Enjoy upcoming events
TODAY Brush with beauty They might have been the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie of their day - if Brangelina could paint exquisite watercolors and masterful calligraphy. "Ike Taiga and Tokuyama Gyokuran: Japanese Masters of the Brush" offers an unprecedented look at two fabled artists who were also a married couple in 18th-century Japan. More than 200 works have been amassed from museum and private collections, including some never before seen outside Japan. Not to be missed.
TODAY
Brush with beauty
They might have been the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie of their day - if Brangelina could paint exquisite watercolors and masterful calligraphy. "Ike Taiga and Tokuyama Gyokuran: Japanese Masters of the Brush" offers an unprecedented look at two fabled artists who were also a married couple in 18th-century Japan. More than 200 works have been amassed from museum and private collections, including some never before seen outside Japan. Not to be missed.
Philadelphia Museum of Art, 26th Street and Ben Franklin Parkway, through July 22, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. today, tomorrow and Tuesday through Thursday, till 8:45 p.m. Friday, $12, $9 seniors, $8 students, under 12 free, 215-763-8100, www.philamuseum.org.
Water babies
What impact do humans have on the animals that live in the waters around us? See how what we put into the water affects even the smallest creatures at "From the Mouth of the River," a family-friendly performance that uses puppets and dance to raise awareness about a serious subject in an entertaining way.
Mum Puppettheatre, 115 Arch St., 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., $5-$10, 215-620-2130 or www.mummpuppet.org.
Meet the folkers
See early-American folk art and crafts at the 34th annual Mercer Museum Folk Fest. You can watch costumed artisans blow glass, weave on hand looms, shear sheep and demonstrate other skills from the 18th and 19th centuries that helped kick-start the Industrial Revolution.
Mercer Museum, 84 S. Pine St., Doylestown, 10 a.m. today and tomorrow, $6-$20, 215-345-0210 or www.mercermuseum.org.
Gotta dance
Philadanco's spring performance, "Movers & Shakers," offers three dances including a world premiere by Rennie Harris called "Philadelphia Experiment," a hip-hop retrospective about the city. Also on the playbill is Talley Beatty's "Southern Landscape," inspired by Howard Fast's Reconstruction-era novel "Freedom Road," and an excerpt from Gene Hill Sagan's "La Valse."
Kimmel Center, 260 S. Broad St., 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. today, 2:30 p.m. tomorrow, $34-$46, 215-893-1999.
Growth industry
The historic Grumblethorpe House & Garden is the backdrop for a festive spring plant sale, featuring flowers, veggies and herbs to get your home garden blooming this season. Some of the plants were grown by the Grumblethorpe Educational Partnership Program.
Grumblethorpe Historic House & Garden, 5267 Germantown Ave., 10 a.m.-3 p.m, free, 215-880-5951 or www.philalandmarks.org.
TOMORROW
Good trip lollipop
Take a family-friendly cruise on the Schuylkill Tour Boat that travels between Center City and Bartram's Garden. Once there, kids can participate in a scavenger hunt and compete in a coloring contest, while learning about the plants and flowers that grow there.
Schuylkill Banks, Walnut Street Dock, boat sails at 1 p.m, $23-$25, 888-RIV-PHIL.
Flower power
Enjoy some of the most beautiful and rare flowers in the world when Longwood Gardens hosts its Orchid Extravaganza. Thousands of delicate blooms will be on display and experts will offer information about this largest of flower families.
Longwood Gardens, Route 1 and Route 52, Kennett Square, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., $14 adults, $6 kids, under 6, free, 610-388-1000 or www.longwoodgardens.org.
Scope out this play
German author Bertolt Brecht first brought the "Life of Galileo" to audiences during World War II. He found parallels between Galileo's stunning theories of the universe and the turbulent '40s, when new technologies and the war were changing life dramatically. In David Edgar's modern translation, the epic debate between science and religion has relevance to modern issues such as global warming and cloning.
Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St., 2 p.m., other performances 11 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. May 18-19, $35-$50, 215-546-7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.
NEXT WEEK
A dreadful anniversary
Join in a discussion marking the 150th anniversary of the Supreme Court's Dred Scott vs. Sanford case of 1856, a decision that declared no African-American could be a citizen of the United States. Constitutional scholars Akhil Reed Amar, Earl Maltz and Theodore M. Shaw will discuss the case and its legacy.
National Constitution Center, 525 Arch St., 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, free but reservations required, 215-409-6700 or www.constitutioncenter.org.
Erin go dance
Kick up your heels, Riverdance is back for a limited engagement! See the larger-than-life celebration of Irish music and dance that has been viewed by more than 19 million people in 32 countries since 1995.
Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce streets, 8 p.m. Tuesday through May 19, 7:30 p.m. May 20, 2 p.m. matinees May 19-20, $27.50-$77.50, 215-731-3333 or www.kimmelcenter.org/broadway.