Regional arts and entertainment events

Sunday

Pinball wizard Former Octane vocalist Brian Bortnick stars in the title role of Stage Left Productions presentation of The Who's Tommy. The Pete Townshend rock opera goes on at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Eagle Theatre, 208 Vine St., Hammonton, and continues with shows on a Friday-through-Sunday schedule to June 25 (added show June 23). Tickets are $29 and $30. Call 609-704-5012.

Order and freedom Though we persist in our aggressive and destructive ways, nature has a way of reasserting itself as a fundamentally creative and procreative force that relentlessly redirects and reminds us of our true purpose. Two documentaries as evidence: Bartosz Konopka's 2009 Rabbit à la Berlin is an allegorical and sometimes fanciful look at the thousands of rabbits who flourished for nearly three decades in the grassy death zone of the Berlin Wall, as told by the guards (forbidden to harm the bunnies, but required to shoot any human interlopers) and other Cold War veterans who observed the lapine denizens protected by a symbol of human hatred. Leann Erickson's Top Secret "Rosies": The Female "Computers" of WWII looks at the secret program to recruit female mathematicians to work for the military. The films screen at 4 p.m. at the Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville. Tickets are $8; $6 for seniors and students. Call 610-917-0223.

Out of the past Dancer Germaine Ingram, composer Bobby Zankel, and visual artist John Dowell collaborated to create The Spirits Break to Freedom, a multimedia piece about the nine slaves who lived and worked at the President's House when it was George Washington's residence in "the cradle of liberty." The show goes on at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. at Christ Church Neighborhood House, 20 N. American St. Tickets are $20. Call 215-517-8337.

Dance final The season finale of the Choreographers Project features works by Bronwen MacArthur, Gabrielle Revlock, and Raphael Xavier performed at 8 p.m. at the Performance Garage, 1515 Brandywine St. Tickets are $15; $10 for seniors and students. Call 215-275-1800.

Monday

Distinctive voice As befits a singer with a Southern Gothic bayou upbringing, Hope Waits brings a lot of New Orleans jazz to her growling, bluesy vocals. She performs at 9 p.m. at the Fire, 412 W. Girard Ave. Admission is free. Call 267-671-9298.

Tuesday

Pop life Something for everyone: The excellent Lancaster country-rock quartet Darry Miller & the Veil plays on a bill with futuristic New Jersey punks Alien Father, one-man electronica band the DVD, and punchy retro-rockers Lipstick & Cigarettes, at 8 p.m. at North Star, 2639 Poplar St. Tickets are $7. Call 215-787-0488.

Wednesday

Tell all The title of author Michael Algeo's new book spells it all out: The President is a Sick Man: Wherein the Supposedly Virtuous Grover Cleveland Survives a Secret Surgery at Sea and Vilifies the Courageous Newspaperman Who Dared Expose the Truth. Two local connections: the newsman, E.J. Edwards, worked in Philadelphia for the now-defunct Press, which later merged into The Inquirer, and the tumor removed from the 22d and 24th chief executive is a part of the collection of the Mutter Museum. Algeo discusses his work at 6:30 p.m. at the College of Physicians, 19 S. 22d St. Admission is free; reservations are required. Call 215-563-3737.

Local hero Summer is here and it's time to get outside and listen to some tunes, to wit: the sensational Jeffrey Gaines performs at 7:30 p.m. at Pastorius Park, West Abington Avenue and Lincoln Drive. Admission is free. Call 215-248-8810.

Thursday

The ambassadors In his new book, The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David McCullough looks at the ways travel abroad to the City of Light influenced 19th-century life at home. He discusses his work at 7:30 p.m. at the Free Library, 1901 Vine St. Admission is free. Call 215-567-4341.

The Philly guy For any of us not native to the City of Brotherly Love, it was Tonight Show perennial David Brenner who clued us in to put mustard on the soft pretzels so we fit right in. These days, he's doing a more topical act, but we're pretty sure West Philadelphia will come up when he performs at 8 p.m. at the Sellersville Theater 1894, 24 W. Temple Ave., Sellersville. Tickets are $29.50 and $45. Call 215-257-5808.

Big laughs Though he now stars in the fine sitcom

Mike & Molly

(and, before that, in the underrated

Lucky

),

Billy Gardell

is a stand-up comic first and foremost - and he's hysterical. He performs at

the Keswick Theatre

, Keswick Avenue and Easton Road, Glenside, at 8 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $32.50. Call 215-572-7650.

The knowledge The British trio Phronesis plays swinging yet complex constructions at Chris' Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom St., at 8 and 10 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $20 per show. Call 215-568-3131.