Posted on Sun, Jan. 31, 2010
Love in vain In Gina Gionfriddo's sharp comedy Becky Shaw, a blind date explodes the fragile emotional life and financial affairs of an upper-class family. The show goes on at 2 p.m. at the Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St., and continues with performances at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. next Sunday. Tickets are $25 to $65. Call 215-546-7824.
Chamber music Astral Artists presents a trio of rising stars - violinist Korbinian Altenberger, cellist Clancy Newman, and pianist Michael Mizrahi - plus guest Igor Begelman, clarinet, in a program of works by Haydn, Schumann, Aaron Jay Kernis, and Chopin at 3 p.m. at the Trinity Center for Urban Life, 2212 Spruce St. Tickets are $18; $16 seniors; $5 students. Call 215-735-6999. . . . The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society presents the Dolce Suono Trioplaying works by Ned Rorem, Haydn, Charles Abramovic, Villa-Lobos, and George Crumb at 3 p.m. at the American Philosophical Society, 427 Chestnut St. Tickets are $17. Call 215-569-8080.
Monday
Classics three Conductor Ignat Solzhenitsyn leads the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia in works by Mozart, Mendelssohn, and Anton Rubinstein, with soloist Mikhail Yanovitsky on piano, at 7:30 p.m. at the Kimmel Center's Perelman Theater, Broad and Spruce Streets. Tickets are $20. Call 215-893-1709.
Tuesday
Philly across the Mersey Though they originate from Philly's suburbs, Drink Up Buttercup mix music-hall pop (delivered in faux-Brit accents) with aggro punk antics. Fun for all. They open for Southern-fried psychedelic soul combo the Constellations at 8 p.m. at the Note, 142 E. Market St., West Chester. Tickets are $10. Call 1-800-594-8499.
Wednesday
Blowing up With the role of the public intellectual being rapidly eclipsed by radio shouters and TV mockers, it's good to see that Garry Wills is still in business. For nearly a half-century, he's written perceptively about presidents, popes, and pop-culture icons. In his new book, Bomb Power: The Modern Presidency and the National Security State, he looks at the ways nuclear weapons altered the position of commander in chief. Wills discusses his work at 7:30 p.m. at the Free Library of Philadelphia, 1901 Vine St. Tickets are $14; $7 students. Call 215-686-5322.
Bossa nova beat The outstanding Brazilian band Minas brings a bit of warmth to winter doldrums when they play at 7:30 p.m. at Cheltenham Arts Center, 439 Ashbourne Rd., Cheltenham. Tickets: $10; $5 students. Call 215-517-8337.
Thursday
Daredevil dance Choreographer Elizabeth Streb is known for incorporating moves taken from extreme sports, the circus, and movie stunts into her work, with collisions and falls as integral ingredients. Her troupe STREB performs her new work, Brave, in which dancers are placed in a series of challenging devices, at the Annenberg Center's Zellerbach Theater, 3680 Walnut St., at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, and 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $24 to $48. Call 215-898-3900.
Friday & Saturday
Farmer dance The Korean ensemble Noreum Machi specializes in the traditional percussion and dance called samulnori, performed at harvest festivals. They perform at the Painted Bride Art Center, 230 Vine St., at 8 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $25. Call 215-925-9914.
Quiet guy, wild girls Pop craftsman James Maddock revives the sensitive singer-songwriter tradition to good effect on his new CD, Sunrise on Avenue C. He plays at the Tin Angel, 20 S. Second St., at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $12. Call 215-928-0770. . . . Sort of a cross between the Carter Family and the Ramones, Those Darlins play blistering country punk suitable for any hipster honky-tonk. The trio plays at Kung Fu Necktie, 1248 N. Front St., at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $10. Call 215-291-4919.
Big boys don't cry The Israeli Film Festival opens with Sharon Maymon and Erez Tadmor's comedy A Matter of Size, in which a group of overweight men rebel against dieting, embrace sumo, and find love and meaning in their lives. The film screens at the Gershman Y, Broad and Pine Streets, at 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $18. Call 484-904-5421.
On the good foot The hip-hop ensemble Rennie Harris Puremovement performs at Montgomery County Community College's Science Center Theater, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell, at 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $25; $20 seniors and students; $10 children. Call 215-641-6518.
A complete guide to events in the region over the coming weekend will appear in the Weekend section in Friday's Inquirer. Send notices of events for "7 Days" to Michael Harrington at mharrington@phillynews.com.