Check out these faves of the Fringe (and Live Arts, too)
Whether your preferences run to stark minimalist dance or gross-out zombie musicals, the Live Arts and Philly Fringe festivals offer something for every outré taste. But, with well over 200 diverse performances scattered throughout the city, from the grandest halls to makeshift basement stages, navigating the festival can be as much of a sensory overload as some of its performances are meant to be.
Whether your preferences run to stark minimalist dance or gross-out zombie musicals, the Live Arts and Philly Fringe festivals offer something for every outré taste. But, with well over 200 diverse performances scattered throughout the city, from the grandest halls to makeshift basement stages, navigating the festival can be as much of a sensory overload as some of its performances are meant to be.
Below are a few choice picks for the next seven days to get you started, but the point of the festival is to experiment and explore. Take these hints and deviate from the path to see what you stumble into. That's the Fringe spirit.
"Dance": A revival of choreographer Lucinda Childs' seminal 1979 work, with live dancers interacting with Sol LeWitt's film of the original production, set to composer Philip Glass' score. 8 tonight and tomorrow; 3 p.m. Sunday. Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce streets, $25-$30.
"Decadere": Cuban-born choreographer Marianela Boan's BoanDanz Action Company peers in on two dancers trapped under surveillance, a purgatory of old habits and omnipresent cameras. 8 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sept. 17-18. Live Arts Studio, 919 N. 5th St., $25-$30.
"Japan House/Philadelphia": Leah Stein Dance Company, Philly's premier site-specific dance company, occupies the 17th-century Shofuso Japanese House and Garden, creating a dance piece based on the site's Senju paintings and accompanied by percussionist Toshi Makihara. 6 tonight, 4 and 6 p.m. tomorrow. Shofuso Japanese House and Garden, 4301 Lansdowne Ave., West Fairmount Park, $20.
"Source": Four dancers from the Lawrence Herchenroether Dance Company enter a historic 1900s power plant, doused with water, in choreographer Tori Lawrence's multidisciplinary piece. 2 and 8 p.m. tomorrow. Power Plant Productions, 230 N. 2nd St., $20.
"Rosa de la Alhambra": Duende Flamenco Fusion Band retells the history and folklore of flamenco music in Spain through Washington Irving's "Tales of the Alhambra" and the poetry of Federico Garcia Lorca. 7:30 tonight, Wednesday and Sept. 18; 11 a.m. Sunday. Twelve Gates Art Gallery, 305 Cherry St., $16.
"The Madwoman of Chaillot": The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium performs Jean Giraudoux's classic poetic satire about an eccentric Paris woman and her battles against authority. 7:30 tonight, tomorrow, Tuesday, Wednesday and Sept. 17-18; 2:30 p.m. Sunday and Sept. 18. Walnut Street Theatre Studio 5, 825 Walnut St., $20.
Send e-mail to bradys@phillynews.com.
For a full listing of Live Arts/Fringe events' dates, times and details, go to http://www.livearts-fringe.org/.