 By Elaine Welles
Grandparents have plenty of opportunities to do fun things with their grandchildren this holiday season in Philadelphia.
A good place to start is the perennial holiday favorite, The Nutcracker. Pennsylvania Ballet’s production of George Balanchine’s staging of Tchaikovsky’s classic is in its 40th year. It is presented at the Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts., Dec. 12-31, with matinee performances on selected dates. For further information: 215-893-1999.
If you want to begin your cross-generational fun a little earlier, with something a bit less traditional, Legally Blonde, the Musical is at the Academy of Music, Dec. 2-7. It is about an “underestimated blonde” who proves her critics wrong by becoming productive and savvy.
Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park underwent an $88 million restoration to become the new Please Touch Museum, and with the additional space, dozens of new features have been added.
There are six new exhibits, including the 100-year-old Dentzel Carousel. Who can’t remember the fun had on the merry-go-rounds? Please Touch, a children’s attraction for 32 years, is now at 4321 Avenue of the Republic (near Belmont Avenue). For information: 215-581-3181.
Quilts onstage, in museum
Gee’s Bend, presented by the Arden Theatre Company, 40 N. 2nd St., is based on the real-life story of women who turned to quilting to provide context to their lives, passing on the traditions of this African-American community in Alabama.
This production coincides with the exhibition, “Gees Bend, The Architecture of the Quilt,” at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which ends Dec. 14. The Arden Theatre (215-922-8900) production is recommended for 8th grade age and older. The Philadelphia Museum of Art (215-763-8100) is located on Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 26th St.
Also at the Arden, Dec. 10 through Feb. 8, is James and the Giant Peach. Adults, too, should enjoy this adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved book.
Kwanzaa programs
Kwanzaa is an African-American holiday tradition in which a different principle is highlighted each day from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. At the African American Museum of Philadelphia (AAMP), 701 Arch St. (215-574-0380), you can learn about and take part in this observance. In concert with the holiday, the museum offers a “Learning Through the Arts” program that includes African dance, historical re-enactments, a drum circle, folk tales and story telling.
Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens, on Route 1 in Kennett Square, always provides a wonderful nature experience for the entire family, with a vast array of flowers, decorative gardens and looming trees. Holiday music began Nov. 27 and is ongoing through Jan. 11, in the Open Air Theatre Fountains.
Dancing fountain shows are set to holiday music once every hour, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For information: 610-388-1000.
Freedom Theatre
While the dates had not been announced as of this writing, Freedom Theatre, 1346 N. Broad St., is presenting poet Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity, a rousing celebration of music, song and dance. For information: 215-765-2793.
Check Gophila.com
Always in season is a visit to historical sites throughout the city, and there are many. Gophila.com offers a comprehensive listing and links to many of the area’s cultural and entertainment venues. The National Constitution Center, 5th and Arch Sts., is exploring our country’s processes of electing a president. On view through Dec. 14, the “Headed to the White House” exhibit is one of many offering an interactive learning experience and an opportunity to explore the making of America. For information: 215-409-6600.
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