The Real Housewives of Philadelphia

Fri., Aug. 21, 10 p.m., $10-$15, The Actors Center, 257 N. Third St., 215-253-4276, phillyncrowd.com.

by Brion Shreffler

[ comedy ]

The upper-class housewives in Old City and Rittenhouse Square have never been immune to satire. But now that local comedy troupe The N Crowd is basing its new act on the ladies, the Burberry shoppers may want toss their heels and run for cover.

The show's five co-stars each developed neighborhood-specific characters — for instance, there's Ivanka from the Northeast, who calls Cottman Avenue her "playground," and Deenie, a University City gal who tries to feign poverty but just can't drop the Louis Vuitton. Also, like an actual TV show, the act will open with theme music, and sketch groups Secret Pants and Meg and Rob will perform mock commercials. But director Alexis Simpson assures us that attendees will be more engaged than a sitcom's laugh-track audience — at the beginning of the show, they'll determine what the episode's theme will be, and performers will act accordingly.

Simpson also claims The Real Housewives of Philadelphia isn't to be taken too personally. "It's not wholly based on being local," she says. "It's about silly people everywhere."

Fri., Aug. 21, 10 p.m., $10-$15, The Actors Center, 257 N. Third St., 215-253-4276, phillyncrowd.com.