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ISSUE . May 14th, 2009

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Cover Story

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The Impossible Dream

How an NYC theater luminary and a Center City holy man brought Quixote — and a cast of pro and homeless actors — to a Broad Street church.

by A.D. Amorosi

People from disparate social, financial, racial and religious backgrounds gather together at the Broad Street Ministry and examine spiritual and social questions as one. And now, a bunch of them are acting, singing and dancing for director Lear deBessonet's site-specific theater extravaganza, Quixote.

Opinion

Editor's Letter:

Swing, Snitch, Dish

On baseball, iBarbarism and eating well.

by Brian Howard

We were more than a little surprised by the level of invective hurled at the author over his working with the police — or, in the parlance of many commenters, snitchin'.

Loose Canon:

Road Sage

On the road or off, everyone hates bicyclists.

by Bruce Schimmel

Look, all cyclists need to obey the law. Period. But having said that, you have to admit that the rigors of the road are stacked against bicyclists.

Feedback:

Letters to the Editor

What You Say

"Ugh, this should be so easy."

News

The District Attorney Personality Test

Which candidate is right for you?

We've made a quiz you can take in, let's say, five minutes to determine which of the DA candidates in the Democratic primary is right for you.

Sports:

Conclusions, Jumped To

by E. James Beale

While it may be too early to make definitive proclamations, enough baseball has been played to teach us some lessons. With the time for midseason trades and adjustments fast approaching, it's not a minute too late.

A Million Stories

Angry picketers ... and steak | Ooh, a piss-covered quarter | Hey, there've been worse crippling recessions, buck up buddy

Icepack

Amorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.

by A.D. Amorosi

I'm no hypochondriac; an ex-drug bunny, yes, but not a guy prone to hitting hospitals for reasons other than to spread sunshine.

Mayberry, Mogul?

Eric Mayberry just quit his job as publisher of the Philadelphia Metro.

by A.D. Amorosi

In Mayberry's opinion, this time of decline is exactly the right time to try something new — to create new opportunities.

Extended Q&A with Eric Mayberry

"I want to be a driving force in American media. That means I get to go back to my roots — launching media companies and finding opportunities that add to a better way of life and make money for everyone involved."

The Bell Curve

City Paper's Quality-o-Life-o-Meter

When news breaks in Philadelphia, we make jokes.

Arts

Theater Review:

Too Legit to Quip

Flashpoint Theatre Co.'s The Little Dog Laughed

by Mark Cofta

Flashpoint does what works for 99 percent of plays: They urge us to care about these characters. This script, though, says we shouldn't.

Arts Picks:

Radio Ga Ga

Sun., May 17, 2 p.m., $10, Landmark Building, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 118 N. Broad St., 215-627-1883, pigiron.org.

by Lauren F. Friedman

"There's a moment where the emotion gets heightened enough where you must burst into song. That's an amazing moment in theater."

Art:

Sick Like Me

I let a stranger take a snapshot of my illness.

by Andrew Thompson

When Evi Numen sent me the portrait she had taken of me for her upcoming series, I was struck by how sickly and sullen I looked. But for her, that's a good thing.

Kaleidoscope

Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction | Society of North American Goldsmiths | Steve Earle's Townes | American Idol

Re-View:

Organic Matter

Robin Rice on Visual Art: Dirt on Delight: Impulses that Form Clay

by Robin Rice

The ICA's "Dirt on Delight" blithely ignores the perennial topic of craft versus art to address more intriguing and up-to-date questions, like, "How far can you go with clay?"

Arts Picks:

We Said

Fri.-Sat., May 15-16, 8 p.m.; Sun., May 17, 3 p.m.; $12, Community Education Center, 3500 Lancaster Ave., 215-387-1911, cecarts.org.

by Deni Kasrel

A tradition of the black church — testifying — gets an artful spin in dancer/choreographer Shavon Norris' New Edge Residency piece.

Mark Kurlansky

Thu., May 14, 6:30 p.m., free (reservations required), National Constitution Center, 525 Arch St., 215-409-6700, constitutioncenter.org.

by Shaun Brady

The Food of a Younger Land is a treasure trove of culinary idiosyncrasies, a snapshot of the final moments when there was no alternative to "Buy Local," before fast food.

Elmore Leonard

Thu., May 14, 7:30 p.m., free, Free Library, Central Branch, 1901 Vine St., 215-686-5322, freelibrary.org.

by Molly Eichel

The Wire owes a lot to Elmore Leonard.

National Dance Co. of Spain 2

Thu., May 14, 7:30 p.m.; Fri., May 15, 8 p.m.; Sat., May 16, 2 and 8 p.m.; $32-$48, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St., 215-898-3900, pennpresents.org.

by Lauren F. Friedman

CND2's dancers will perform three physically demanding Duato pieces that pile on lifts, jumps and inversions to sounds ranging from Moroccan folk songs to Claude Debussy.

Movies

Independents Day

941 Theater gives three local filmmakers a shot on the silver screen.

by Molly Eichel

"None of us delude ourselves that thousands of people are going to see these movies. But it lends a certain legitimacy."

The Limits of Control

City Paper Grade: C

by Shaun Brady

The movie is so constricted by Jim Jarmusch's usual trademarks — the emotionless delivery, static cameras, deadpan absurdities — that it can barely breathe, let alone laugh at itself.

Foreign Affair

I-House is screening director Jean-Luc Godard's lost film.

by Sam Adams

It's ironic that the film's plot should be the reason for its vanishing act, since narrative is the least of the movie's concerns.

Repertory Film

Your weekly guide to local film events, festivals and under-the-radar screenings.

Send repertory film listings to molly.eichel@citypaper.net.

Music

Live Wire

Solo or in a crowd, sine wave symphonist Charles Cohen never plays it straight.

by A.D. Amorosi

Whatever the format, since 1969, Cohen's crafted an essential — if not the essential — spot for himself within Philadelphia's electronic avant-garde.

Music Picks:

Mr. Lif

Mon., May 18, 8 p.m., $12, with Willie Evans Jr. and Chiddy Bang, Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 866-468-7619, johnnybrendas.com.

by A.D. Amorosi

I Heard It Today is full of scorn for the FCC, the feds and the material world as a whole.

Venissa Santi

Tue., May 19, 8 and 9:45 p.m., $15, Chris' Jazz Café, 1421 Sansom St., 215-568-3131, chrisjazzcafe.com.

by Shaun Brady

Santi's debut CD, Bienvenida, is a crushed-velvet blend of jazz sultriness, gentle Afro-Cuban inflections and pop songwriting.

Aid or Invade:

Hungary!

Rodney Anonymous vs. The World

by Rodney Anonymous

You would probably expect this CD to suck louder than Charlie Daniels at a hog-blowing contest.

Music Picks:

Peaches

Fri., May 15, 9 p.m., $20-$23, TLA, 334 South St., 215-922-1011, livenation.com.

by M.J. Fine

I Feel Cream's cover doesn't feature Peaches sporting a Lincolnesque beard or a sequined burqa and its song titles are all G-rated, but that doesn't mean the electroclash provocateuse has gone soft.

Spinal Tap: Unwigged and Unplugged

Thu., May 14, 8 p.m., $47.50-$62.50, Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave., 215-572-7650, keswicktheatre.com.

by Andrew Milner

To mark the silver anniversary of Marty DiBergi's landmark rockumentary, Spinal Tap's gonna rock the Keswick tonight (assuming they can find the stage).

Rodriguez

Thu., May 14, 9 p.m., $12, with War on Drugs, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 866-468-7619, r5productions.com.

by Brian Howard

Rodriguez's two albums of gritty, fuzzed-out social commentary reflecting on urban conditions in the Motor City circa the early '70s have been re-released, fueling his rediscovery.

Food

Mostly Sunny

The new-look Girasole is cooking up winning Italian fare on Broad Street.

by David Snyder

It took only a few bites of these dishes before it felt like I was dining al fresco on the Campo de' Fiori in Rome.

What's Cooking:

The Week In Eats

Get Out!

by Lauren Fleming

9th Street Italian Market Festival | Upper Darby Greek Festival | Foster's Demo with Bistro 7's Michael O'Halloran | An Evening with Rick Nichols | Belgian Bierfeesten at World Café Live

The Secret Ingredient

Human hair can be found in more foods than you think.

by Trey Popp

"In China," the reporter explained, "hair is a commodity, used in wigs and even as an additive in food." An additive in food? Was I really hearing that right?

Feeding Frenzy

Restaurants opening, closing and pending

by Drew Lazor

The Gold Standard Café | Varga Bar | Max Brenner, Chocolate by the Bald Man | Blackfish Stone Harbor

Agenda

Agenda Lead:

Starving Sculptors

To be a derby star, you must sacrifice.

by Andrew Thompson

Race participants, who create folk art-inspired, man-powered vehicles, act like they're vying for pots of gold: Spetrino estimates this year's project has cost his team 1,000 man-hours, 471 scrapped bikes and a wad of cash he doesn't want to specify.

Just Do It:

Sabre Khan

Get on the fence at this foil-thrusting tourney.

by Katie Karas

It's been years since people settled disputes with a sword fight and a glove slap to the face. At this weekend's Sabre Khan, however, fencers will do just that, without a preceding verbal argument.

In The Event That...:

You'd Rather Hunt Ghosts Than Bust Them

Paranormal Investigation of Fort Mifflin

by Lauren F. Friedman

The doubtful, along with the credulous and the curious, can attend a paranormal investigation of the 238-year-old Fort Mifflin, but be warned: You may just walk away a believer.

Just Do It:

Star Trek: The Exhibition

Beam me up, and/or over to the Franklin Institute.

by Lauren Fleming

Making its East Coast debut in Philly, the 12,500-square-foot, interactive exhibit features re-creations of costumes, sets and characters from more than 40 years of Star Trek.

Shopping Spree

Fashion > Forward: The Grand Opening of the Piazza at Schmidt's

by Felicia D'Ambrosio

From the 26-foot, hi-def TV broadcasting films and Phillies games to the 35 spaces housing boutiques, galleries and assorted edgy retail, Bart Blatstein's dream of converting a desolate brownfield into a "five-minute neighborhood" has been realized after eight years.

Just Do It:

City Chase

When's the last time you bowled naked?

by Tiffany Jackson

City Chase has been called the "urban Amazing Race," but that metaphor falls flat for at least one reason: No one ever had to strip for the TV show.

On the DL:

Hot Button Party

It's sex with someone you love.

by Christina Shaffer

"Historically, female masturbation has been equated with immorality and insanity."