The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, February 13-19, 2025

This week, there’s more than just the Eagles parade happening. After celebrating with our beloved Birds, check out a few things popping up this holiday weekend. Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Punch Line and the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts. Catch the new show from Jaffe St. Queer Productions, and see how poetry expands to other mediums with Gabardine.

Go Birds! Be safe this weekend, Philly.

MadKo Concerts Showcase
Thursday, February 13, 6pm
The Lounge at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut Street

MadKo Concerts, a branch of Drexel’s student-run music company Mad Dragon Music Group, sets up at World Cafe Live for a showcase of DIY bands from Philadelphia. Featuring the bands Precious Little Life, Fair Game, and Red Panda Retreat.

Awkward Sex…and the City's Galentine’s Day
Thursday, February 13, 7:30pm
Punch Line Philly, 33 East Laurel Street

Awkward Sex… and the City from comedian Natalie Wall relives intimate tales of awkwardness, sex, and dating, from cocaine infused one night stands to IBS flare ups during cunnilingus and other sexual misadventures.

Misery
February 13-March 2
Resident Ensemble Players, 110 Orchard Road, Newark, DE

The play based on the classic novel by Stephen King comes to the REP this week. The psychological thriller follows the disturbed mind of a former nurse as she holds her favorite author captive. Previews start Thursday and Friday, with opening night on Saturday.

Girls’ N’ Guns Valentine
Friday, February 14, 7:30pm
PhilaMOCA, 531 North 12th Street

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Moon Lee, Yukari Oshima, and guns, guns, guns! Exhumed Films is hosting a double feature of classic and rarely screened Hong Kong films. First up is 1993’s The Avenging Quartet, a kung fu action flick featuring a duo of Chinese cops that confronts a duo of Japanese thieves. Then, there’s 1992’s Mission of Justice, as Lee and Oshima play as federal agents who are tasked with destroying a drug-trafficking ring in Thailand. Both will be presented on 16mm.

Gabardine
February 14-16
Icebox Project Space, 1400 North American Street

Painted Bride brings Gabardine to the stage, a work-in-progress on inner child healing by David A. Gaines. Gaines, a writer, director, and actor born and based in Philly, examines Blackness, masculinity, Christianity, and mental health through an intersectional lens. The performance, an experimental poetry show, utilizes film projection, immersive sound, and more to explore dimensions of Black grief, shame, and joy.

Gay Mis
February 14-March 1
FringeArts, 140 North Columbus Boulevard

Following the success of Thweeney Todd: The Flaming Barber of Fleek Street and The Lizard of oz, Jaffe St. Queer Productions brings the story of Parmesan as he evades capture from arch-nemesis Jabear, joined on his adventure by the desperate Fontina, lonely Epanini, and beautiful young lovers Marius and Baguette.

Fall in Love with Circus
Saturday, February 15, 4:15-6:15pm
Philadelphia School of Circus Arts, 6452 Greene Street

If you’re looking for a new gal pal for Galentine’s or always dreamed of finding love mid-air, leap over to the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts for a beginner-friendly circus workshop that leads you through aerial sling, trapeze, juggling, and balance.

Presidents’ Day Weekend at MoAR
February 15-17
Museum of the American Revolution, 101 South Third Street

Celebrate Presidents’ Day Weekend and explore the life, leadership, and legacy of George Washington and the people with whom he interacted. A variety of pop-up talks, performances, hands-on demonstrations, crafts, and much more.

Orange and Black
February 15-July 6, 2025
Princeton University Art Museum, 158 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ

For those a little more north up the turnpike, check out this new exhibition at Princeton University featuring new work by Philly-based artist and activist Roberto Lugo. Orange and Black is inspired by ancient makers who documented their histories by representing them on ceramic vessels. Lugo, a ceramicist, poet, and educator, his work depict scenes of everyday life inspired by contemporary urban landscapes as well as recent historical figures—the likes of Harriet Tubman, Ruby Bridges, Jackie Robinson, and the Central Park Five—who have been absent from standard art historical narratives.

Music for Food
Tuesday, February 18, 6:30pm
The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, 19 South 22nd Street

Renowned violinist Eric Keefe and musicians from the Curtis Institute perform a concert to benefit The Sunday Love Project, an organization that serves those experiencing food insecurity in the Philly area. The group recently opened a grocery store in Kensington offering free groceries to over 5,000 community members. The concert opens with a dessert reception preceding the concert at 6:30pm, with the performance starting at 7:30pm.