Performance and classical music listings

1812 Productions: This Is The Week That Is

Annual show poking fun at local & national current events. Closes 11/4. Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey Pl.; 215-592-9560. 1812productions.org. $28-$38.

25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Comedy about the trials & tribulations of a group of young spelling bee participants. Closes 10/20. Eagle Theatre, 208 Vine St., Hammonton, NJ

Blithe Spirit Noel Coward comedy about a man being haunted by his first wife's ghost. Closes 10/28. Steel River Playhouse (formerly Tri-County Performing Arts Center), 245 E. High St., Pottstown; 610-970-1199. $20-$23; $17-$20 seniors; $15-$17 students and children.

Cooking With The Calamari Sisters: Mangia Italiano! 'Live broadcast' of a cable channel cooking show hosted by 2 colorful Italian sisters. Closes 11/4. Society Hill Playhouse, 507 S. 8th St.; Reservations required: 215-923-0210. www.thecalamarisisters.com/cooking.html. $45.

Curio Theatre: The Runner Stumbles Milan Stitt's drama about a priest accused of murder in a remote Michigan town. Closes 11/10. Calvary Center for Culture & Community, 801 S. 48th St; 215-525-1350. www.curiotheatre.org. $10-$20.

Freud's Last Session Hit play about an imagined meeting between C.S. Lewis & Sigmund Freud. Closes 12/23. Arden Theatre, 40 N. 2d St.; 215-922-1122. $36-$48.

Gas & Electric Arts: Behind the Eye Philadelphia premiere of Carson Kreitzer's story about the life of World War II photographer Lee Miller. Closes 11/18. Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre, 2111 Sansom St.; Box Office: 215-496-8001. www.gasandelectricarts.org. $16.

Gutenberg! The Musical 2 aspiring playwrights try to get backers for their new work, a musical about printing press inventor Johann Gutenberg. Closes 11/4. Act II Playhouse, 56 E. Butler Ave., Ambler; Box Office: 215-654-0200. $33-$38; $15-$20 students.

Hairspray A teenager wins a spot on a TV dance program, then launches a campaign for social justice. Closes 11/4. Media Theatre for the Performing Arts, 104 E. State St., Media; 610-891-0100. $49; $44 seniors; $27 children.

Howard Zinn's Voices of a People's History Readings of speeches, letters, poems & other documents written by American activists through the years. Closes 11/10. Montgomery County Cultural Center - Centre Theater, 208 DeKalb St., Norristown.

Late Nite Catechism Mix of stand-up & Catholic rhetoric presented as a catechism class where the audience are the students. Closes 10/21. Sellersville Theater 1894, Main St. & Temple Ave., Sellersville; 215-257-5808. $35-$45.

Love Story The tale of the romance between a man & a woman from different worlds. Closes 10/21. Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St.; 215-574-3550. $10-$95.

Luna Theater: Seventy Scenes of Halloween Contemporary married life explored through both humor & horror. Closes 11/3. Adrienne Theatre, 2030 Sansom St.; 215-704-0033. www.lunatheater.org. $15-$30.

Mark Twain: Sacred Cows Make the Best Hamburgers An actor portraying Twain shares some of the author's classic writings + some of his lesser-known works. Closes 11/4. People's Light & Theatre Company, 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern; 610-644-3500. $35-$40; $25 children 17 and under.

Next to Normal Pulitzer-winning musical drama about a family in crisis. Closes 11/4. Arden Theatre, 40 N. 2d St.; 215-922-1122.

Philadelphia Theatre Company: Stars of David A musical adaptation of Abigail Pogrebin's best-selling book. Closes 11/18. Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St.; 215-985-0420. philadelphiatheatrecompany.org/shows/starsofdavid/. $51-$79.

Sherlock Holmes & the Crucifer of Blood A missing soldier's past harbors a mysterious secret in this stage adaptation of 'The Sign of the Four.' Closes 11/25. Hedgerow Theatre, 64 Rose Valley Rd., Media; 610-565-4211. $25-$32; $22-$29 seniors; $10 students and children.

Sleeping Beauty (& Friends) Fairy godmothers try to keep a princess safe from a curse involving spinning wheels. Closes 10/28. Montgomery Theater, 124 N. Main St., Souderton; 215-723-9984. $10.

Spirits Break to Freedom Collaborative theatrical piece featuring dancer Germaine Ingram, musician Bobby Zankel & artist John Dowell. Closes 11/4. Painted Bride Art Center, 230 Vine St.; Registration required. Free.

The Assassination of Jesse James Part of the American Vaudeville Festival. Presented by EgoPo. Closes 10/28 Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey Pl.; Reservations required: 215-735-0630 or 800-595-4849. $20-$50.

The Rocky Horror Show Downtown Performing Arts Center presents the hit comic rock musical. Closes 10/28. New Hope Arts Center, 2 Stockton Ave., New Hope. $22 advance; $25 day of show.

The Screwtape Letters Stage adaptation of the C.S. Lewis novel, starring Max McLean. Closes 10/20. Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad St.; 215-893-1999. www.screwtapeonstage.com. $39-$91.

The Sexploitation Follies: Dario Argento Burlesque series featuring performances inspired by the films of various directors. Closes 10/20. PhilaMOCA (Philadelphia Mausoleum Of Contemporary Art), 531 N. 12th St. $12.

Tyne Daly & James Earl Jones: Love Letters Touching, often funny tale about the lifelong correspondence between 2 dear friends. Closes 10/21. Bucks County Playhouse, 70 S. Main St., New Hope; 215-862-2121. $75-$85.

Family Stages: The Wizard of Oz

Join Dorothy, Toto, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion & pals for a magical adventure down the Yellow Brick Road. Closes 10/22. Augustus Lutheran Church, 717 W. Main St., Collegeville; 215-886-9341.

» READ MORE: www.familystages.org

. $10.

Monster Mash Frankenstein, The Mummy, Dracula & Wolfman join forces to stop an evil mad scientist in this children's show. Closes 10/20. Broadway Theatre of Pitman, 43 S. Broadway, Pitman; Box Office: 856-384-8381. $7-$9.

Once Upon a Mattress

A kingdom in need of a real princess manages to find one, but she's not quite what they expected. Closes 11/3. Players Club of Swarthmore, 614 Fairview Rd., Swarthmore; TheaterMania: 866-811-4111. $25; $13 children 18 and under.

Plaza Suite 3 one-act plays about couples staying in a a NY hotel's suite during different phases of their relationships. Closes 11/3. Footlighters Theater, 58 Main Ave., Berwyn; Box Office: 610-296-9245. $14.

Stairs to the Roof Early Tennessee Williams play about a man who rebels against his office job & embarks on a series of late-night adventures. Closes 10/21. Rowan University - Pfleeger Concert Hall, 201 Mullica Hill Rd., Glassboro; 856-256-4545. $15.

The Bad Seed Thriller presented by Bridge Players Theatre Company. Closes 10/21. Bridge Players Theatre at Broad Street United Methodist Church, 36 E Broad St., Burlington; 856-303-7620. $18.

The Fox on the Fairway Ken Ludwig's furiously paced comedy. Closes 10/20. Village Players of Hatboro, 401 Jefferson Ave., Hatboro; Reservations required: 215-675-6774. $12.

The Wildest, Hip, Cool & Swinging Celebration of the musical legacy of Louis Prima, Keeley Smith & others from their era. Closes 11/10. Off-Broad Street Theatre, 5 S. Greenwood Ave., Hopewell, NJ; Reservations required: 609-466-2766.

Titanic: The Musical Tony-winning musical about the journey of the ill-fated Titanic. Closes 11/3. Haddonfield Plays & Players, 957 E. Atlantic Ave., Haddonfield; 856-429-8139. $20.

Cavalcade of Bands: March on the Brandywine

High school marching band competition. Unionville High School, 750 Unionville Rd, Kennett Square. cavalcadeofbands.com. $10; $8 students and seniors; free 5 and under. 10/20. 6:30-10 pm.

Cuddle Magic Lush, whimsical songs featuring wide-ranging instrumentation. Tin Angel at Serrano, 20 S. 2d St.; 215-928-0978. www.cuddle-magic.com. $10. 10/19. 10:30 pm.

Husnu Senlendirici, Clarinetist Performs classical and contemporary Turkish music. Trinity Center for Urban Life, 2212 Spruce St. $30; $15 students. 10/20. 8 pm.

Kielbasa Harmonika: The Kings of Germany Period instrument & vocal ensemble will perform music of the German Baroque by Bach, Buxtehude, Handel & more. Old Zion Lutheran Church, 628 N. Broad St. www.kielbasaharmonika.com. Donation suggested: $10; $5 students and seniors. 10/20. 5-7 pm.

Old York Road Symphony Community orchestra. Abington Junior High School, 2056 Susquehanna Rd., Abington; 215-782-1718. www.oldyorkroadsymphony.org. $18; $15 seniors; $5 students. 10/20. 8 pm.

PCMS Concert: Modigliani Quartet Performs works by Haydn, Schumann & Ravel. Kimmel Center, Broad & Spruce Sts.; 215-569-8080. www.pcmsconcerts.org. $24. 10/25. 8 pm.

PCMS Concert: Shanghai Quartet With Peter Serkin, Pianist Concert of works by Mozart, Sheng & Dvorak. Kimmel Center, Broad & Spruce Sts.; 215-569-8080. www.pcmsconcerts.org. $24. 10/19. 8 pm.

Philadelphia Orchestra: Bell, Bernstein & Brahms Concert of works by Gabriela Lena Frank, Bernstein & Brahms, w/Yannick Nezet-Seguin conducting & Joshua Bell featured on violin. Kimmel Center, Broad & Spruce Sts.; 215-893-1999. www.philorch.org. 10/25.

Philadelphia Orchestra: The Verdi Requiem W/the Westminster Symphonic Choir. Yannick Nezet Seguin conducts. Kimmel Center, Broad & Spruce Sts.; 215-893-1999. www.philorch.org. 10/19, 10/20, 10/21.

Stanislava Varshavski & Diana Shapiro, Pianists: French Connections Concert of works by Milhaud, Ravel, Gershwin & Franz Schubert. Woodmere Art Museum, 9201 Germantown Ave.; 215-247-0476. $20. 10/21. 3-4:30 pm.

Stefan Jackiw, Violinist Eastern University - McInnis Auditorium, 1300 Eagle Rd., Wayne; 610-649-2517. $20; $15 seniors; free for students and children. 10/21. 2:30 pm.

Tempesta di Mare Philadelphia Baroque period-instrument ensemble. Arch Street Friends Meeting House, 320 Arch St.; 215-627-2667. www.tempestadimare.org. $20-$35 advance; $25-$40 day of show; free students and children in grades 3-12. 10/20. 8 pm. Also Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Ave. 10/21. 4 pm.

Amici Opera Company: Aida

Verdi opera about a commander who must choose between love & loyalty. St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 409 White Horse Pike, Oaklyn; 215-224-0257. $25. 10/19. 7:15 pm.

Amici Opera: A Taste of Italy - Part 2 Dinner & concert. High Note Cafe, 1549 S. 13th St.; 215-755-8903. $45 plus tax, tip & drinks; $20 deposit required. 10/23. 7 pm.

Chester Children's Chorus 60-voice chorus of children ages 8-17. Church of the Holy Trinity, 212 S. High St., West Chester. www.chesterchildrenschorus.org. Free. 10/20. 7:30 pm.

Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia: Trinity: Moran and Bruckner Bruckner's Mass No. 2, Robert Moran's 'Angele Dei' & 'Trinity' Requiem. Cathedral Basilica of SS Peter & Paul, 18th St.; 215-735-9922. $28 advance; $30 day of show. 10/21. 3 pm.

Temple University Singers, Chorale & Women's Chorus Temple students perform. Temple University - Temple Performing Arts Center, 1837 N Broad St.; Liacouras Center Box Office: 1-800-298-4200. Free. 10/24. 7:30 pm.