year for Abraham Lincoln. He turned 200, for one, and with President Barack Obama channeling his poetry and poise, everyone from Newsweek to TD Bank has been talking him up. Art in the Age follows the trend, with an exhibit of 17 works examining what Abe would be like today. There's a yellow print of him that evokes Andy Warhol's iconic celebrity paintings, two mixed-media works imagining him as a zombie and an acrylic painting of a sainted Lincoln holding an infant Obama. Despite the diversity of interpretations, the artists agree on one thing: In 2009, Lincoln would still be sporting that lady-killer beard.

—Holly Otterbein

Through Feb. 28, Art in the Age, 116 N. Third St., 215-922-2600, artintheage.com.

Choreographer Mauro Bigonzetti is the "It" guy of ballet. Hot in Europe and North America, he's lately seen his work performed by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, New York City Ballet and our own Pennsylvania Ballet. Now, Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal presents his acclaimed Rossini Cards, a lush, melodramatic celebration of Italian culture set to the music of Gioacchino Rossini. The cast includes Celine Cassone, an international ballerina who's got credits out the yin-yang — which qualifies her as the "It" gal.

—Deni Kasrel

Thu., Feb. 19, 7:30 p.m.; Fri., Feb. 20, 8 p.m.; Sat., Feb. 21, 2 and 8 p.m.; $32-$48, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St., 215-898-3900, pennpresents.org.

Puccini's final work practically defines the term "grand opera." While not without subtlety and great beauty, the chief appeal of Turandot is spectacle: the sensual energies of the plot, the lavish opportunities for set design, the immense scale of the music, the adventuresome score — and, yes, the bombast. Perhaps Puccini overreaches in his ambitions, at least as compared to the relative refinement of his Madame Butterfly, but there is no denying the entertainment value of this barn burner. OCP offers a new production with a vibrant young cast, and Maurizio Barbacini on the podium.

—Peter Burwasser

Feb. 20-March 6, $8-$139, Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad St., 215-893-1999, operaphilly.com.

Ping Chong & Co. created the Undesirable Elements series in 1992 to give a voice to people on the margins. Seventeen years and 40 cities later, the Village of Arts and Humanities has brought the project to Philadelphia to let local teenagers tell their own stories about how violence has affected their lives. "All the kids I interviewed are used to hearing gunshots in their neighborhoods, all have seen firsthand killing," says writer-director Chong, who wove the five participants' stories into one cohesive piece for them to perform. It's an important reminder: Behind all of those statistics, there are stories to be told.

—Lauren Friedman

Fri., Feb. 20, 8 p.m.; and Sat., Feb. 21, 3 and 8 p.m.; $15, Painted Bride Art Center, 230 Vine St., 215-925-9914, paintedbride.org.

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