LEGACY WITH LAPELS
Uncle Philip’s coat is indeed a character in the play of the same name. Labeled by New York Post critic Clive Barnes a "remarkable and virtuosic one-man, one-coat play," the 1998 work will be presented by the Jewish Theatre of New England January 7 through 12. Written by Lysistrata lyricist Marty Selman and performed by New York character actor Larry Block and one big, tattered piece of outerwear, Uncle Philip’s Coat tells the story of Block’s luftmensch Uncle Philip, who as a child survived a pogrom in his native Russia (he was literally hung up, hidden in the coat, by his mother) to emigrate to the USA and become a "boardwalk brassiere peddler" on Coney Island. And, yes, he hung the underwear, along with whatever other bits and pieces he was hawking, on the outerwear. In the play, actor Block plays himself, a dreamer like his uncle, as well as Philip, who despite the coat froze to death one winter on the Coney Island boardwalk. Obie-winning actor and director Marcia Jean Kurtz directs the piece, which the New York Times calls "funny, insightful, and often touching." We can’t get it for you wholesale, but $24 to $26 buys you a ticket. Uncle Philip’s Coat plays at the Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center, 333 Nahanton Street, in Newton Centre. Call (617) 965-5226.
KELLY’S GOT A BOYFRIEND
It’s bad enough that Sharon has colon cancer — now she has to worry about whether Kelly’s gonna elope with puky boyfriend Bert McCracken. Yeesh. The significant other of the Osbourne who’s selling the most records these days brings his off-the-rails rock and roll outfit the Used to the Palladium in Worcester on February 8 with Finch, the Movielife, and My Chemical Romance, so maybe then we’ll get to hear what that nickname of his is that MTV’s been bleeping the heck out of. (That’s him in the middle, with finger in mouth.) After all, he could end up as the Prince of F*%@ing Darkness’s son-in-law. Tickets are $13; call (800) 477-6849.
Boston Ballet gets its fille
With The Nutcracker winding down, Boston Ballet is already looking ahead to February, when it will present its premiere production of the oldest surviving work in the ballet repertoire: La Fille Mal Gardée ("The Badly Guarded Daughter"), which was first performed two weeks before the fall of the Bastille and was reintroduced to the modern repertoire in Sir Frederick Ashton’s 1960 revival as a sunny but stirring romantic comedy with a surprise ending. And then there are the chickens . . . Performances are February 20 through March 2 at the Wang Theatre, 270 Tremont Street in the Theater District; call (800) 447-7400.
POST-APARTHEID ART
Brandeis University’s Rose Art Museum has teamed up with the South African National Gallery to present "Coexistence: Contemporary Production in South Africa," an exhibit that looks at "how in the process of reaching across racial and class divisions, [South African] artists are erasing long-standing distinctions between art and craft, and expanding the role of art into areas of social, economic, and education policy." It runs January 22 through June 29 at the Rose, 415 South Street in Waltham, with an opening reception January 22 at 6 p.m. Call (781) 736-3434.
