MUSICJohnny Showcase and the Mystic TicketFriday, 9 p.m.Boot and Saddle1131 S. Broad St.$12, 21+, 877-987-6487www.ticketfly.comThis local band’s bio describes them as “an 8-piece absurdist soul outfit,” and its frontman, a transplant from Rhode Island, as “equal parts Andy Kaufman and Prince.” He’s definitely the least sexy sex symbol since Har Mar Superstar, but after a couple of his smooth love tracks, you may come out a believer—you’ll at least come out laughing. The PlanetsFriday through SundayKimmel Center300 S. Broad St.$39-$157, 215-893-1999www.philorch.orgThe Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda, performs Gustav Holst’s popular suite “The Planets,” with its memorable themes inspired by astrological associations of our solar system neighbors.VARIETYXtreme Talent ShowFriday, 8 p.m.PhilaMOCA531 N. 12th St.$10, 267-519-9651www.philamoca.orgVicious Variety presents a true smorgasbord of entertaining weirdness, with a talent competition featuring “surprise celebrities,” standup comedy, and a burlesque show from Necrosexual, disturbingly described by PhilaMOCA as “morbidly arousing.” Pro wrestler Tim Donst is your host. Proceeds benefit the Children’s Cancer Association.DANCE‘Sister/Sister’Friday and SaturdayMascher Space Cooperative155 Cecil B. Moore Ave.$10-$12, mascherdance@gmail.comwww.mascherdance.orgSorry, ’90s nostalgia-heads, but this contemporary ballet/modern dance performance has nothing to do with the sitcom “Sister, Sister.” It does star two sisters, though: Antonia and Willa Brown, who’ve spent the past week working on this brand-new collaborative piece.DuendeFriday and SaturdayThe Performance Garage1515 Brandywine St.$10-$15, liveduende@gmail.comwww.duendelive.comBalletX member Chloe Felesina and Edgar Anido will join musicians Nadia Sirota (viola), Emilie-Anne Gendron (violin) and Gabriel Cabezas (cello) for this performance. Duende’s goal is to feature musicians and dancers equally, both contributing to a hybrid art experience. An intimate space prevents the audience from being too distant, and a cash bar and low-key atmosphere encourages conversation.FOODFairmount Food CrawlSaturday, noon to 5 p.m.23rd and Fairmount Ave.$10, 856-982-3581www.upcomingevents.comTake a delicious tour of the restaurants of Fairmount as you sample different bits of a whole pig in each locale. Not the same pig, of course — that would be impractical. There will also be craft cocktail samples at each stop. You can start anywhere and finish anywhere. Pro tip: get tickets in advance, preferably today: over 500 have sold already.THEATER‘The Last Jimmy’Through SaturdayPrince Music Theater1412 Chestnut St.$35-$60, 877-987-6487www.ticketfly.comThis hip-hop musical uses original music by The Roots’ collaborator Dice Raw and choreography by Renee Harris to mount an attack on racism in the American justice system. It takes inspiration from the book “The New Jim Crow” by Michelle Alexander.‘Collected Stories’Through March 29Walnut Street Theater825 Walnut St.$15-$25, 609-220-7537isis.ticketleap.comIsis Productions presents this 1996 play by Donald Marguiles about two writers, one older and established, one younger and still in school, who form a mentor-protege relationship that starts out supportive, but as the student finds her own success over the course of six years — with a story based on her teacher’s private life — things get more complicated, to say the least.ARTJane Irish: Faience and FirenzeThrough April 11Locks Gallery600 Washington Sq. SouthFree, 215-629-1000www.locksgallery.comLocks Gallery presents a set of ceramics and gouache paintings by Jane Irish. Her vases reflect, both in their physical design and painted imagery, Irish’s interest in the Vietnam War — like most people, she’s not a fan. The exhibition also includes scenes of opulent Italian gardens and villas. Together, these works present the paradox of human beings as makers of beauty and destruction.Objects of Our DiscontentThrough Saturday (reception Saturday, 6 to 10 p.m.)Paradigm Gallery and Studio746 S. 4th St.Free, 267-266-0073www.newvoxgallery.comHowever you feel about the Second Amendment, there can be little doubt that the issues surrounding firearms are among the most polarizing and emotionally provocative in American culture. In this traveling exhibition, five artists explore America’s special relationship with guns. Perhaps their creative, playful perspective can help us to image new ways of approaching an often rigid, seemingly intractable debate.
