Rich Vos & Bonnie McFarlane
Helium Comedy Club
2031 Sansom St.
Tonight, 8 p.m.; Fri-Sat, 8 p.m. & 10:30 p.m., $20-25
(215) 496-9001
www.heliumcomedy.com
Aww, it's a husband-and-wife comedy team! Like a funny Filliam H. Muffman! (That's Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy for the Colbert-illiterate.) Let's call them. Ronnie McVoslane? Both halves of the duo are alums of Last Comic Standing, NBC's stand-up reality battle royale. They've also both made the rounds with solo appearances on Comedy Central and HBO. But together, it's sure to be double the laughs.
New Found Glory
The Electric Factory
421 N. 7th St.
Sun, 7 p.m., $20
(215) 627-1332
www.livenation.org
If you were to describe your relationship with New Found Glory on Facebook, the only viable option would be "It's complicated." You totally rocked out to them when they first came on the scene, but by the time they became MTV sellouts, you were over them. But, well, it's 2006 now and you're kinda ready to let go of your grudge and relive your eighth grade punk rocker phase. We say go ahead, embrace your inner teeny bopper.
Broken Social Scene
The Electric Factory
421 N. 7th St.
Tue, 9 p.m., $25-27
(215) 627-1332
www.livenation.org
It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a... Canadian rock supergroup! Yep, Broken Social Scene, in all its indie rock glory, is coming back to Philly. They've got such a huge ensemble of members that if you're up to the challenge, I suggest you try to infiltrate the group and tour with them for a while. If your hair is greasy enough and your pants are tight enough, no one will even notice you're not in the band.
Papa Roach
Theatre of Living Arts
334 South St.
Tue, 7:30 p.m., $22.50-25
(215) 922-1010
www.livenation.com
This nu-metal band is touring to promote their nu album, The Paramour Sessions. I love how we can spell "new" with less letters now. It makes me want to go to the zu and drink Mountain Du. The album, which was recorded at L.A.'s famed Paramour Mansion, features murky songs about drug use and suicide, but the first single was still badass enough to become the new official theme song of the WWE's Monday Night RAW.
Jon McLaughlin
The Trocadero
1003 Arch St.
Wed, 7 p.m., $10
(215) 922-LIVE
www.thetroc.com
Jon McLaughlin is just a small-time boy from the cornfields of Indiana who wants to be the next Billy Joel. The young piano rocker has a self-titled album and over 15,000 MySpace friends, so he's well on his way. With his boy band looks and smooth ballads, you better catch him before he goes all John Mayer on us and starts dating Jessica Simpson.
The Burden of Spectatorship: David Holzman's Diary/ Portrait of Jason
International House
3701 Chestnut St.
Sat, 7 p.m., $5-7, free for members
(215) 387-5125
www.ihousephilly.org
In an effort to showcase the American "direct cinema" movement, International House will be showing two films that exemplify the blurring of the line between documentary and performance. David Holzman's Diary, a satire on self-documenting, will be shown first and will be followed by Portrait of Jason, the story of a hustler/cabaret performer that was shot over a period of 12 hours.
Currently Franklin: The Story of a Paper Boy
The Rotunda
4014 Walnut St.
Wed, 7 p.m. & 9 p.m., $8-15
(215) 573-3234
http://therotunda.org
If there's one historical figure Penn students love, it is without a doubt Benjamin Franklin - inventor, statesman, philosopher, ladies' man and general badass. Sebastienne Mundheim has adapted Franklin's story for the stage. However, this is no ordinary play. Complete with dancing printing presses, poetry and "ethereal movers" (yeah, we don't know what those are either), the show is sure to be unique, just like our founder.
Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company
Irvine Auditorium
3401 Spruce St.
Wed, 7:30 p.m., $32-44
(215) 898-6701
www.pennpresents.org
The Philippines' oldest dance company, the Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company, integrates Philippine dance with traditional costumes and distinctive folk music. The award-winning group is responsible for bringing Philippine folk dance into the world consciousness, appearing in 14 globe-spanning tours and even performing on Broadway.
Dani Shoshan: In Search of Israeli Art
Slought Foundation
4017 Walnut St.
Until Dec. 23, Thu-Sat, 1-6 p.m., $1-2
(215) 222-9050
www.slought.org
"What is Israeli art?" you ask. The work of photographer Dani Shoshan (featured in this exhibition) is described as "at once local and cosmopolitan. inviting you to approach it while at the same time refusing to let you in." Apparently, the only way you're going to understand what this exhibition is actually about is to go see it for yourself.
Mexico and Modern Printmaking
Philadelphia Museum of Art
26th Street & Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Until Jan. 14, Tue-Sun, 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m., $8-12
(215) 763-8100
www.philamuseum.org
Maybe you learned in Spanish 140 that Mexican artists such as Orozco, Siqueiros and Rivera are famous for their paintings and murals, but did you know these guys also had a huge influence on the field of printmaking? This exhibition explores such significant contributions with 125 vibrant prints and posters by 50 Mexican and foreign-born artists.
Xiang Yang: Beyond the Duplicated Voice
Painted Bride Art Center
230 Vine St.
Until Jan. 13, Tue-Sat, 5-7 p.m., free
(215) 925-9914
www.paintedbride.org
In her exhibition "Beyond the Duplicated Voice," mixed media artist Xiang Yang crafts a variety of bowls and containers using colored thread and other found objects, according to the Chinese philosophy "the body is to hold; its space is to use." Kind of like the Tupperware containers you use to stash stolen granola from the dining hall.
42nd Street
Walnut Street Theatre
825 Walnut St.
Until Jan. 7, Thu-Fri, 8 p.m.; Sat, 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sun, 2 p.m. & 7 p.m., $10-67.50
(215) 574-3550
www.wstonline.org
Come on and listen to the lullaby of... Philadelphia??? That's right! 42nd Street, the beloved Broadway baby, is coming to the City of Brotherly Love. The show is a little over the top, but who doesn't want to shuffle off to Buffalo with this musical extravaganza? Be forewarned, your friends won't take kindly to you when you start humming show tunes. Trust me. I know.
The Producers
Merriam Theater
260 S. Broad St.
Tue-Wed, 8 p.m., $25-73.50
(215) 732-5446
www.merriamtheater.org
What would you do four years after winning the most Tony awards in Broadway history? Would you just sit around proud that your success caused show ticket prices to rise from $100 to $111.25? Would you? Not if you're "the new Mel Brooks musical" (not so new anymore but hell you've earned the bragging rights). You'd get up off your back and march into Philadelphia to share some of that sidesplitting hilarity.
