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P H I L A D E L P H I A & T H E M A I N L I N E ’ S FAV O R I T E W E E K LY
Year 35, No. 28
Celebrating 35 Years of Community News
March 11 – March 17, 2020
Merrily We Roll Along Ends an Era in Vasey Theatre
Lansdowne Symphony Concert March 22
Sondheim and Furth’s Musical Masterpiece Rolls into Villanova Theatre March 17 - 29 illanova Theatre presents Mer rily We Roll Along, the last show of the 20192020 Season, directed by Valerie Joyce, running March 17 - 29. This production will also serve as the
Debra Lew Harder Plays Gershwin
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Writers David and Frank Langfitt to Speak Page 7
Dine & Dish with Brian O’Neill Page 8
Tom Paxton and The DonJuans to Perform Page 12
Jay V. Kimberley (Frank), Angela Rose Longo (Mary), and Ethan Mitchell (Charley) – in Villanova Theatre’s production of “Merrily We Roll Along,” running March 17 - 29. Photo/Kimberly Reilly last production in Vasey Theatre (home to Villanova Theatre for nearly sixty years) before moving to the brand-new Center for Performing Arts on the opposite side of Lancaster Avenue for the 2020-2021 Season. Sondheim and Furth’s witty and wistful fable about friendship, compromise and the price of success follows three idealistic artists whose lives pull them in unexpected directions. Featuring beloved songs like “Not a Day Goes By,” “Good Thing Going” and “Our Time,” this groundbreaking musical Debra Lew Harder will perform Concerto in F by George starts at the end and ends at the beginning, following the aspirations, trials and tribulations Gershwin on March 22 at 3 p.m. at the Upper Darby of this starry-eyed trio. As Villanova Theatre’s last mainstage production in Vasey Theatre, Performing Arts Center in Drexel Hill with the Merrily We Roll Along invites audiences to look back on over five decades of fond memories Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra. while also dreaming ahead to the many marvels yet to come. At the helm of this production is director Valerie Joyce, who also serves as Theatre Deebra Lew Harder will perform Concerto in F by George partment Chairperson. As an alumna of Villanova’s MA in Theatre program, it is fitting that Gershwin on March 22 at 3 p.m. at the Upper Darby she serves as director of the final show in Vasey Theatre, having also worked as a performer Performing Arts Center in Drexel Hill with the Lansand costume designer on its stage for many years. Dr. Joyce holds Vasey Theatre dear to her heart, saying, “We thought for a long time about a fitting way to say goodbye to Vasey Thea- downe Symphony Orchestra, Reuben Blundell, Music Director. A concert pianist and music educator, Debra Lew Harder tre. Merrily fits the bill in many ways, as a challenging Sondheim score and a perfect vehicle for the actors in our program. But, the story also resonates for those of us who went holds doctorates in both medicine and music. She has perthrough the MA program and worked on this stage for over forty years. As we follow the formed with orchestras throughout the United States and
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See Villanova Theatre’s “Merrily We Roll Along” page 8
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See Debra Lew Harder Plays Gershwin page 3
Nelly Berman School of Music Presents “Celebration of the Arts” Gala Concert n Sunday, March 15 at 3:30 p.m., the Nelly Berman School of Music will hold the “Celebration of the Arts” Gala Concert, a collaborative multimedia event that will feature the school’s music students, ballet students from the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet in Narberth, PA, and theater students from the Arden Theatre in Philadelphia, PA. The event will take place at West Chester University’s Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre in Swope Hall. In collaborating with fellow community arts organizations, the Nelly Berman School aims to create a memorable event for the greater Philadelphia community that brings together students of different art disciplines and offers both the students and audience members new experiences that broaden their view of
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the arts. Nelly Berman School director Elena Berman hopes to provide music students “their first-ever opportunity to visual“Celebration of the Arts” Gala Concert will feature Nelly Berman School’s music students, ballet students from the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet in Narberth, PA, and theater students from the Arden Theatre in Philadelphia, PA. The event will take place Sunday, March 15 at West Chester University’s Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre in Swope Hall. ize a concrete physical motion by dancers, who capture profound human emotions through their movement as the music unfolds.” See “Celebration of the Arts” Gala Concert page 8