Ben Stein
Irvine Auditorium
34th and Spruce streets
8 p.m., $3
(215) 898-4444
Children of the '80s, beware. Grab your special edition DVD copies of the Princess Bride and run while you still can--Ben Stein is coming your way. For this year's fall speaker, SPEC Connaissance has smartly chosen one of the most infamously boring men of all of televisual history to entertain us for a full evening. Following on the heels of last year's graduation speaker, staunch Republican John McCain, there is no coincidence whatsoever that Stein, a former Nixon speechwriter, is coming to influence our rebel ways on this conservative and Wharton-driven campus. Stein, better known to our generation as the man who made Kevin Arnold's physics class a high school nap hour and the man who made "Bueller" a one-word punch line, has attempted to slay his mind-numbing image with Comedy Central shows Turn Ben Stein On and Win Ben Stein's Money. Ironically, this philanthropic prude is too controversial for even the rebels on campus--some Penn students apparently think he shouldn't be allowed to speak because of some comments he reportedly made at a recent speech about sympathy for Arabs. Stein might remind us of that annoying little thing called the First Amendment.
Perks Dance Music Theatre
Annenberg Center's Harold Prince Theatre
3680 Walnut Street
Through 10/25 7:30 p.m. $28
(215) 898-6701
Together with a live band whose repertoire ranges from funk-rock to classical, PDMT presents a fresh approach to live performance. Equally light-hearted and fully engaging, the show is completely dynamic, with musicians and performers feeding off each other's energies and creating a unique product each night. What results is an amazing aural and visual experience that satisfies both the uninitiated and the longtime fan.
