BRING ON SPRING!

FROM SLINKY CABARET NUMBERS TO AVANT-GARDE STREET ART, KICKSTART YOUR CALENDAR WITH THESE SIX MUST-SEE TICKETS.

From slinky cabaret numbers to avant-garde street art, kickstart your calendar with these six must-see tickets.

Must-see #1: The largest and longest-running horticultural event in the country, the PHS Philadelphia Flower Show returns to the Pennsylvania Convention Center in March (March 11–19; theflowershow.com). Neat rows of rainbow tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils re-create the iconic landscapes found across the Netherlands for this year’s theme, “Holland: Flowering the World.”

Must-see #2: The Tonywinning Roundabout Theatre Company brings its acclaimed production of Cabaret (April 4–9; kimmelcenter.org) to the Academy of Music for eight performances for the company’s 50th anniversary season. Directors Sam Mendes and Rob Marshall produce a “beautiful portrayal of the emotional times of 1930s Germany,” says Kimmel Center programming director Frances Egler.

Must-see #3: The Barnes Foundation’s “Person of the Crowd: The Contemporary Art of Flânerie” (February 25–March 22; barnes foundation.org) is a symbolic effort to reflect contemporary experience as artists “heighten their connection to the vital urban social fabric,” says Thom Collins, Barnes Foundation executive director and exhibit coordinator. Forty domestic and international artists embody issues such as racism, gender

politics, and homelessness for an exhibition that stretches beyond museum walls, into the streets of Philadelphia.

Must-see #4: An action-packed love story brimming with pirates and princesses, the Pennsylvania Ballet’s Le Corsaire (March 9–19; paballet.org) takes the stage for the first time in Philadelphia at the Academy of Music. Set in Eastern Europe, the act boasts bold costumes and intricate set designs. “It’s a very technically demanding ballet,” says Artistic Director Ángel Corella, “but a fun story for the whole family.”

Must-see #5: Celebrating the pivotal movement of watercolor painting in US history (1860–1925), “American Watercolor in the Age of Homer and Sargent” (March 1–May 14; philamuseum.org) is the largest loan exhibition seen in decades at the Art Museum. Over 170 works from unsung artists and influential figures alike examine a key period of art transformation throughout the lifetimes of the famed watercolorists.

Must-see #6: Mozart’s renowned comic opera The Marriage of Figaro

(April 28–May 7; opera phila.org) is a satirical romance brought to life by Opera Philadelphia at the Academy of Music. Mozart’s lively score is led with a witty and knotty comedy. Singing the role of the Countess, Curtis Institute of Music graduate Layla Claire says she looks forward to returning to her musical community. “With so many past coaches and mentors, I’m sure to see many familiar faces in the audience.”