CITY SUBURBAN NEWS FREE
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 31, No. 36
Celebrating 31 Years of Community News
May 11 – May 17, 2016
FIND YOUR Get in on the Act in Philadelphia with COMMUNITY Something New is About to “Sister Act” at the Walnut Street Theatre NEWS HERE! Bloom on the Main Line From Haas Family Estate to Natural Lands Trust Public Garden
Wayne Art Center Plein Air Festival Page 3
Jazz Concert with Drummer Jim Miller Page 6
AIM Academy Extends Campus Page 11
Dining & Entertainment Pages 6 & 7
Find Great Arts & Cultural News Inside!
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Dan’yelle Williamson and Company of “Sister Act.” Photo/Holly Porch alnut Street Theatre concludes its landmark 207th season with habit-forming musical comedy set in Philadelphia, “Sister Act.” Directed and choreographed by Richard Stafford, this uplifting musical begins previews on May 17, opens on May 25 and runs through July 17 on the WST Mainstage. When wannabe disco diva Deloris Van Cartier witnesses a crime, the cops hide her in the last place anyone would think to look—a convent! Under the suspicious watch of Mother Superior, Deloris helps her fellow sisters find their voices as she unexpectedly rediscovers her own. Featuring original music by eight-time Oscar winner Alan Menken, this musical is filled with toe-tapping songs, outrageous showstopping dancing and a truly moving story. A sparkling tribute to the universal power of friendship, “Sister Act” is reason to rejoice! “Sister Act” the musical is based on the 1992
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film starring Whoopi Goldberg. The comedy was the eighth highest-grossing film worldwide that year and won multiple awards, including a People’s Choice Award for Favorite Comedy Motion Picture. The musical premiered at the Pasedena Playhouse in California in 2006. A huge success, the production became its highest grossing show of all time. “Sister Act” had its West End premiere in 2009, with Whoopi Goldberg as a producer. Following its Broadway debut in 2011, the show received multiple Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical and Best Score. “Sister Act” has toured internationally, nationally twice has been translated into seven languages. The Walnut’s production of “Sister Act” is produced in association with Riverside Theatre in Vero Beach, Florida. “Sister Act” features original music by awardwinning composer Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Little Shop of See “Sister Act” at the Walnut on page 12
Delaware Valley Opera Company Presents Season Preview Concert njoy a taste of Delaware Valley Opera Company’s upcoming 2016 Summer Opera Festival in the James V. Wiest Preview Concert, honoring DVOC founder and stage director James V. Wiest on Sunday, May 29 at 3 p.m., at the Venice Island Performing Arts and Recreation Center in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia. Since its beginnings, DVOC has offered Soprano Brynn Terry (standing) as the Queen of the Night, and opera at an affordable price while providing a career stepping-stone for area singers. soprano Tracy Sturgis at Pamina DVOC performers receive training and edu- in DVOC’s 2015 production of the “The Magic Flute.” Tickets for cation through exposure to all facets of the May 29 James V. Wiest operatic production, and performance opportunities in a variety of operas. The company Preview Concert are a suggested produces three fully staged operas during donation of $20 per person. The performance begins at 3 p.m. its annual Summer Festival in June, July and August, and presents a variety of concerts Photo/John Sturgis Photography throughout the year. Join DVOC on May 29 in a complimentary Champagne toast to honor Wiest and celebrate his legacy, now in its 37th season. (Non-alcoholic options will be available as well.) This year marks the 5th anniversary of Wiest’s passing. Known as “Jim” or even “Beast” by friends and DVOC patrons alike, he was a walking encyclopedia of
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See DVOC Presents Season Preview Concert page 12
Photo/Mae Axelrod, NLT
Stoneleigh includes stately trees, winding pathways, and lush gardens that the Haas family has carefully stewarded over the decades. The gardens were designed by a number of notable landscape architects over the past century— including Olmsted Brothers, sons of the famed Frederick Law Olmsted. n April 20, 2016, the children of the late John and Chara Haas donated the family’s 42-acre Stoneleigh estate in Villanova to Natural Lands Trust, the region’s oldest and largest land conservation organization. Natural Lands Trust, which owns 43 nature preserves across eastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey, plans to open the Haas family estate as a public garden that showcases and educates visitors about the joys and benefits of gardens that emphasize the use of native plants.
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See Stoneleigh Estate to Become Public Garden on page 12