Philadelphia Weekly

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Urgh! A Music War

Wed., March 4, 8pm. $5-$7. International House, 3701 Chestnut St. 215.387.5125. www.ihousephilly.org

On a list of films criminally missing from DVD, up near the top—alongside The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years—would be Derek Burbidge’s jam-packed 1981 concert film Urgh! A Music War. An all-star survey of the punk/new wave scene on both sides of the pond, the Brit production plows, with a minimum of filler/audience cutaways, through a whopping 37 outfits: not just the Dead Kennedys, Gang of Four and the Au Pairs, but also Pere Ubu, Devo, both X and XTC and obscurities like Invisible Sex. Alas, Urgh! never graduated past VHS, mired in an inevitable red-tape copyright clusterfuck. Urgh! finds its way briefly to the screen this evening, so you can pay respects to the Cramps’ recently departed Lux Interior as he fellates a microphone, and gawk at plastic tuxedoed German countertenor Klaus Nomi belting in shocking close-up. Besides, only half of it’s on YouTube. (Matt Prigge)

Adarrel Omar Fisher

Thurs., March 5, 6pm. Free. University of Pennsylvania Bookstore, 3601 Walnut St. 215.898.7595. www.upenn.edu
What’s the only thing better than self-publishing? Christian self-publishing. Penn alum Adarrel Omar Fisher discusses his book, Confrontations: Finding Faith Behind Bars. The book, from Christian print-on-demand publisher Xulon, chronicles his time as a prison minister and Christian poet. (Daniel McQuade)

The Lesson

Through March 18. $18. L’Etage, Sixth and Bainbridge sts. 215.592.0656. www.idiopathic
ridiculopathyconsortium.com

Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium continues presenting classic absurdist theater with Eugène Ionesco’s 1951 one-act play The Lesson. Clocking in at just 65 minutes, Ionesco’s dark farce focuses on a frustrated teacher and his eager pupil. In this work, a lesson is transformed into a tragic battle between intellect and instinct. (J. Cooper Robb)

Harlem Globetrotters

Sat., March 7, 1pm. $17-$104. Liacouras Center, 1776 N. Broad St. 800.298.4200. www.liacoruscenter.com and Sun., March 8, noon and 5pm. Wachovia Center, 3601 S. Broad St. 215.336.3600. www.wachoviacenter.com

Everyone treats the Harlem Globetrotters as a bit of a joke, and perhaps rightfully so; they do play scripted basketball, defeating the Washington Generals in scripted games sometimes several times a day. They also sometimes pants Generals players, strip a kid of his shirt during a timeout and occasionally use a ladder, something Dr. Naismith intended only to serve for getting the ball down for the peach basket. But give the ’trotters credit: Not only can they play ball a little, they are shameless self-promoters
of the finest order. Two players were at an IHOP in Bala Cynwyd last week serving pancakes for charity, and they were scheduled to play a game on the Spectrum roof on Tuesday. Almost makes you want to whistle “Sweet Georgia Brown.” (D.M.)

Purim Palooza

Thurs., March 5, 9pm. $5-$10. Marathon Grill, 10th and Walnut sts. 215.898.6451.
jewishgrads.org/purim35

Purim is one of the more neglected Jewish holidays, which is a shame, since it’s by far the most fun. It’s like Hebrew Halloween, but with less candy, more pastries and divinely mandated drunkenness. You’re also ordered to make lots of noise, which at this party will be handled by the Old World sounds of the West Philadelphia Orchestra, a smaller version of our hometown big-band klezmer army, along with Rag Tag Tribal bellydancers. Cover is half off in costume or with a canned good, so go ahead and reuse that sexy-princess outfit from October. Queen Esther would be proud. (Jeffrey Barg)