Baby Case
Arden Theatre Company
40 N. Second Street
Through November 11
Evening and Matinee, $22-$36
(215) 922-1122
Pop quiz time! You are a Lindbergh and your baby is missing. You either A) want to find out the whole truth and nothing but the truth, B) want to move on with your life or C) want to go to a theater to see costumed performers gleefully singing about perhaps the most painful moments of your life. Yeah, we thought not. Nonetheless, in this media-saturated time, why not have a musical about "the crime of the century?" It has all the juicy aspects of a tabloid headline and a pop song--love, loss and a deep bass "Baby... I've been missin' you so hard" intro. With his infectious melodies and lyrics, Philly native and writer Michael Ogborn has attempted to open new wounds and point to new suspects in the Lindbergh case. Hell, if there are musicals about the sinking of the Titanic and singing cats, Baby Case should fit right it.
Jay Farrar
TLA
334 South Street
9 p.m., $20/$22 day of show
(215) 922-1011
Is there this sudden folk rock music movement where the musicians think that they're better than everyone else? First, Ken Coomer and Jay Bennett leave Wilco, and now Jay Farrar feels that he's good enough to go solo--putting any new projects with Son Volt indefinitely on hold. Funny how some of the biggest bands in the genre all include people who were at one time or another in Uncle Tupelo. It's all a big conspiracy, don'cha know?
Marcus Roberts
Annenberg Center's
Zellerbach Theatre
3680 Walnut Street
8 p.m., $24-$34
(215) 898-3900
Marcus Roberts is one of a strange breed of musicians who are completely uninterested in being innovators. Roberts is a die-hard traditionalist. Talented yes, but not exactly groundbreaking. Undoubtedly, jazz has been done well in the past, but his unwillingness to expand his vision beyond the narrow scope of his idols makes it tough to see where he will go in the future. All this, however, leaves Roberts unconcerned. He is a gifted pianist who has drawn the attention of Wynton Marsalis, amongst others, and he is more than satisfied with mimicking the masters. His style isn't new, but it sounds pretty damn good.
