Get your fill of strings in the spring with Beethoven’s uplifting Ninth Symphony, Ode to Joy: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, which will be performed by The Philadelphia Orchestra at the Kimmel Center, May 23-29, 2025. Photo courtesy of The Philadelphia Orchestra, philorch.org.
FunTimes Magazine Culture + Entertainment column, week of March 24, 2025.
“Spring: The music of open windows.”
— Author Terri A. Woodhull
March has been called the month when “dreams bloom into reality.” From the kickoff of Jazz Appreciation Month to a girls’ brunch, spring into full bloom with these real entertaining activities. And don’t forget: When event-going, consider taking precautions, especially when among groups and while indoors, with the risk of COVID-19 variants and other still-existing infectious health concerns.
Conversation Aims to Advance Equity
Thursday, March 27, 2025. To celebrate Women’s History Month, be part of the African American Museum in Philadelphia’s engaging panel discussion, Cultivating the Next Generation of Social Justice Leaders. Explore the legacy of social justice leaders like Coretta Scott King and the role of institutions in developing future change-makers. Take a dive into insights on advancing equity and powerful leadership today. Moderated by Dr. Ashley Jordan, AAMP President & CEO, the dialogue will feature experts in social justice, education, and race relations. The panelists include Dr. Queen Meccasia Zabriski, Director of the Coretta Scott King Center for Cultural and Intellectual Freedom; Dr. Susan Jean (Shay) Mayer, author of the upcoming book, Practicing Pragmatism through Progressive Pedagogies (Routledge, 2024), and Chad Lassiter, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. Free, but pre-register. 6:30 p.m. EST to 7:30 p.m. EST. African American Museum in Philadelphia, 701 Arch St. 215-574-0380 or aampmuseum.org.
Bebashi Expands
Thursday, March 27, 2025. The community nonprofit Bebashi – Transition to Hope will move from Spring Garden St. into its new digs in Southwest Philly in style — with a grand opening. Its new home will feature a wellness center focusing on healthcare services, regardless of a patient’s ability to pay; a Multi-Purpose Event Space for meetings, training programs, and nonprofit collaborations, as well as accommodations for Medical Case Management Services offering support for individuals with HIV/AIDS and prevention education. Organizers say the move will provide more space access, and room for critical health services, education, and social support to address health disparities in communities in need. Bebashi has served the Philadelphia area for 40 years. Free; ribbon-cutting ceremony: 10 a.m. EST; tours of the building afterward. 4101 Woodland Ave., University City. 215-769-3561 or https://www.bebashi.org/.
Let’s Do Brunch
Saturday, March 29, 2025. Connect and celebrate girl power to close out Women’s History Month at Busy Girls’ Brunch: The Play Bigger Brunch. Enjoy a catered brunch; learn to grow your business and brand. Learn to focus on “attracting the right opportunities, and building a lasting legacy.” Share your stories of empowerment at this female-only event. Network with local entrepreneurs and strategize to take your business to the next plateau. The host is Olivia Denton Thomas, the Brand Counselor and founder of Wintentional Development Co. and The Busy Girls’ Brunch. Single tickets: $71.21; 10 a.m. EST to 1 p.m. EST. WSFS Bank, 5873 Ridge Ave. eventbrite.com.
A King-size Struggle
Through Sunday, March 30, 2025. August Wilson’s King Hedley II is about a scar-faced convict’s transition back into civilian life after a seven-year prison stint. The setting is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the 1980s. A determined King re-enters his family and community life with a dream to open his video store; he tries to raise money by selling stolen refrigerators. But the world has changed, as Reaganomics takes hold, and its impact is examined on urban African Americans. The production has come a long way since its debut in 1999, including its Broadway premiere in 2001, to Philadelphia’s Arden Theatre today. King Hedley II is directed by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright James Ijames and features Akeem Davis (King Hedley II), Kimberly S. Fairbanks (Ruby), Dax Richardson (Mister), Kash Goins (Elmore), Taysha Marie Canales (Tonya), and Monroe Barrick (Stool Pigeon). Individual tickets: $32 to $62; times vary: 2 p.m. EST and 7 p.m. EST. Arden Theatre/ F. Otto Haas Stage, 40 N. 2nd St. 215-922-1122 or boxofficer@ardentheatre.org.
‘She’s Got Soul’
Sunday, March 30, 2025. Roll up Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, and Gladys Knight into one musical ball, and what do you have? The answer: Capathia Jenkins in She’s Got Soul. The Broadway singer-actress shows off her chops by belting soul and R&B covers by our generation’s greatest diva-licious pop female artists. Enjoy a concert of classic soul-stirring ballads and energetic anthems. Joined by The No Name Pops, conducted by Lucas Waldin, Jenkins will hit all of the notes — some huge, some tender — for a powerful performance. Free, 3 p.m. EST to 5 p.m. EST. Kimmel Center/ Marian Anderson Hall, 300 S. Broad St. Email: mcriss@nonamepops.org, 215-893-1999 or https://nonamepops.org/event/shes-got-soul/.
The Art Of Beads & Glass Suits Him
Through Sunday, July 27, 2025. Check out the African American Museum in Philadelphia’s new exhibition, Big Chief Demond Melancon: As Any Means Are Necessary. The exhibit is rooted in New Orleans’ Ninth Ward, where Big Chief Demond Melancon of the Young Seminole Hunters created his trademark massive glass-beaded suits, as a Black Masker. The traveling exhibit is organized by the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. Earlier this year, Big Chief Demond was awarded The Gibbes Museum and Society 1858’s Prize for Contemporary Southern Art. On March 22, Big Chief Demond Melancon led a talk about his inspiration for the exhibit at the AAMP. He works with a needle and thread to sew glass beads onto canvas. He began this practice in 1992 when he became part of the Black Masking Culture of New Orleans, a culture whose roots go back more than 200 years. The exhibit’s promotional material notes: “His Suits are sculptural forms based on the size of his body, which is comprised of intricate, hand-sewn beadwork revealing a collective visual narrative.” In 2017, Melancon pioneered the art practice of using age-old beading techniques from the Black Masking Culture. Single tickets are $14 (adults), and $10 (seniors, students & kids, ages 4 to 12); Thursdays to Sundays, 10 a.m. EST to 5 p.m. EST. African American Museum in Philadelphia/ Gallery 3, 701 Arch St. 215-574-0380 or aampmuseum.org.
Jazz Month Trumpets Philly’s Legacy
Wednesday, April 2, 2025, to Wednesday, April 30, 2025. Philly has a lively jazz scene steeped in a tradition comprised of legends like John Coltrane, Billie Holiday, The Heath Brothers, Stanley Clarke, Christian McBride, Benny Golson Jr., McCoy Tyner, Stan Getz, and Robert “Bootsie” Barnes. The list goes on and on. To honor Philly’s shining legacy, Creative Philadelphia and Mid Atlantic Arts will kick off Jazz Appreciation Month in Philadelphia in April, with an already sold-out opening program of jazz performances at City Hall. But you can catch the month-long activities featuring engaging performances and educational programs in communities citywide. Check out the month-long calendar: 215-686-8446 or PhillyJazzMonth.com.
