Philadelphia City Paper, March 12th, 2015 by Philadelphia City Paper

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naked

the

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city

CP’s Quality-o-Life-o-Meter

[ - 1] Police are looking for the thief who cut

the mane and tail off a miniature horse named “Little Sammy” in Montgomery County. Although they haven’t ruled out mare pattern baldness.

[ - 2] ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith insinuates that

Eagles coach Chip Kelly’s big roster moves have been motivated by racism. Smith has also insinuated that anyone who implies that he has become a parody of a sports journalist is also a racist, so we won’t imply that. 22

[0]

Seven acres of land along the Schuylkill called River City is up for sale to potential developers. Authorities ask that all angry mobs voice their objections in the form of a song.

[ + 3] PECO announces it will offer its customers

2,000 trees this spring to plant on their properties to help lower energy bills via shade and wind minimization. “Of course, at the end, I am going to fall down on your power lines,” says tree.

[ + ?] State Rep. Rob Freeman proposes that

proceeds from the state’s liquor tax be used by local governments to make up for money lost due to tax exemptions. So far no one has been able to explain this to the Bell Curve staff without us punching them in the face for being boring.

[0]

Mayoral candidate Nelson Diaz proposes the School Reform Commission be replaced with a board made up of students’ parents. Under this proposal, SRC meetings would address vaccinations, GMO foods and nothing else in an endless, progressfree loop till everybody dies of measles.

[ - 1] Prisons Commissioner Louis Giorla says the

city needs to build a new prison to replace the House of Correction in Northeast Philly which was built in 1874 and last renovated in 1929. Wait, that’s still an active prison? We’ve been taking the kids there every Halloween. You can stroll right in. This is very upsetting.

This week’s total: -1 | The year so far: +10 | P h i l a d e l P h i a C i t y Pa P e r |

BUSTED: Gunfire damaged this piece in the collection at the Ma’arra Mosaic Museum in Syria in an image from last summer. Courtesy ali othman and the ma’arra museum

[ civilization ]

saving ancient history A team at the Penn Museum joins an inter national effort to protect cultural treasures from ISIS destruction. By Jon Hurdle

s the extremist forces of the Islamic State ransack treasure houses filled with ancient artifacts in Iraq and Syria, a team of archaeologists at the Penn museum is working with an international coalition to try to minimize the destruction. The Penn experts watched in horror last month as ISIS fighters smashed historic statues in the museum at mosul, the northern Iraqi city that lies amid territory that the Islamic State, or ISIS, claims as part of its caliphate. “This is an unbelievably traumatic thing for archaeologists to witness,” said Julian Siggers, the Williams director of the Penn museum. “archaeological heritage, cultural patrimony, takes a great toll during wartime, but more often than not, it’s from looting and from collateral damage. This is targeted destruction. This is a war crime, we are dealing with intent.” after the worldwide distribution of an ISIS video showing a man attacking a fallen statue at the mosul museum with a sledgehammer, the Penn team is stepping up its efforts to catalog historic items, monitor at-risk sites, train local colleagues to protect the artifacts and alert international law-enforcement authorities to

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the objects that may have been stolen for their financial value. and they are considering a pre-emptive strategy to protect important sites from any attack or move artifacts out of harm’s way. The archaeologists are part of the museum’s Penn cultural heritage center, which is contributing to the Safeguarding the heritage of Syria and Iraq Project, an international team that works to protect antiquities in the region from attacks. The project is led by the Penn center and the Smithsonian Institution, and includes contributions from the american association for the advancement of Science, Shawnee State University, and The Day after, a Syrian nongovernmental organization. as a venerable center for the discovery and preservation of cultural artifacts from around the world, Penn museum has long sought to prevent the loss of irreplaceable links to the past. The loss of artifacts like those 27 winged bulls that were attacked in the mosul museum represents a weakening of the current generation’s link to the socalled cradle of civilization in mesopotamia, Siggers said. If it continues, the destruction has the potential to rob the world of an important part of its ancient history, Siggers said monday. “That part of the Near East is basically one giant archaeological site,” he said. “It’s been the crossroads of the world for millennia. It’s absolutely packed with archaeological information that has yet

“This is a war crime, we are dealing with intent.”

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✚ Saving Ancient History <<< continued from previous page

to be recovered. What they have gone after is some of the biggest, most significant early cities.” Using its knowledge of the artifacts in the region’s museums, and at historic sites such as the ancient Iraqi cities of Nimrud and Hatra, the team is working to document what’s there, and to distribute that information to law-enforcement authorities in hopes that they will be able to reclaim the items if they are put up for sale. Although the situation on the ground is too dangerous for project members to visit, they are working with “very courageous” associates in ISIS-held areas to protect the artifacts where possible, Siggers said. Local people are trained in “rudimentary” conservation techniques, such as using sandbags to protect historic objects. Penn Museum, which has been working in the region for 127 years, was most recently on the ground in Iraqi Kurdistan, where ISIS made a big incursion last year, forcing the archaeologists to flee into Turkey, Siggers said. “We had to get them out pretty quickly,” he said, to remove any possibility that they would be detained by the militant group that is notorious for its videotaped beheadings of Western captives. Despite their shock at the scale of the artifacts’ destruction, Penn’s experts say there isn’t much they can do to stop it. Katharyn Hanson, a consulting scholar with the Penn Cultural Heritage Center, said the team’s efforts to monitor and communicate the damage have to be done from afar. “It’s a war zone, so there’s very little that can be done on the ground at the moment,” she said. “Sharing the information about what was likely stolen is pretty much all we can do. “We’re working with our colleagues from the Mosul Museum to

document what was lost, and to reach out to law enforcement to try and recover what was lost,” Hanson said. At the Mosul Museum, ISIS destroyed most of the statues in Hatra Hall, named after Hatra, a 2,000-year-old Iraqi city that is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, said Hanson. “There are about 30 objects in that gallery and, of them, about three are plaster copies and 27 are originals,” she said, referring to the Parthian Empire statues from the first or second centuries A.D. “The vast majority of them have been destroyed.” They are important because they represent the power of the Parthian civilization, and their destruction is being used by ISIS to show its desire to wipe away the past, she said. “They are using the video as a symbol of all the ancient past, and destroying it.” In Syria, antiquities are just as exposed to the violence by different parties in a long-running civil war as they are to ISIS actions, Hanson said. That’s why the heritage project of which the Penn team is a part has also been working to defend a museum that houses one of the country’s most important collection of mosaics, dating to the Roman and Byzantine civilizations of the third to sixth centuries A.D. At the Ma’arra Mosaic Museum, about 50 miles south of Aleppo, officials protected some 1,600 square feet of mosaics with a combination of glue and cloth, built barriers with several truckloads of sandbags and repaired holes in the roof of the museum, which is a former roadside inn dating from the 16th century. The Ma’arra project was the team’s first attempt to anticipate

ISIS shows its desire to wipe away the past.

[ the naked city ]

damage from military forces, and may mark the beginning of a pre-emptive strategy to protect antiquities throughout the Middle East, said Richard Leventhal, executive director of Penn’s Cultural Heritage Center. Prevention may take the form of the removal of historic objects to a safe place, or the physical defense of important artifacts such as the Ma’arra mosaics that cannot be moved, Leventhal said. But no amount of preparation will protect such sites from men with sledgehammers. “The work that we did at the Ma’arra Museum was actually in anticipation of the possibility that somebody would attempt to destroy it,” he said. “What we did was hopefully mitigate against the total loss of the mosaic collection. “That is our first attempt at a pre-emptive approach, and now what we’re trying to do is to develop a series of other pre-emptive strategies, both in Syria and in other places, to begin to think about how we can not wait for things to collapse and for cultural heritage to be in jeopardy,” Leventhal said. (editorial@citypaper.net)

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[ courts ]

‘silencing act’ critics aDVance in courts By Jon Hurdle

ritics of a new Pennsylvania law that seeks to stop criminal offenders from speaking publicly have welcomed a federal judge’s ruling that they have standing to argue their case that the law violates the constitutional protection of free speech. chief Judge christopher conner of the middle District of Pennsylvania said on march 6 that the plaintiffs, including Philadelphia City Paper and senior staff writer Daniel Denvir, can seek a ruling on the constitutionality of the so-called Silencing act, which allows prosecutors to sue current or former offenders for conduct “which perpetuates the continuing effect of the crime on the victim.” The formally named revictimization relief act, passed by the Pennsylvania Legislature in October, is designed to prevent inmates from making statements that would cause a temporary or permanent “state of mental anguish” for victims of the crimes for which the inmate was convicted. “This law is so vague and so obviously negates First amendment protections that we welcome an opportunity to argue vigorously against it in court,” said City Paper Editor-in-chief Lillian Swanson. “While we are sympathetic to victims of crime, this law, if enforced, would have a chilling effect on the ability of journalists and others to examine problems in criminal justice.” The law was hastily passed by the legislature after inmate mumia abu-Jamal last October gave a recorded commencement speech to graduates of his alma mater, Goddard college. abu-Jamal, who was convicted of killing Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner in 1981, is serving life without parole. although the law does not mention abuJamal specifically, its backers seized on his case to argue that his address to students — though it did not mention the crime of which he was convicted — prolonged the suffering of maureen Faulkner, the officer’s widow. Both abu-Jamal and Prison Legal News filed challenges to the law. City Paper was among 11 plaintiffs that joined in the latter suit, filed by the lawyers for the Pennsylvania american civil Liberties Union and Pepper hamilton law firm. State rep. mike Vereb, a republican who introduced the bill on Oct. 2, told lawmakers at the time that by making the commencement address, abu-Jamal was “still traumatizing the victim’s family” and so should be subject to the civil actions enabled by the law. On monday, Vereb’s office accused abu-Jamal of wanting to inflict continuing psychological harm on the Faulkner family.

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[ the naked city ]

“The fact that he’s going to court in an effort to overturn a law that would essentially require him to engage in what most people would consider common decency shows his lack of remorse for committing the horrific murder,” Vereb said in a statement. In his 21-page ruling, Judge conner rejected an argument by Pennsylvania attorney General Kathleen Kane, the defendant in the current cases, that the plaintiffs can’t claim the law, signed by former Gov. Tom corbett, is unconstitutional because it has yet to be enforced. The judge also said Kane’s refusal to rule out enforcement of the law until the current case is decided “lends further credit to plaintiffs’ fears” that they will be hit with civil suits. Unlike Kane, Philadelphia District attorney Seth Williams said he would not enforce the law until the case is decided, a stance resulting in Williams being

The judge set a March 30 hearing date. removed as a defendant. The judge set a march 30 hearing in harrisburg to decide on an injunction against the law sought by the plaintiffs and to hold a trial on the merits. Kane’s office declined to comment. Noelle hanrahan, director of Prison radio, the media production studio that broadcasts abuJamal’s presentations, said the judge’s order for a merged trial on the merits and a hearing on a preliminary injunction means that, if he rules for the plaintiffs, the law would be invalidated unless appealed to a higher court. “It was very important that we get to a trial on the merits, and we are very happy that we have standing and that we are able to address the First amendment constitutionality of the law,” hanrahan said. (editorial@citypaper.net)

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TALKING SHOP: Damond Young, also known as Skeet da Barber, offers advice along with a haircut, to Hakime Thomas, 18. Young has been mentoring Thomas for four years at Shear Talent Barbershop on Point Breeze Avenue.

CUTTING EDGE A Penn study uses barbers as mentors for at-risk men. WORDS BY

NATALIE POMPILIO

PHOTOS BY HILLARY PETROZZIELLO

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lmost everyone in the neighborhood knows “Skeet da Barber.” They know he’ll do a good job on their hair, but perhaps more important, they know he’ll listen to what’s going on in their lives. They know he used to run the streets, that he can prove his cred by rolling up his sleeve or lifting his shirt to show the gunshot scars on his arm and back. They know he’s not shy with his opinions. His co-workers refer to his station at Shear Talent on Point Breeze Avenue as “the complaint corner.” Skeet sees it differently. “I’m providing therapy for the hair and for the mind,” says Skeet, whose real name is Damond Young. The self-taught stylist, 44, has been cutting hair for 28 years. “Barbers are like doctors. We hold all the secrets of the community. My clients sit in my chair and ask for advice. They call my phone or ask me to meet with them. They reach out to me and I just hope they listen.” That special bond between hair stylist and customer, one seen in shops across the city, is what

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prompted University of Pennsylvania researchers to choose to partner with barbers like Skeet in 2011 when they launched a health-intervention research project they call “Shape Up: Barbers Building Better Brothers.” The research team, led by Penn School of Nursing Professor Loretta Sweet Jemmott, recruited 150 barbers from about 50 shops citywide, then trained them in how to talk to clients about two loaded issues: HIV/STDs and violence prevention. “We were looking for ways to work with hard-to-reach populations, but we didn’t want to go to jails. We didn’t want to go to clinics. We didn’t want to go to the corners,” Jemmott said. “The barbershop is a safe haven for young black men. Walk down Chestnut or Market ... and peep in the barbershop and it’s awesome. Just awesome.” This isn’t the first time that barbershops and the men who work in them have been selected for the central roles they can play in shaping lives. In 2011, the National Institutes of Health presented research showing how barbers could help patrons address health concerns. In 2012, the Obama administration created “Fatherhood Buzz,” a national program that takes advantage of the “trusted space” of a salon to stress responsible parenthood. In 2013, Vassar College Professor Quincy Mills published Cutting Along the Color Line: Black Barbers and Barber Shops in America, which detailed the history of the shops and their continuing importance. And Professor Jemmott is one of the nation’s leading researchers in the field of HIV/AIDS prevention among African-American adolescents, having been involved in a program, with $74 million in federal funding, devoted to reducing HIV risk-associated sexual behaviors. Will Little, who partnered with the city’s Mural Arts Program last year to enhance the mentoring program he has run out of Jazz U Up barbershop in South Philadelphia for the past four years, says barbershops are “a safe haven for men everywhere.” “Everybody goes to the barbershop, whether you’re 85 years old or 2 years old,” Little said during an interview at Jazz U

AFFIRMATION: Malachi Anderson, 12, and Makhay Goldsmith, 10, listen intently to a career presentation at Jazz U Up barbershop in South Philly last fall. Robotics engineer Johvon McLaughlin (left) fields questions from the kids about his career.

Up. “It’s a neutral ground.” Barbershop owner Mike Monroe allows local musicians to present their music at ESPM Hair Zone on West Girard Avenue. ESPM — which stands for “Excellent Styling Performed by Monroe” — sponsors a youth travel basketball team. Monroe, 45, a graduate of Millersville University, returned to the neighborhood after college and became a stylist because he knew he could make a positive change in the community. He jokingly called his shop “the African-American country club.” “We try to serve as good examples,” said Monroe, who is also taking part in the Penn research program. “It’s gratifying to provide knowledge to these young men and help them deal with life’s challenges.” Meanwhile, at Jazz U Up on a typical Monday between 15 to 20 boys ages 12 to 20 gather for mentoring. Many of the meetings are held at the shop, which is open and operating the entire time, meaning customers are walking in and out, hair dryers and clippers are buzzing, and there’s a soft undercurrent of conversation. Little also sponsors and organizes block parties, field trips and poetry slams for youths through several outreach programs he’s been involved with since he left prison in 1998. Little served 10 years for third-degree murder. (He fired a gun after being fired upon.) The brother of the man he killed is now part of the barbershop mentorship program. Last year, Little worked with the Mural Arts Program (MAP) on specialized programming surrounding a project honoring Point Breeze community activist Shawn White, who died in April 2013 at age 41 from complications from hypertension. In the kind of “small-world coincidence that only happens in Philadelphia” category, White also worked with the Penn barbershop research team. The completed mural, ASpire at 2054 Ellsworth St., is a bright, welcoming collage that features White’s image and words like “faith” and “music.” During one gathering last September at Little’s shop, three African-American male guest speakers described their jobs and how they found success. All three worked in fields that were undeniably appealing to kids: One man was an artist who worked for toy and comic book companies; another, an engineer who showed off the robot he’d built; the third, a musician. “Some of these kids don’t have direction,” said Little, 44. “We talk about everything from hygiene to disease prevention to the importance of education and potential. A lot to kids want to be basketball players or rappers. We try to show them that the majority of African-Americans who are rich didn’t get there from the court or with a microphone.” During another session, held late last summer, Little and the other volunteer mentors addressed a spate of violence that included the shooting death of a 3-year-old girl caught in the crossfire as she was having her hair braided on a front porch in Grays Ferry. That tragedy may have been unavoidable, Little said. Others are not. Staying safe often means being accountable for who your friends are, where you hang out, how you act. “Do you value your life?” Little asked each of the nine boys ages 11 to 16 who came to the shop in the late afternoon. Each said yes, some in the soft voices of children and others in the deeper tones of puberty.

“EVERYBODY GOES TO THE BARBERSHOP.’’

“Good. Because you only get one,” Little said after the last boy spoke. Later, Little said he saw himself in the boys he mentored. The difference is that no strong adult helped steer Little, and the results were terrible. “Some of the kids go through a lot of trials and tribulations. They slip into the cracks and they can’t get out,” he said. “That was my experience. I just fell deeper and deeper.” The Penn team developing the “Shape Up” program first identified more than 100 barbershops in 12 city zip codes. About 75 expressed interest and 48 met the criteria of having at least three barber chairs. The participating barbers had two weeks to recruit at least eight participants. The target group, African-American males between 18 and 24, are considered highly at-risk. The shops were randomly assigned a focus — reducing either incidents of violence or the spread of STDs. Participants had to be willing to be medically tested and watch videos and answer intimate questions on Apple iPads. The goal: to see if oneon-one intervention could actually change

HOT TOPICS: A research team led by Loretta Sweet Jemmott (below) recruited 150 barbers from about 50 shops and then trained them to talk to clients about HIV/STDs and violence prevention.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

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GIVING DIRECTION: Kids and adults gather round at Jazz U Up barbershop. Will Little has been running a mentorship program for four years. Little also organizes block parties, field trips and poetry slams for youths.

bad behaviors. Since retention is key to the success of such studies, the participants were rewarded for sticking with the program: Besides free haircuts, study participants also received small cash incentives during the first visit and three follow-ups — about $125 total — as well as transportation vouchers, when needed. The barbers prompted follow-up visits with reminder phone calls or by sending humorous postcards, like the one that featured basketball’s Michael Jordan looking angry with the caption, “Was it the cut? … Shape Up Barbershop Program. Come to your six mo follow-up.” Another, with actor Idris Elba, advised, “Look as clean as the Board of Health. … It’s time for your haircut.” The real counseling happened with the clients seated in the barbers’ chairs. “It had to be one-on-one, with the client in the chair and the barber doing hair, but talking about what the client is seeing [on the iPad],” Jemmott said. When the focus was sex, for example, barbers might ask about the client how many sexual partners he’d had in the last year and if he felt having more partners meant he was more admirable. They asked if birth control and STD prevention methods had been practiced during those encounters. They weren’t afraid to get down and dirty, and in most cases, they said, the clients responded to the man-to-man questioning. The researchers had originally planned to have the barbers talk to the participants in groups. The barbers suggested that such subjects were better tackled individually. That’s where the iPads came in. The clients could watch videos while waiting for a chair to open up and then read about condom use, to give one example, while the barbers snipped, occasionally adding their two cents. Monroe’s shop focused on HIV and sexually transmitted diseases. He said he never felt awkward during the discussions. “The kids may have felt uncomfortable, but I knew it was for a greater cause,” he said. “Personally, I felt gratified to provide knowledge to these young men and help them deal with life’s challenges.” Skeet’s shop, Shear Talent, was a violence-prevention study site. That suited Skeet well, he said, because he already had young men confiding plans to hurt others. “I always ask guys, ‘What are three things you’ll kill for and three things you’ll die for?’ They give answers like, ‘Family, my mom, myself,’” he said. “But mostly they’re dying because of an argument, something on Facebook or Instagram, some disrespect. I say, ‘Before you do anything, ask yourself: Is this worth dying for? Losing my freedom for?’” Hakime Thomas, one of the young men Skeet mentors, said meeting the barber — who he now calls “my uncle” — changed his life. The 18-year-old’s first job was sweeping hair at the shop for tips. Skeet taught the teenager and his friends how to box, spending hours with them in the ring so they were off the streets. Once, when Thomas told the barber there was no food in his family’s home, Skeet gave him a free haircut and took him grocery shopping. “Whenever I need something, he is a call away,” Thomas said. “Even if he wasn’t talking to me, and I was there sweeping, I would listen to him talk to other people and learn.” The barbershop, Thomas said, “is where you go for everything.”

“WE TALK ABOUT EVERYTHING.”

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“You can sit and talk to the guys. You’re not going to be shy,” he said. “It’s familiar and easy to express yourself versus sitting in a classroom.” “Shape Up: Barbers Building Better Brothers” is now in its final year. If early results show a reduction in the spread of STDS and incidents of violence, Jemmott would like to duplicate it elsewhere, as has happened with at least three of her prior research-based programs. Skeet said he will continue to mentor — he’s worked with both his own and one of Little’s outreach groups previously — and continue to show the younger generation that his generation really cares. “On the streets, love is superficial. They only care what you can do for them. Behind the chair, the love is genuine,” Skeet said. “A lot of kids say they represent their neighborhood or their blocks. I always tell them the name of your block won’t change even if you die for it,” he said. “They have to want to change and value their lives and see they can end up somewhere other than prison or a coffin. The streets don’t lose.” (editorial@citypaper.net)

TIME TO TALK: Barbershop owner Mike Monroe of ESPM Hair Zone chats with Myles Stephens. Monroe’s shop on West Girard Avenue also provides a place for local musicians to perform.

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artsmusicmoviesmayhem

whereforeartthou Philly artists in their own words

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➤ Marek Danielewski

I am influenced by the Japanese aesthetic of wabisabi, which embraces the splendor and beauty of imperfection. The fragility of my pieces and the paper I use, along with the works’ torn or decayed appearance, reflects this ideal. My interpretation of the human form is drawn from a live model and built out of paper and parts of old drawings.The language of my art is heavily influenced by the contemporary symbolism in pop culture projected through archetypes of personal mythology. See more of Marek’s work at inkurge.blogspot.com.

PLAYING THE FIELD: Rob Tucker and Jennie Eisenhower in 11th House Theatre Company’s delightfully fluffy Field Hockey Hot.

Chrissy K PhOtOGraPhy

curtaincall CP theater reviews

➤ Field Hockey Hot, By 11th hour theatre CoMPany

➤ Brian Paul kolakowski

I originally studied jazz performance at Temple before finding my true love of fine woodwork and sculpture. For the most part, I use only hand tools, especially on my carvings. Like in jazz, improvisation is vital to my woodwork. I’m currently working on woodwork projects with Dogfish Head Brewery. My work ranges from classical to contemporary, and I truly love the challenge of pushing myself in terms of both my ideas and my technique. See more of Brian’s work at bpkwoodwork.com. ✚ WHEREFORE ART THOU wants creators to

tell, in their own words, the stories behind their art. Email a 100-words-or-fewer first-person statement and a photo of your work, to mikala@citypaper.net. 12 | P h i l a d e l P h i a C i t y Pa P e r |

They say you should always aim to take the high road. Well, monday night I took the low road — and I couldn’t be happier. Before getting to Field Hockey Hot — 100 minutes of sublime lunacy in music that no theatergoer can afford to miss — let’s celebrate 11th hour Theatre. This company has grown steadily in stature, and its recent musicals-in-concert series showcased an ensemble of tremendous energy and talent. Field Hockey Hot is the company’s first full-production original musical, and composer-lyricist-book writer michael Ogborn’s show fits 11th hour like a glove. What do you need to know about it? The subject, sort of, is high school sports. Or maybe it’s the importance of winning. Or young love. But what you really need to know is it’s wildly irreverent. harvard, the Shroud of Turin, self-help tapes, Elton John — nothing is sacred, especially not pop-rock musicals, which are skewered with laser-beam brilliance, and palpable (ahem) Glee. You also need to know that it features the fabulous Jennie Eisenhower, who has reinvented herself again — from a pretty ingénue soprano, to a serious dramatic actress, and now, a physical comic and powerhouse vocal belter. and the material that Ogborn gives

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her? Let’s just say merman had her “rose’s Turn,” menzel has her “Defying Gravity” — and now, Eisenhower has her “Vicariously.” The rest of the ensemble is every bit as dazzling vocally and histrionically — and Ogborn gives each performer ample opportunity to shine. megan O’Brien’s direction and Ellie mooney’s choreography are full of inventive charm, as are the minimal but wonderful scenery and costumes. I suppose you should know that there are a lot of sex puns. also, that Field Hockey Hot has no weighty moral agenda. (That’s putting it mildly — compared to this show, Legally Blonde looks like Parsifal.) hooray, say I! Think of it as similar to a chipwich. The nutritional value may be scant. But while you’re eating, it’s sheer bliss. Through March 22, $32-$37, 11th Hour at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St., 267-987-9865, 11thhourtheatrecompany.org. —david Fox

➤ Moon cave, By azuka theatre CoMPany azuka Theatre company’s 33rd production and 14th world premiere is also Philadelphia playwright Douglas Williams’ first professional production, and he couldn’t ask for better. Director Kevin Glaccum, actors Taysha canales and Kevin meehan, and a fine design team bring his dark, complex drama to life with integrity. at first, Moon Cave is hard to like. We meet rachel and richard the morning after their hookup, when he’s too hungover to recall much, but she’s sharp enough to remember that he shared two disturbing secrets: he’s not really a college student, and his name >>> continued on page 14

The Planets Friday, March 20 Saturday, March 21 Sunday, March 22 Gianandrea Noseda 10&6%513 Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg "+1.+0 Women of the Philadelphia Singers Chorale David Hayes 64+% +3'%513

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c i t y pa p e r . n e t | m a r c h 1 2 - m a r c h 1 8 , 2 0 1 5 | p h i l a d e l p h i a c i t y pa p e r |

✚ Curtain Call

[ arts & entertainment ]

<<< continued from page 12

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS: Kevin Meehan and Taysha Canales in Azuka Theatre’s Moon Cave. Johanna austin

isn’t Derek. It’s hard to know what she sees in him. meehan’s richard is scruffy, haunted and bewildered. She gives him her number, though he doesn’t have a phone — perhaps the largest red flag in our deviceobsessed culture. When he doesn’t call, she finds him in order to tell him off, a sure sign of interest — we don’t bother haranguing people we don’t care about. Some people are drawn to others who are hurting. Like most two-person plays, Moon Cave unfolds through revelation, so I’m reluctant to reveal more. he eventually lets her into his nightmare, but will

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his past destroy their future? colin mcIlvaine’s flexible set, much like the play, contains some powerful surprises, smartly lit by Joseph Glodek. Nick Kourtides’ sound design accentuates richard’s internal struggles with eerie whispers, and Katherine Fritz’s costumes provide subtle definition. The dramatic event that almost overshadowed opening night’s onstage success, though, was the sad news that the Off-Broad Street Theater — a busy space in the First Baptist church basement, created through Partners for Sacred Spaces — will be closed by the church’s new owners. azuka and several other companies are searching for new homes. Let’s hope they find them soon. Through March 22, $25, Azuka Theatre Company at the Off-Broad Street Theater, 1636 Sansom St., 215-563-1100, azukatheatre.org. —Mark Cofta

movie

shorts

Films are graded by City PaPer critics a-F.

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M A r c h 1 2 - M A r c h 1 8 , 2 0 1 5 | C i t y Pa P e r . n e t

’71 | B+ After being swallowed up by Unbroken, a production far too expansive to showcase what he can do on an intimate scale, Jack O’connell gets that chance with ’71, a micro-war film with a lean, anxious pace and an ambiguous sense of blame. Yann Demange trucks us to the front lines of The Troubles in the bloody year that gives his first feature its name. O’connell’s Gary hook, an inexperienced British soldier unsure of his lot in the service or in life, is separated from his comrades and nearly killed as rioters beat back his unit during a Belfast house raid. Alone on the streets and surrounded by IrA mobs hungry for his head, hook has to lean on his wits to survive, though he’s so green that it’s far from elegant cat-and-mouse session. These sequences, particularly a claustrophobic chase through a maze of tenements so intense that Demange’s camera actually seems to hyperventilate, is ’71 at its strongest. The later introduction of tertiary characters meant to represent the many blurred factions of the conflict restricts the momentum, but Gregory Burke’s screenplay is taut enough to recover. Those familiar with the historical complications between catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland, to say nothing of the complex entanglements of England and Ireland in general, might see hook’s ordeal as an oversimplification. But it’s unfurled with a symmetry and an honesty anyone who’s experienced trauma will be able to understand.—Drew Lazor (Ritz East) CiNderella | B relying on a zest for the zeitgeist, or maybe just senses

sharp enough to identify good cheekbones and posh accents, Kenneth Branagh has taken a corporate headhunter’s approach in updating the oldest tale in the oldest chapter of the oldest book. harvesting the hell out of the Game of Thrones and Downton Abbey casts, the oft-inconsistent director seems to have eased into this role as a genteel updater of a story everyone already knows — he doesn’t attempt to reinvent much, and we should thank his fairy godmother for that. Downton’s Lily James, blessed with a grace missing from Anna Kendrick’s needy theater-dork take in Into the Woods, nails the glowy earnestness of the archetype. Same goes for Thrones’ richard Madden, who broke a million hearts at the red Wedding and will break a few more galloping around the kingdom as the toothy, tailored Prince charming. Keeping the casting sharp — who but cate Blanchett could carve out this couture-savvy evil stepmom, seriously? — has moved Branagh to modernize in other ways, mainly in the special effects department. The wand-waving transformation sequence everyone’s anticipating, maestro’d by a game helena Bonham carter (again, who else?), won’t disappoint. Neither will the lush Disney universe containing all this magic, subtly modern and safe in a good way.—DL (wide release)

THe SalvaTioN | cWith Mads Mikkelsen and Eva Green in the unsettled American West of the 1870’s, Kristian Levring’s The Salvation has the makings of a Western Grand Guignol; just the description is enough to make visions of bloodspattered saloon floors dance in your head. Unfortunately,

the resulting mess is of the emphatically inglorious kind. Levring, a onetime Dogme95 adherent who’s rebuilt every bad stylistic habit he unlearned, loads the script (co-written with Anders Thomas Jensen) with references to “sticky oil” and the Native American genocide, apparently aiming for some sort of overarching statement about the corrupting powers of economic colonialism. But where the movie strives for archetype it finds only caricature, a watery soup thickened with sawdust and pulp. Mikkelsen’s Danish settler, whose wife and son are murdered promptly after their arrival in the New World, is no less a cardboard cutout than Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s scowling villain. It certainly doesn’t help that Jens Schlosser’s cinematography is so digitally worked-over it looks like a computer screensaver (the subpar online copies IFc sends out for advance review may be partly to blame, but I’m assured it looks no better projected). Even Green, who’s compulsively watchable even, sometimes especially, in terrible movies, is uncharacteristi-

cally subdued: You’d think a movie with her playing a shotgun-wielding mute would have something to offer, but you’d be wrong.—Sam Adams (Ritz at the Bourse)

WILD TALES | b“Anthology films are uneven” ranks just below “water is wet” in the great book of redundancies, so let’s skip past how the six parts of Damián Szifrón’s feature — an Oscar nominee for best foreign-language film — are of differing quality. The real problem is that they aren’t different enough. Whether it’s a road-rage incident becoming a comic duel to the death, an unjust parking ticket that undoes a demolition engineer’s entire life, or a hit-and-run accident that exposes the corruption in Argentina’s justice system, the stories share a bleak determinism that tries and fails to pass for social comment. Some stories, like the first, in which an airplane’s passengers discover they all have

one thing in common, have a vein of dark humor; others play it straight, with just the slightest hint of a wink. Szifrón, who spent a half-decade in

min.): John Wayne stars in John Ford’s sweeping romantic comedy, set in the Emerald Isle. The Duke plays an Irish-American fighter who falls for spunky Maureen O’hara in the village of his birth. Sun., March 15, 2 p.m., $9. The Homestretch (2015, U.S., 55 min.): homeless teens in chicago struggle to survive and thrive. Part of PBS’ award-winning Independent Lens series. Wed., March 18, 5:30 p.m., free (RSVP required).

CoUNTy THEATER television, has an agreeably slick style, but it’s glib and weightless, and after half a dozen joyrides into the abyss, it leaves a bad taste.—SA (Ritz at the Bourse)

20 E. State St., Doylestown, 215-3481878, countytheater.org. The Wizard of Oz (1939, U.S., 102 min.): Start your morning off the terrifying way, with flying monkeys. Sat., March 14, 10:30 a.m., $4.

fREE LIBRARy, CENTRAL BRANCH

: REpERToRy fILm BRyN mAWR fILm INSTITUTE 823 W. Lancaster Ave., Bryn Mawr, 610-527-9898, brynmawrfilm. org. Love’s Labour’s Lost (2015, U.K., 135 min.): The Bard’s comedy as performed by the royal Shakespeare company in February 2015. Thu., March 12, 7 p.m., $20. The Flintstones (1994, U.S., 91 min.): Yabba dabba doo. Sat., March 14, 11 a.m., $5. The Homestretch (2014, U.S., 89 min.): homeless teens in chicago struggle to survive and thrive. Part of PBS’ award-winning Independent Lens series. Sat., March 14, 11 a.m., free (RSVP required). Orange People (2013, Israel, 93 min.): Three generations of Moroccan women struggle to reconcile tradition and ambition. This Israeli Film Festival screening (iffphila.com) will be followed by a Q&A with director hanna Azoulay hasfari. Sun., March 15, 7 p.m., $13. Ashes and Diamonds (1958, Poland, 104 min.): Andrzej Wajda’s powerful realist drama, set in the waning days of World War II, is a celebrated piece of classic Polish cinema. Tue., March 17, 7:15 p.m., $12.

THE CoLoNIAL THEATRE 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville, 610917-1228, thecolonialtheatre.com. Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives (1986, U.S., 86 min.): No better way to mark a superstitious occasion than by watching our fave hockeymasked mass murderer do what he does best. Fri., March 13, 9:45 p.m., $9. The Quiet Man (1952, U.S., 129

1901 Vine St., 215-686-5322, freelibrary.org. Newsies (1992, U.S., 121 min.): rousing kid-friendly musical featuring a young christian Bale before he had to return some videotapes. This interactive screening will feature ample audience participation. Thu., March 12, 6 p.m., free.

fREE LIBRARy, NoRTHEAST BRANCH 2228 Cottman Ave., 215-685-0522, freelibrary.org. An Interview with Arthur Miller (1987, U.K., 76 min.): A candid conversation with the American playwright kicks off the Free Library’s Arthur Miller Film Festival. Sat., March 14, 11 a.m., free.

fREE LIBRARy, TACoNy BRANCH 6742 Torresdale Ave., 215-685-8755, freelibrary.org. Bolt (2008, U.S., 96 min.): A clueless dog actor, voiced by John Travolta, goes on a cross-country mission to reunite with his owner (Miley cyrus). Sat., March 14, 2 p.m., free.

INTERNATIoNAL HoUSE 3701 Chestnut St., 215-387-5125, ihousephilly.org. Europa ’51 (1952, Italy, 109 min.): roberto rossellini’s neorealist drama features Ingrid Bergman as a disaffected roman aristocrat who dedicates her life to helping the less fortunate after a personal tragedy. Thu., March 12, 7 p.m., $9. Slasher Movie Madness! Triple feature of excellent ’80s-era American gorefests to mark the spooky occasion — Hack-o-Lantern (1988, U.S., 87 min.), Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988, U.S., 88 min.) and Don’t Go in the Woods (1981, U.S., 82 min.). Fri., March 13, 7 p.m.,

$20. Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989, Japan, 102 min.): hayao Miyazaki’s quirky tale about a young witch named Kiki coming into her own magical powers. Sat., March 14, 2 p.m., $5. American Soldier (1970, Germany, 80 min.): A German-born American Army enlistee finds work as a hitman in this subversive, unexpected gangster flick from director rainer Werner Fassbinder. Sat., March 14, 7 p.m., $9. Middle of Nowhere (2014, U.S., 97 min.): Acclaimed Selma director Ava DuVernay’s Sundance hit explores the struggles of a young woman whose husband has just been sentenced to eight years in prison. Part of the Penn humanities Forum’s celebration of cinematographer Bradford Young. Wed., March 18, 7 p.m., free (RSVP required).

JACK m. BARRACK HEBREW ACADEmy 272 S. Bryn Mawr Ave., Bryn Mawr, iffphila.com. Apples From the Desert (2014, Israel, 96 min.): The daughter of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish couple in Jerusalem is torn between tradition and modernity in this family drama. Part of the Israeli Film Festival. Sat., March 14, 8:45 p.m., $13.

[ movie shorts ]

opera, which originally aired on Great Britain’s channel Four in the ’80s, centers on existence in small-town America. Thu., March 12, 8 p.m., free.

UNITED BANK of pHILADELpHIA 3750 Lancaster Ave., reelblack.com Stories from the Promise Zone

(2015, U.S., 90 min.): Twelve local teen filmmakers, with the support of Philly’s Big Picture Alliance, explore the complexities of West Philly’s federally sanctioned “Promise Zone.” Thu., March 12, 6 p.m., free. Stevie Wonder: Natural Wonder Live

(1995, Japan, 150 min.): Twentieth anniversary screening of Wonder’s performance with the Tokyo Philaharmonic Orchestra, which was never broadcast in America. Fri., March 13, 7:30 p.m., $5.

TRoCADERo THEATRE 1003 Arch St., 215-922-6888, thetroc. com. A Clockwork Orange (1971, U.K., 136 min.): Kubrick’s ultraviolent dystopian masterpiece. Mon., March 16, 8 p.m., $3.

pfS THEATER AT THE RoXy 2023 Sansom St., 267-639-9508, filmadelphia.org/roxy. Black Sabbath (1963, Italy, 92 min.): Mario Bava’s vintage collection of terrifying tales has a spooky direction for every discerning horror fan. Fri., March 13 and Sat., March 14, midnight, $10. Moon Man (2013, France, 93 min.): Fanciful French fantasy about the Man in the Moon’s unexpected vacation down to Earth. Sat., March 14 and Sun., March 15, 11 a.m., $9.

pHILAmoCA 531 N. 12th St., 267-519-9651, philamoca.org. Mysterious Science Fundraiser 4000 A right skewering of the goofball film in Class of 1999 in the style of MST3K. All proceeds benefit the production of the local short film 19 Steps. Fri., March 13, 7 p.m., $12. night terrors: american horror Stories. This double-feature screening of Terrorgram and Chillers celebrates the anthology horror film format so popular in the 1980s. Wed., March 18, 7 p.m., $10.

WooDEN SHoE BooKS 704 South St., 215-413-0999, woodenshoebooks.com.Wrenched (2014, U.S., 120 min.): Documentary focused on author Edward Abbey, whose work inspired the environmental activists of the 1970s and ’80s. Sat., March 14, 7 p.m., free.

citypaper.net/events

THE RoTUNDA 4014 Walnut St., therotunda.org. Perfect Lives (1984, U.S., 175 min.): robert Ashley’s ambitious episodic c i t y pa p e r . n e t | M A r c h 1 2 - M A r c h 1 8 , 2 0 1 5 | p h i l a d e l p h i a c i t y pa p e r |

events listings@citypaper.net | marCh 12 - marCh 18

[ a ghost in the fading strokes of your glorious art ]

FRESH, MAN: Fashawn plays the Barbary tonight.

Events is our selective guide to what’s going on in the city this week. For comprehensive event listings, visit citypaper.net/events. iF yOU Want tO Be liSted: Submit information by email (listings@ citypaper.net) or enter it yourself at citypaper.net/submit-event with the following details: date, time, address of venue, telephone number and admission price. Incomplete submissions will not be considered, and listings information will not be accepted over the phone.

3.12

thursday [ theater ]

And Then There Were none $20-$175 | Through April 26, Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St., 215574-3550, walnutstreettheatre.org. One of agatha christie’s bestcrafted drawing-room murder mysteries, also known as Ten Little Indians, is a doozy: Ten strangers are stranded on a 18 | P h i l a d e l P h i a C i t y Pa P e r |

remote island (with no phone or boat, of course), lured by a mysterious host seeking justice for murders each committed, but for which they escaped prosecution. Then they start dying, one by one. Damon Bonetti and Jessica Bedford star. —Mark Cofta

[ dance ]

Tell IT SlAnT $20 | Thu.-Sat., March 12-14, Christ Church Neighborhood House, 20 N. American St. 215-266-6215, tangle-arts.com. If you’ve ever felt up in the air about a relationship, then you’ll likely find kinship with the performers of Tell It Slant, a feminist cabaret featuring aerial artists who employ trapeze, suspended ropes and other high-flying gear. Presented by the all-female Tangle movement arts, the act offers clever physical representations of love, friendship,

support and antagonism. The company, a Fringe Festival favorite, stages spirited accessible shows, performed with grace, agility and a flair for the fantastic. —Deni Kasrel

[ hip-hop ]

FAShAWn $13-$15 | Thu., March 12, 6:30 p.m., with Earthgang, Sonreal, Voss and DJ Exile, The Barbary, 951 Frankford Ave., 215-634-7400, ticketfly.com. rapper Santiago Leyva made a strong impression with his intimate debut Boy Meets World in 2009. a year later, his mature, intricate lyricism won him a spot on XXL’s Top Ten Freshmen list. Since then, he’s released three mixtapes (including an ambitious tribute to Nas’ Illmatic), collaborated with underground heavyweight murs and thrown his own music festival in his hometown of Fresno, calif.

m a r c h 1 2 - m a r c h 1 8 , 2 0 1 5 | C i t y Pa P e r . n e t

Last month he finally dropped his second album, The Ecology, on Nas’ mass appeal label. —Sam Fox

[ theater ]

UnneceSSAry FArce $24-$35 | Through March 29, Act II Playhouse, 56 E. Butler Ave., Ambler, 215-654-0200, act2.org. No farce is necessary — but as in all good farces, everything in Paul Slade Smith’s connects meaningfully and humorously, even the title. This one takes place in adjoining motel rooms, with a total of eight doors (a farce staple) and a hidden surveillance camera (a new wrinkle). anthony Lawton and Karen Peakes play inept cops staking out a suspicious mayor (Tom Teti) with the help of his accountant (Susan mcKey), a setup which immediately leads to lies, panic and — of course — characters rushing about in their underwear.

Director David Bradley honors the farcical tradition of implied naughtiness with a nimble cast that also includes akeem Davis, Jake Blouch and Gerri Weagraff. and bagpipes. —Mark Cofta

[ theater ]

JASon And The ArgonAUTS $27-$47 | Through April 4, People’s Light & Theatre Company, 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern, 610-644-3500, peopleslight.org. Visible Fictions Theatre company journeys from Scotland to malvern to perform its two-man version of the ancient Greek myth. Simon Donaldson and Tim Settle play more than 25 characters in Jason’s quest to find the Golden Fleece. Director Douglas Irvine cites ray harryhausen’s stop-motion animation in the 1963 film as inspiration for his family-friendly version, one that’s toured the

U.K., canada, australia and the U.S. —Mark Cofta

3.13 friday [ jazz ]

Joe McPhee/ chrIS corSAno $15 | Fri., March 13, 8 p.m., Philadelphia Art Alliance, 251 S. 18th St., arsnovaworkshop.com. multi-instrumentalist Joe mcPhee has long been one of the strictest adherents to the tenets of the free jazz movement. he’s engaged with partners from across the musical spectrum over his long career, so it’s probably not so surprising that he’s found common ground with chris corsano, a drummer who has worked with everyone from Björk to Thurston moore to Evan Parker. —Shaun Brady

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[ rock/ pop ]

Shannon Wright $12-$14 | Sun., March 15, 8 p.m., with Young Widows and The Austerity Program, Boot & Saddle, 1131 S. Broad St., 877-435-9849, bootandsaddlephilly.com.

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Gorgeously moody and deep as the marianas Trench, Shannon Wrightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s music was never a sound to take lightly. But now that sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favoring the instant aggression of a gangly guitar over the lavatic swoon

is all about veterans of the muscle Shoals scene, Levon helmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s barn-raising hootenannies and Bob Dylanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s various bands getting together for a slow, vibing country-soul trek. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;A.D. Amorosi

of the hammond organ, everythingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just getting heavier, lovelier and maybe even â&#x20AC;&#x153;fun,â&#x20AC;? in some Neil Gaiman-ish sense. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Patrick Rapa

[ rock/pop ]

the Pine hill Project $32-$35 | Sun., March 15, 7:30 p.m., World CafĂŠ Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400, worldcafelive.com. This whole snake-oil vocal (Lucy Kaplansky and richard Shindell) and instrumental (Larry campbell and Teresa Williams) package is so steeped in aged, olde americana, you should keep it away from a dull flame lest it catch fire like parchment paper. The Pine hill Project

[ events ]

Lou Barlowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s molten lava lo-fi metal band and his nervous-

3.18

wednesday [ rock/pop ]

Sebadoh/Qui $16-$17 | Wed., March 18, 8:30 p.m., Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden St., 215-232-2100, utphilly.com. Qui heads: Stop talking about how David Yow used to be in the band. heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gone, and last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s noisy, testy Life, Water, Living â&#x20AC;Ś LP and the aboutto-drop â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Grace of a Ballerinaâ&#x20AC;? single are better for it. Besides, Paul christensen and matt cronk were always the experimental heart and soul of Qui (pictured). as for Sebadoh: Welcome back. Nineties hero

wreck singing are just perfect for the end of a long, dismal chill. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;A.D. Amorosi

citypaper.net/events

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1003 ARCH ST . 215-922-LIVE . THETROC.COM Tickets at Ticketfly.com . Trocadero box office

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20 | P h i l a d e l P h i a C i t y Pa P e r |

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1003 ARCH ST PHILADELPHIA, PA 215.922.6888 THETROC.COM TICKETFLY.COM TROCADERO BOX OFFICE

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amusebouche By adam erace

hot ChiCken BONCHON | 1020 Cherry St., 267-639-6686, bon-

chon.com. Daily: dinner, 5 p.m.-mid; bar menu, mid.2 a.m. Appetizers, $5.95-$14.95; entrees, $10.95$17.95; chicken, $11.95-$35.95. ➤ by now you’ve probably heard. About the

lines snaking down Cherry Street. About the long wait for a table. About lunch, late-night and overthe-phone takeout, all canceled as part of a scaleback to meet the public’s insatiable greed for the twice-fried chicken at Bonchon, a Korean QSR with franchise clusters in New York, D.C. and California. When the doors to our very own Bonchon opened in February, people just lost their minds. I made sure to arrive at Bonchon’s flashy Chinatown digs exactly at 5 p.m. so I could grab a table as soon as they opened.Turned out I wasn’t the only one with that idea.Customers swirled about the entrance, some waiting on takeout, others on tables.The shiny red bar was nearly full. The hosts at the front desk seemed frazzled. The time was 5:05. Fortunately, a host led me to a table without delay. The coach-class spot was in the back corner of Bonchon’s first floor, wedged into an awkward nook between a server station and the bathrooms. Can something be cozy in a bad way? Yes. There seemed to be almost as many staff as there were customers, servers and runners inefficiently ping-ponging off surfaces while candy-colored Kpop music vids played on the wall of flat-screens above the bar. My server took way too long to get to me, but her sweet demeanor helped compensate, and before I knew it, my table was covered in food: sweet cubes of pickled daikon; petals of fiery kimchi; pot stickers stuffed with chive-flecked pork lined up in rows. A raw egg yolk quivered in the center of a bibimbap layered with bulgogi. Bonito flakes danced on takoyaki, octopus balls whose pasty, pancake batter-y centers made me miss Maru Global. The chicken — available in wings, drums or tenders, brushed with Korean hot sauce or soy-garlic sauce — is why people flock to Bonchon. But after trying the bone-in and boneless, in both glazes, I was scratching my head. The chicken was tasty enough, but the crusts barely crackled, and the sauces were meek. (Maybe it’s more satisfying at 1 in the morning with a Hop Sing load on? Bonchon recently reinstated late-night hours.) I’d be happy to eat Bonchon chicken, but to wait in line for it? That’s for the birds. (adam.erace@citypaper.net) 22 | P h i l a d e l P h i a C i t y Pa P e r |

SHARED VISION: Jeff Benjamin and Marc Vetri have been in business together for 17 years. hillary Petrozziello

[ cookbook shelf ]

By the Books With 17 years of shared restaurant experience, Marc Vetri and Jeff Benjamin are each releasing books this month. By Caroline Russock

itting in the upstairs dining room at Vetri, Marc Vetri and managing partner Jeff Benjamin are unpacking a few cases of gorgeous, brand new Zalto wine glasses. The feather-light austrian-made stems retail for around $60 a piece and are a serious and delicate investment, especially for a restaurant. The glasses, half of what the original order was going to be, also embody the relationship that Vetri and Benjamin share. after 17 years of working together, they have developed a series of checks and balances that’s nearly wordless. “We joke about the glassware, but Marc just knew that when I looked at the invoice that I wasn’t going to like it,” Benjamin says. “I would have loved to get all of the glasses,” Verti responds. With seven restaurants, a charitable foundation and a yearly gala that attracts international culinary stars, Vetri and Benjamin have forged a remarkable business partnership. The two met serendipitously — Benjamin and Vetri’s brother were golf partners. Benjamin was living in New York and working in corporate fine dining. after a few years of friendship and shop

M a r c h 1 2 - M a r c h 1 8 , 2 0 1 5 | C i t y Pa P e r . n e t

talk, Vetri convinced Benjamin to move to Philadelphia in 1998 and manage his flagship Spruce Street restaurant. “he caught me at a good time. he was the one who had trepidations. I was like his eighth choice,” Benjamin jokes. “You were my second choice. It was less money than he was making,” Verti laughs. The position was originally meant to go to a dapper gentleman from northern Italy. “By less money, he means none. But he gave me a place to live. It was a good time in my life to do it. I was single, the timing was perfect. and it seems to be working out. Now we buy expensive glasses,” says Benjamin. This month, Verti and Benjamin are releasing books focusing on the topics that made them so successful: Mastering