Archive | 2010

Barefoot in the Park Sparkles with Stage Left

21 Oct

Yesterday night I decided to venture over to the Woodbury Sketch Club Players to see Stage Left Productions’ version of Barefoot in the Park. Stage Left has partnered with the SCP and this is Stage Left’s first production of the partnership. Since some of the members where in Jesus Christ Superstar, I thought it would be a good idea to support the group with its new endeavors. It turned out to be a great idea.

Director Ed Santiago has created a gem of a production, drawing out truly amazing performances from all of the cast.  Laurie Halloran is perky enough as Corie, capturing the good girl of the ’60s who wants the to live free and wild but isn’t really sure how to go about it without driving her new husband crazy. Elaine Fydrych is perfect as the befuddled mother who gets caught in the middle of her daughter’s “wild” night out.  Endearing and very funny, her performance is reminiscent of those like Maureen Stapleton in Bye, Bye, Birdie. (more…)

Jesus Christ Superstar at SCP in Woodbury

17 Oct

 

Jesus and the Apostles (I'm on the far right)

 

Well we have just finished our run of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Sketch Club Players in Woodbury, NJ.  Yes, I should have blogged about it before it was over but I was busy and tired and lazy and blah, blah, blah. Anyway, I’m blogging about it now. It was was a great show and a great run. And yes, everyone ALWAYS says that the current show they’re doing is the best ever but this really was at the top of the heap. We had a super talented cast and great direction. The acting, the music, and the dancing came together so magically.  We had a standing ovation the first night. Now that’s saying something.

My BFF Amy and Me

 

To top it all off, I got to work for the first time in a show with my friend Amy. That was the icing on the cake. In addition, a lot of the cast I had worked with in previous shows and it was great to see them again. I also made some new friends along the way. Everyone was so nice to me. I had lots of fears because I am not a singer or dance.  After a lot of effort and patience and help, I was able to strut my stuff on stage without looking like a thrashing fish out of water. And I had three lines that I sang all by myself and I was even able to hit the notes. So there. Maybe I can sing and dance. A little. In local theater. With tons and tons of practice.  And a loving and patient cast.

I’d like to share some pictures from the show. Of course, I’ve only picked out ones with me in them. I’m the old guy with the gray beard, hat, glasses, and white shirt with brown print. (more…)

A Trip to Philadelphia

25 Sep

Since I live so close to Philadelphia, I visit it quite often. It’s a wonderful city, full of live and vitality and all kinds of great things like amazing restaurants, museums, history, cool parks, and a city vibe that just can’t be beat. So when Linda and I had free museum tickets, I decided to give my new Droid phone’s camera a go. And I think it delivered quite well.

I didn’t take pictures of lunch but I managed a couple of pictures inside the Academy of Fine Arts before they told me that I was not allowed to take any pictures. It’s a gorgeous building and quite historic in itself. In fact, Linda felt the building was its own piece of art.

After we walked the museum, we decided to stroll around the city.  I love the city and there’s always something going on. I took pictures of city hall, statues, churches, store fronts, and lots more. Someone was having wedding pictures take on Broad Street and I snapped a whole bunch of pictures of that. We came across a Blocktober Fest and everyone looked like they were having fun.  Rittenhouse square was hopping with people and we ended up in a gourmet food shop, DiBruno Brothers, where we bought some NJ Cherry Grove Farms Maidenhead cheese that had been soaked in Flying Fish Beer.  I am sharing some pictures here but if you wanna see all the pictures, visit my Facebook photo gallery. (more…)

I’m A Bad, Bad Blogger

17 Sep

image

It’s been quite some time since I posted anything to this blog.  I think I need to make some decisions.  Should I let this blog slip away into the vast wasteland of abandoned and forgotten blogs? Can I stand to see my work fall into that deep crevice of electronic has-beens and never-weres?

Actually,  my blog gets between 75 – 100 hits a day even when I post nothing. Technically, that means it wouldn’t just disappear.  It would simply be no longer fresh or current. Blah.

I have been terribly busy with two shows. I’m doing a murder mystery dinner theater at the Eagle Theater in Hammonton this Sat, September 18. Plus I am in rehearsals for Jesus Christ Superstar at the Woodbury Sketch Club which opens the first week of October. And that’s me at work sporting my beard especially grown just for Superstar. (Note: It’s 9/18 and we’ve sold out the dinner theater. Woo Hoo!)

Maybe I should wait until these shows are over before I decide to put the final nail in the coffin. Who knows? Maybe I’ll get bitten by that writing bug again.

It Sucks Getting Old

29 Jul

On my way home from work today, my mother told me that her friend, Rita, was in the hospital. (Yes, I talk to my mom during my drive home from work every day and yes, I use a bluetooth so it’s all hands free.) Anyway, she was pretty upset because Rita has been her buddy ever since my stepdad, Al, passed away. They go to the senior center where all the old guys hoot and holler at them. (That’s because they’re the hotties of the geriatric group.) The go to the casinos. They go shopping. They have dinner together.  And now that is all in jeopardy.

My mom having a cocktail on Mother's Day

My mother is not sure but Rita is probably in her late 70′s early 80′s, although she looks much younger. Unfortunately, the rest of her knows how old she really is. And today, her heart was beating too fast and they took her to the hospital. The doctors say she has a very weak heart. My mother has her own aches and pain, but at least her heart is strong. She’s 73.

My mom has had her share of watching friends pass away. Al was almost 20 years older than her. They retired to Florida in 1979 and lived there for over 26 years. Most of their friends were closer to Al’s age – couples who they went out with, a group of guys who played the band at the local watering hole on the beach, and the couples from the “lodge”. One by one, they all passed away. One of their friends died right on their front law. He fell over, turned blue and despite his wife’s efforts to resuscitate him, he died – just a few steps from my mom. (more…)

Chick-fil-A Serves Up Free Chicken to Good Cows

9 Jul
It's Preston-Cow with his FREE Chicken Combo Meal. Chick-fil-A Rocks!

It's Preston-Cow with his FREE Chicken Combo Meal. Chick-fil-A Rocks!

That’s right. Today only (7/9/10) Chick-fil-A is giving out free combo meals to all customers who come in dressed as cows from head-t0-toe.  Even those who don’t come in completely dressed as a cow can get a free gift just by wearing a cow hat or cow sign.  And Chick-fil-A really owes it to those cows.  According to their website, the “Eat More Chicken” campaign using cows started as a single billboard way back in 1985.  Today, the cows are everywhere from billboards to radio to TV.  Chick-fil-A owes these award-winning cows big time and they sure paid them back today.

I work in marketing and I love great marketing campaigns and clever advertisements.  No one can deny that after 25 years and still going strong, the “Eat More Chicken” cow campaign is a true American classic.  Of course, it helps to have a great food product backing up this great ad campaign.  And Chick-fil-A delivers there as well.  If you remember my Top 5 Best and Worst Chicken Sandwiches, you would know that the Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich came in at #2 on my Best List. (And only because it had more sodium than the #1 pick. It’s actually #1 with me in taste.) (more…)

Chicago Dining: Ben Pao’s and Kinzie Chophouse

20 May

Trendy, Upscale, & Urban, Chicago Style…

Hello from Chicago. I am in the windy city on business. I know I’ve said before that I would not mix business with my blog, but as long as I don’t say where I work and why I’m here, then I’m safe.  Since Chicago has so many wonderful restaurants, how could I not resist blogging about some of them?

Image stolen from www.anthroblogs.org

Before I start, I’d like to say a few words about Chicago. Chicago is the perpetual construction city. It’s always under construction somewhere in Chicago. The winters are so long and brutal here that the city spends most of its time digging and plowing its way out of the snow or repairing all the damage caused by all the digging and plowing.  Even with all the construction, it’s an amazing city.

As I was walking home from dinner, it started to rain. Not a heavy rain, a slow droplet type of rain that seemed to want to take its time. Just like Chicagoians. Never stressed; never rushed; never overdone. As I walked, I passed by many eateries and cocktail bars. Chicagoians (Chicagoites? Who knows?) love cocktail bars. These slightly trendy, somewhat expensive, and comfortably urban water holes were filled with slightly trendy, somewhat wealthy, and oh-so-comfortably urban people sipping pomegranate melon martinis and home-made limoncello.

Ah I love Chicago. (more…)

Jose Garces’ Whiskey Village – One BIG Disappointment

10 May

In An Itty-Bitty Space

I had promised Linda that I would take her to Village Whiskey to have a foie gras burger for her birthday, which was during Easter weekend. Unfortunately, Linda had her pseudo-heart attack which actually turned out to be a combo stress/panic attack coupled with extreme fibermyalgia pain. The hospital stay, however, lasted the whole weekend. This spoiled her plans of lunch with her children and me, dinner at Village Whiskey with me, and then a lobster Easter dinner down in Cape May with her son. So when we were in Philly last week for the Rittenhouse festival and we were only a couple of blocks from the Village Whiskey, I decided it was time for Linda’s birthday foie gras burger.

Before I go any further, I want you all to know that I’ve been to Garces’ other restaurants, Amada, Tinto, Chifa, Distrito, and Mercat a la Planxa (Chicago), and have had nothing but rave reviews. I also have never eaten foie gras nor had I ever planned to eat it. To me, foie gras falls into the mistreated animal category (like veal), so I just went without it. Plus, it’s really easy to go without something that is super expensive. Give up caviar? No problem. Stop eating American Cheese? I fall apart. (more…)

Mother’s Day Brunch at Tortilla Press Cantina

9 May

Newly Reopened Cantina Dishes Up a Tasty Brunch

I was lucky enough to go to the Tortilla Press Cantina, Collingswood’s Tortilla Press’s sister restaurant in Pennsauken, a few times before it had shut down.  Extended construction on the roads around the cantina made it near impossible to get to the restaurant and a decision was made to close its doors.  Well the construction is over and the roads are clear, so they recently decided to reopen the doors and give it another shot.

My nephew Michael and his girlfriend, Laura

I’ve always loved the ala cart brunch over at the Tortilla Press in Collingswood so when I go the email blast about the Mother’s Day buffet brunch at both locations, I knew it would be a hit with my mom.  I’ve been dying to get to the cantina since it reopened. My daughter and her fiancée have been going there for karaoke and having a really good time. So I made reservations for the Mother’s Day buffet brunch at the cantina for me, my mom, my sister, my nephew and his girlfriend. (more…)

Casona In Collingswood: The Third Time’s a Charm

26 Apr
Casona Serves Up Cuban Fair and Nouveau Latin Cuisine

Linda and I have eaten at Casona in Collingswood several times, and I’ve blogged about our experiences there. We’ve had mixed experiences with both the food and the service, especially the service, and I rated Casona as a hit or miss restaurant.  Well that did not sit very well with owner, Mark Infantado.  Mark told us that he put his heart and soul into the restaurant. He was displeased and concerned over our less than stellar experiences at his establishment. To his credit, he didn’t rant and rave about what I wrote, he took action to correct the problems.  He replaced his front of the house manager with a new, experienced manager who was going to retrain his staff to provide a higher level of service. And to put his money where his mouth is, he offered us 50% off our meal if we came in and gave it another shot.

Casona's atmosphere is warm and inviting.

Well who am I to give up such a generous offer? But before we get started, regardless of whether I got a discount or not, my review would be based strictly upon our dining experience. Besides, we generally liked the food at Casona and were certainly willing to give the retrained staff another try.  We gave them a few months to work out the kinks and showed up this past Sunday hungry for great food and great service. Fortunately, Casona delivered on all levels this time… (more…)

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