Brotherly love

If you happen to notice a sudden drop in avant-garderati scenesters this weekend, it’s no surprise: Today the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival kicks off. It’s the curated companion event to Philly’s Fringe, and features a mouthwatering lineup of stuff you might have already seen in NYC… as well as shows you may never see here. Most notably, Elevator Repair Service’s Gatz, a seven-hour uncut, verbatim theatrical rendition of The Great Gatsby. This underground classic (first seen in workshop form here two years ago) has toured the world and the country, but due to a rights issue (some fool is trying to make a musical of it), is forbidden from being produced in NYC. So your best—maybe only—chance to see it is by taking a 90-minute train to the City of Brotherly Love. That’s what I'm doing Saturday—and it’s a sure bet the audience on Sunday will be crawling with Gothamites. On Saturday, I'm catching Philly-based Pig Iron Theatre Company’s deconstruction of Measure for Measure, called Isabella. Other worthwhile productions include Young Jean Lee’s lacerating, wicked Songs of the Dragons Flying to Heaven and the Wooster Group’s mind-blowing staging of The Emperor Jones. You never saw them? Well, now's your chance.

Comments

[Greg]

Hey, Dave… remember us? We read your blog… when you post, that is… 24 days since the last post & counting… don't turn into Fluble, Dave… Fluble went away & left us all by our lonesome.