Magic, a local book bonanza, songs with a ‘Hamilton’ star, and more this weekend

We’re charging right into December this weekend, and we’ve got mystery, music, dance, and a bonanza for Philly book-lovers.

On Friday night, take your cold, crusty soul out for the magic of the season: Tongue & Groove’s latest, MAGIC for the Holidays, featuring preshow magic from Fred Siegel. The show’s happening at 8pm at L’Etage Cabaret, and you should come early for dinner, drinks, and close-up tricks at your table. A short set of Siegel’s “incredible illusions” kicks off the performance.

Things will proceed in classic T&G style, with sometimes funny, sometimes dramatic improvised scenes inspired by anonymous written prompts from the audience. For MAGIC, attendees will answer the question, “When have you experienced magic?” This could be anything from the time you were hoodwinked as a child to the miracles of medical imaging. Tickets ($18; with various discounts) are available online. (There’s a second performance coming up on Friday, December 14, at 8pm.)

Books galore

This weekend is for bibliophiles. The new Cherry Street Pier hosts its first pre-holiday Philly Book and Author Fest on Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 8pm. It’s absolutely packed with authors, presses, and local bookstores ready to nerd out with you over the printed page.

Highlights on the schedule include Emily Wilson and her critically acclaimed version of The Odyssey (she’s the first woman to publish an Odyssey translation in English) on Saturday at 2:30pm. Catch Nathaniel Popkin and Peter Woodall with Philadelphia: Finding the Hidden City at 3:30pm, and then Christine Kendall at 4:30pm, whose YA novel, Riding Chance, is inspired by the real-life horse stable in North Philly that’s becoming a local legend. Jon McGoran, with his breakout YA novel Spliced (a sequel’s already on the way), will be on hand at 6pm.

The book fair continues on Sunday with local luminaries like Philly poet laureate Raquel Salas Rivera and their Lo Terciario/The Teriary (1:30pm); Dave and Ilyssa Kyu’s Campfire Stories: Tales from America’s National Parks (2pm); and the marvelous Carmen Maria Machado at 6pm, with Her Body and Other Parties. There are many more on the lineup, plus craft and record vendors and delicious food and drinks. Cherry Street Pier is an ADA-accessible venue.

Kulu Mele at William Penn Charter

On Saturday night, Kulu Mele African Dance & Drum Ensemble has its annual one-night-only home performance, an all-new show, coming to the Kurtz Center for the Performing Arts at William Penn Charter School at 7pm. Tickets ($15 to $25 in advance; $30 at the door) are available online. Kulu Mele has been touring nationally and internationally since it was founded in 1969 by jazz percussionist Baba Robert Crowder, and its repertoire includes traditional dancing and drums from West Africa, Cuba, and Brazil, plus contemporary American hip-hop. The Kurtz Center is wheelchair accessible.

A revolutionary singalong

On Sunday, head to the Museum of the American Revolution for a special event in conjunction with its current exhibition, Hamilton Was Here: Rising Up in Revolutionary Philadelphia. Warm up your voice for the holidays and meet singing star Mandy Gonzalez, who’s currently playing the role of Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton, a little show you might have heard of.

She’ll perform the song “Remember Me” (in English and Spanish) from Disney’s Coco, alongside a student choir from Kensington’s Isaac Sheppard Elementary School. Next, the Philly POPS’s Singing Santa, Chuck Gill, will lead everyone in a holiday singalong with a trio of Philly POPS musicians. The musical program runs 11 to 11:30am, and it’s included with regular museum admission. If you stick around to check out the exhibition, families can also stop by a special activity table from 11am to 3pm where you can learn the art of scherenschnitte, or German paper-cutting, and make paper ornaments inspired by artifacts at the museum, which is an ADA-accessible venue.