The Best Events This Month in Philadelphia
Our highly curated, strongly opinionated guide to things to do this month.
Sza / Photograph courtesy of RCA Records
Concerts
SZA • If you want to act like you know, pronounce the rapper’s name like this: Sizza. March 2nd at the Wells Fargo Center.
Shemekia Copeland • Modern blues at its finest. March 5th at Ardmore Music Hall.
Kodō • The exhilarating Japanese drumming troupe. March 7th at the Miller Theater.
Black Violin • According to NPR, this duo that fuses hip-hop sounds with their violin training “will keep classical music alive for the next generation.” That’s a bit much, but they do put on a good show — assuming you want to hear Kendrick Lamar and Bruno Mars played on violins. March 9th at the Miller Theater.
Patti LaBelle • She promises me she’ll do Over the Rainbow. March 11th at Caesars Atlantic City.
Bruce Springsteen • Before there was the infamous Taylor Swift Ticket-master fiasco, there was the Bruce Springsteen Ticketmaster fiasco for this tour. If you scored tix, congrats! March 16th at the Wells Fargo Center.
Yo La Tengo • The pride of Hoboken. Well, along with Frank Sinatra. March 17th at Union Transfer.
Jill Scott • A not-to-be-missed homecoming. March 18th and 19th at the Met.
Future • “The best rapper alive,” according to GQ just last year. March 24th at the Wells Fargo Center.
Future / Photograph by Prince Williams/Wireimage/Getty Images
Dance
Ballet X • The innovative Philly-based troupe returns with two world premieres. March 1st through 5th at the Wilma Theater.
Sleeping Beauty • Tchaikovsky and longtime collaborator Marius Petipa created this adaptation way back in 1889. It’s now in the hands of the Philadelphia Ballet. March 2nd through 12th at the Academy of Music.
“A Modern Carmen Fantasy” • The Philadelphia Orchestra teams up with local choreographer Brian Sanders to give you Carmen like you’ve never seen it before. Also on the program: Stravinsky’s Firebird, alone worth the price of admission. March 10th through 12th at the Kimmel Center.
Theater
Cats / Photograph by Matthew Murphy
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof • The Pulitzer-winning Tennessee Williams classic. Through March 12th at the Walnut Street Theatre.
The Complete Deaths • Definitely the best description of any show this month: “All 74 onstage Shakespearean deaths in 90 minutes — 75 if you count the ill-favoured fly killed in Titus Andronicus.” If you need something more traditional, Quintessence Theatre Group has The Tempest all month. March 9th through April 1st at Curio Theatre Company.
Cats • Is there anything defensible about this other than “Memories”? I’ll wait. … March 13th through 19th at the Miller Theater.
Six • The Tony-winning musical about the doomed wives of Henry VIII comes to us direct from Broadway. March 21st through April 9th at the Academy of Music.
Radio Golf • August Wilson’s last work before his 2005 death, directed by noted Philly theater talent Kash Goins. March 23rd through April 16th at the Arden.
The American Revolution • Seven actors on a three-by-seven-foot stage tell the history of the war in 50 minutes. Expect lots of comedy. March 28th through April 1st at Christ Church Neighborhood House.
Movies
Creed III • Michael B. Jordan returns to the Rocky spin-off — and it’s his directorial debut. Opens March 3rd nationwide.
Black Panther • Sure, you could just stream it at home. But then you wouldn’t have the Philadelphia Orchestra playing the score live, like at this screening. March 17th through 19th at the Kimmel Center.
Comedy
Case Comedy • One of our favorite weekly comedy nights just so happens to be inside an Ethiopian restaurant in West Philly. Tuesdays at Abyssinia.
Aunt Mary Pat • The beloved Delco personality swears she’s retiring from public performances after this tour. March 8th at Ardmore Music Hall.
Next In Line Comedy • The Best of Philly-winning comedy series has a new home in South Philly. March 9th at Second District Brewing.
The Second City • The Chicago-based comedy ensemble that spawned the careers of everyone from Steve Carell to Keegan-Michael Key to Tina Fey comes to town with a show about love and dating in the era of Tinder. March 10th and 11th at the Kimmel Center.
Special Events
Philadelphia Flower Show • I have mixed feelings about its return to the Convention Center after two years outdoors at FDR Park. March 4th through 12th at the Convention Center.
St. Patrick’s Day Parade • Kilts and bagpipes galore. March 12th in various locations.
Published as “The Hit List” in the March 2023 issue of Philadelphia magazine.
