Snow remains on the ground, and the weather remains cold, but spring remains only weeks away, and plenty of arts events are happening in the region between March and May. Here are some worth checking out:
Israeli Film Festival of Philadelphia
(Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, Narberth Theater and Har Zion Temple, March 7-22)
The festival celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, with various selections of Israeli cinema, including the opening night selections “Cabaret Total,” “A Woman Against the Wind,” “Unraveling UNRWA,” “Oxygen” and “Heaven and Earth.”
Rayna Greenberg: Honestly It’s You
(Helium Comedy Club, March 11)
The Jewish comedian and podcaster, host of the show “Girls Gotta Eat,” brings her solo act to Philadelphia, featuring commentary on modern dating.
“Marsha Blovotnick and the Marvelous Magical Chicken Soup”
(Theatre Ariel, The Louis Bluver Theatre @ The Drake, March 12-22)
Theatre Ariel presents the world premiere of a new play by Dan Kitrosser, about an angry, modern-day woman who receives a visit from an ancestor bearing magical chicken soup.
Sienna Spiro- The Visitor Tour
(The Foundry, March 13)
The English Jewish singer-songwriter brings her music, recently touted by The New York Times, to Philadelphia.
Sarah Hester Ross – Serving Tour
(The Lounge at World Cafe Live, March 14)
The Jewish performer brings her act to town, described as “powerhouse vocals, unfiltered comedy, and cabaret chaos.”
An Evening With Mike Gordon
(Union Transfer, March 15)
The Phish bass player and one of two Jewish members of the band comes to town for a solo show. The show is “filled with constant and wildly hypnotic movement animated by unexpected sounds that morph and expand and spin off into their own strange orbits, revealing entirely new dimensions of the kaleidoscopic musicianship he’s displayed as a bassist for the last four decades.”
Emmet Cohen: Miles and Coltrane at 100
(Miller Theater, March 20)
Jazz musician Emmet Cohen comes back to town to lead an ensemble, paying tribute to the centennials of the births of jazz legends Miles Davis and John Coltrane.
The Format (Ben Kweller, Adult Mom)
(Franklin Music Hall, March 28)
The duo, featuring Jewish musician Kweller, heads to Philly at the end of March. The group will donate $1 from every ticket sold to help fight food insecurity and fund local animal shelters.
“The Sound of Music”
(The Academy of Music, March 31-April 6)
The classic musical, from Richard Rodgers and Bucks County’s own Oscar Hammerstein, comes to the Academy as part of Ensemble Arts Philly’s Broadway Season.
Chanda Prescod-Weinstein: “The Edge of Space-Time”
(The Free Library of Philadelphia, Parkway Central Library, April 8)
The distinguished cosmologist and particle physicist is part of an Author Event, where she will discuss her new book. The book is advertised as “taking readers on a mind-altering journey to the boundaries of the universe, inviting us to spend time at the edge of what we know about space-time and about ourselves.”
Introducing…Kaleb Cohen
(The Lounge at World Cafe Live, April 9)
Singer-songwriter Kaleb Cohen, who is just 19 years old, brings his spring tour to Philadelphia in support of his debut EP, “U-Turn.”
“All Things Equal: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg”
(The Keswick Theatre, April 11)
This play by Rupert Holmes, the man who performed “Escape: The Pina Colada Song,” tells the life story of the late Jewish Supreme Court justice. She’s played by Jewish actress Michelle Azar, who originated the role.
An Evening with Fran Lebowitz
(The Keswick Theatre, April 16)
The famed speaker, intellectual and documentary subject, long associated with New York, heads down I-95 for an event in Philadelphia.
PFS Springfest
(PFS East Theater, April 17-23)
The Philadelphia Film Society will present its annual spring film festival, which traditionally features selections from that year’s Sundance, South by Southwest and other film fests.
Ilana Glazer
(Helium Comedy Club, April 21)
The comedian, actress and co-creator of the sitcom Broad City brings her stand-up act to Philly.
The First Salute: An Untold Story of the American Revolution
(The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, opens April 23)
To mark the nation’s 250th birthday, the Weitzman is debuting a new exhibition, which will run for a year, focusing on a group of Jewish merchants in the Caribbean who assisted in the American Revolution.
Robby Hoffman
(The Fillmore Philadelphia, April 24)
The actress and comedian, who has a supporting role in HBO’s “Hacks,” brings her stand-up show to the Fillmore.
Copland’s American Inspiration
(Marian Anderson Hall, April 30-May 2)
The Philadelphia Orchestra presents the work of the 20th-century Jewish composer Aaron Copland, including “Fanfare for the Common Man,” “Appalachian Spring,” “Billy the Kid” and more. The program is conducted by Matthias Pintscher.
Itzhak Perlman: “In the Fiddler’s House”
(Marian Anderson Hall, May 3)
The legendary violinist presents his “In the Fiddler’s House” klezmer music show, previously the focus of an award-winning PBS special, to the Kimmel Center, with a specialized group of musicians.
Stephen Silver is a Broomall-based freelance writer.