Regional arts and entertainment events
Sunday Mirth in memory After improv-comedy guru Mike Young died of complications from a brain tumor at age 38 in 2006, those he influenced on the local scene banded together to pay tribute in the best way they knew how - by yukking it up. The third annual Laught
Sunday
Mirth in memory After improv-comedy guru Mike Young died of complications from a brain tumor at age 38 in 2006, those he influenced on the local scene banded together to pay tribute in the best way they knew how - by yukking it up. The third annual
Laughtastic Sketchapalooza
, featuring
ComedySportz Philadelphia
,
Bad Hair Sketch
,
Rowan and Hastings
,
Steve Gerben
, and
Doogie Horner
, goes on at 7:30 p.m. at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St. Tickets are $15 and benefit programs at Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience. Call 215-222-1400.
Monday
Spectacle of war
During the First World War, the British archaeologist and adventurer T.E. Lawrence sought to unite the desert tribes of Arabia. He failed, but his postwar writings created a durable legend. David Lean's 1962 version,
Lawrence of Arabia
, is a sumptuous cinematic spectacle starring Peter O'Toole. The film screens at the
County Theater
, 20 E. State St., Doylestown, at 7 p.m. Monday and Sept. 1. Tickets are $8.50. Call 215-345-6789. The film also screens at the
Bryn Mawr Film Institute
, 824 W. Lancaster Ave., Bryn Mawr, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday (tickets are $9.50; call 610-527-9898), and at the
Ambler Theater
, 108 E. Butler Ave., Ambler, at 7 p.m. Thursday and next Sunday (tickets are $8; call 215-345-7855).
Tuesday
Star time
Tony Award-winner
Bernadette Peters
performs Broadway standards, accompanied by members of the
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
conducted by
Marvin Laird
, at 8 p.m. at the
Mann Center
, 52d Street and Parkside Avenue. Tickets are $29 to $69. Call 215-893-1999.
Wednesday
Dancehall days
Reggae great
Yellowman
laid down the beats that formed part of the foundation for hip-hop in the 1980s. But he's no historical artifact, he's still jamming. He plays at 8 p.m. at the
North Star Bar
, 2639 Poplar St. Tickets are $23. Call 215-787-0488.
Thursday
Dance visions
The
Miro Dance Theatre
has long been interested in the unique perspective the camera can bring to its works. A program of dance films by codirector
Tobin Rothlein
will screen at 6:30 p.m. at
Girard College
, Girard and Corinthian Avenues. Admission is free. Call 215-962-4773.
Friday & Saturday
American music
Roots-rock genius
Tom Russell
has created nothing less than an American epic with his Tex-Mex agitprop story songs. He plays at
World Cafe Live
, 3025 Walnut St., at 9 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $15. Call 215-222-1400. . . . Mixing orchestral string instruments with intense punk beats is the latest craze! No? Well, we're pretty wild about it, particularly the violin-driven hardcore sound of
the Shondes
, who play at
Tritone
, 1508 South St., at 9 p.m. Friday.
Live Arts dance
The
Philadelphia Live Arts Festival
is focused on dance and theater this year, it seems. Here are some terpsichorean highlights of the opening weekend (call 215-413-1318): In the Lewis Carroll-Haruki Murakami mash-up
Wandering Alice
, the
Nichole Canuso Dance Company
presents a surreal, multimedia dreamscape with the audience passing through. The piece goes on at
Christ Church Neighborhood House
, 20 N. American St., at 8 p.m. Friday through next Sunday and Sept. 8 to 10, and 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Sept. 11 to 13. Tickets are $25. . . . The athletic New York troupe
Miguel Gutierrez and the Powerful People
explores the nature of physical connections in the piece
Everyone
, at
Drexel University's
Mandell Theater, 3300 Chestnut St., at 10 p.m. Friday through next Sunday. Tickets are $25. . . . The
Mascher Space Cooperative
presents works in progress by choreographers
Sarah Gladwin Camp
,
Rebecca Lloyd-Jones
,
Erica Saben
, and
Kathryn TeBordo
at the
Arts Bank
, 601 S. Broad St., at 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. next Sunday. Tickets are $25.
On the Fringe
Meanwhile, the
Philly Fringe
presents its usual genre-spanning selection. Here are some highlights from the open-selection arts gathering (call 215-413-1318): The title of
Two for Flinching's
sketch comedy show,
Ben Affleck Judges You
, is worth the price of admission, we think. But stay for the show at the
Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival Theatre
, 2111 Sansom St., at 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. next Sunday. Tickets are $15. . . . In
World Crisis
, comic troupe
the Sixth Borough
looks at war, natural disasters, food shortages and celebutantes - all the things that make life so difficult. The show goes on at the
Adrienne Mainstage
, 2030 Sansom St., at 8:30 p.m. Friday and Sept. 2, 10:30 p.m. Saturday, and 10 p.m. Sept. 4. Tickets are $10. . . .
Beyond the Pale
is a site-specific audio walking tour of Fishtown. We suspect the track is not the usual litany of architectural and historical trivia. The tour starts at
Germ Books
, 2005 Frankford Ave., at 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday, next Sunday, and Sept. 6 and 7 and 13. Tickets are $10. . . . In
The Disillusionist
, performer
David Smith
mixes confessional monologues and dangerous circus stunts. The show goes on at
Greene Street Studios
, 6122 Greene St., at 7:30 and 9 p.m. Saturday and 9 p.m. Sept 6 and 13. Tickets are $10.