Lehigh Valley InSite

Allentown's West End has a new diner!

Last Saturday morning I was in no mood to cook breakfast - heck, I barely wanted to get out of bed because it was nasty outside - so I made the decision to go out for a nice cooked meal.

When it comes to breakfast in Lehigh Valley, we usually hit the Parkland Restaurant in South Whitehall Township because it is close to where I live. But on Saturday we decided to try the newest diner in town, West Side Diner, on the corner of 19th and Tilghman Sts. in Allentown's west end.

Actually, the diner used to be Saylor's, which I had frequented a lot over the years. But now that it's West Side Diner, the outside has changed quite a bit. The inside, however, was pretty close to how it used to look.

We were seated right away and had a waitress in no time flat. She was very pleasant and efficient, to say the least. Breakfast came before we knew it and was pretty good - no complaints here! I will definitely check it out for lunch and dinner at some point.

I must say, I do love the west end of Allentown. I know the West End Alliance does its best at keeping the area lively and they are doing a great job! Keep up the good work at revamping that section of town.

While I was in the area, I noticed that the Pines Dinner Theatre will be opening in November next to the Fairgrounds Saloon at the corner of 17th and Liberty. Speaking of new business coming to the west end, does anyone know when TC Salon Spa is opening up at the former Shanty restaurant on 19th Street?

Fine photos on display at Dakota Ridge Gallery

I like to think I have an appreciation for all types of artwork, but my favorite has to be photography. This is one of the reasons I am a fan of Dakota Ridge, a fine art photography gallery located in the northern Lehigh Valley locale of Jim Thorpe.

Dakota Ridge is run by photographer Dan Hugos, a friendly man who you'll meet when you first set foot in 9 West Broadway Street, located right across the street from the Mauch Chunk Opera House. He'll gladly let you peruse the various gallery rooms in which the works displayed without a word - the whole purpose behind Dakota Ridge is to provide a location where people can appreciate the art of photography which isn't easy to do if you have someone talking you ear off. But after you've looked, if you want to talk about photography or the picturesque town of Jim Thorpe, he'll be glad to chew the fat for a while.

Last time I visited Dakota Ridge, I was particularly drawn to the work of Matt Dallos, whose featured works in the gallery focused on Pennsylvania forest-scapes. I find that nature shots, particularly of water, are incredibly soothing to me - Slipstream quickly became one of my favorite photos in the entire gallery. Then I saw the quiet majesty Matt captured in his photo of Mount Nittany shrouded in fog (and for which my beloved Penn State Nittany Lions were named for). If only I had the wall space ...

Before I left Dakota Ridge for the day, I noticed some very intriguing photos filled with sparks and fire. They were photos taken of the late, great Bethlehem Steel plant while it was still in operation. The Bethlehem-based photographer, Peter Treiber, even put out a book (which Don did have at the gallery) of these iconic images.

Don's Web site for Dakota Ridge is being updated as I write this, but the basic info like hours still holds true.

Do you have a favorite Lehigh Valley art gallery?

Bat Boy - The Musical

One of the cool things about living in Lehigh Valley is the fact that we are home to so many colleges and universities with great theater departments. Friday night, Don and I had the opportunity to catch "Bat Boy - The Musical" at Muhlenberg College.

I knew nothing about this show other than the fact that it was a musical comedy. Sounds good to me, I love musicals where the cast suddenly breaks into spontaneous song and dance. It's so surreal. I sat down expecting "Oklahoma"...I walked out thinking "Rocky Horror."

This campy, cult-like show was very well executed by the cast, many of which deliberately change characters mid-scene, adding to the laughs. The bizarre plot had me wondering at first, but a short time into the story of the Parker family and the bat boy, I was hooked. The next day I found myself surfing the web to learn more.

Turns out, a 1992 story in the Weekly World News about a half-bat, half-boy found in a cave inspired the book. In spite of the absurdity of the premise, some serious topics are brought to light in a tongue-in-cheek, amusing manner.

As I mentioned, the entire cast did a phenomenal job, but I did have some favorites. Jeramie F. Mayes' opening scene as bat boy made me think the combination was possible. And, Gabriel Martinez as Mrs. Taylor/Roy/Rev. Billy Hightower/Institute Man ... what can I say?  He stole the show!

This production only runs until November 1st, so get your tickets soon. I'd love to hear your thoughts on "Bat Boy - The Musical."

Thirsty Thursday Comedy Nights at Lehigh Valley's State Theatre

"What do you want to do tonight?”

“I don’t know what do you want to do?”

I recently found an answer to this common question: Thirsty Thursday Comedy Nights at the State Theatre Center of the Arts. It’s an intimate affair that draws a crowd of no more than 200 people to the grand Acopian Ballroom located upstairs above the theater.

We caught last Thursday’s show, featuring comedians Rodney Laney and Jon Fisch. In all honesty, we had no idea what to expect.

Our typical comedy show experience usually consists of driving to a big city, over-paying for parking and tickets, and then being forced to order several over-priced menu items on top of that. So you can image our surprise and delight when we arrived at the State Theatre and found a parking spot right out front.

Inside, a friendly greeter thanked us for coming, both on our way in and our way out. At the bar, the price of a beer was $4, wine $5 and mixed drinks $6 and we didn't have to order to anything if we didn't want to.

As for the comedy, let’s just say we laughed our butts off for two hours straight. And now for the kicker, the price of tickets is only $15/person!

With a cash bar and New York City-caliber talent, it’s the perfect place to have a few drinks, a few laughs and gear up for the weekend in Lehigh Valley. But the shows only run through the end of October, so order your tickets soon!

This post was written by Lehigh Valley InSite guest blogger Erika Liodice, who also writes the Journeys and Beyond the Gray blogs.

New Voices in Lehigh Valley

Last night I went to the opening of New Voices 2009, a festival of student written and directed short plays currently being held at Muhlenberg College.

Five one-act plays were scheduled to run from 8pm to 11pm in the intimate Studio Theatre of the Trexler Pavilion. Unfortunately I wasn't feeling very well, so I only caught the first three plays, each of which appealed to me in a different way (kind of like a three-course meal).

The acting of the first play, "Sweet Sulfur," made it a real pleasure to watch. I went on a journey with young Cornelia through the highs and lows of adolescence including her first love, sibling rivalry and chess lessons. Although not a new story, it was the impish puppet master Devil character, brilliantly played by Gabe Procaccino, that brought this play to life for me.

The story of the second play, "Truth or Love," won my heart. Writer Hannah Mesouani addressed issues of homophobia, misogyny and corruption through the story of two female lovers in Islamic Morocco (I love when taboo issues are touched upon in art). The acting didn't really draw me in to "Truth or Love" the way it did in "Sweet Sulfur," but the story and how it was so beautifully well-written made it my absolute favorite play of the night.

It's been nearly 18 hours, and I'm still not exactly sure what was going on in the last play I saw, which was "Ouroboros" by Zach Trebino. I've never been big on philosophy or other kinds of really deep thinking, which could be why I didn't get it. I think one of the characters was supposed to be schizophrenic, which also made it a bit challenging to follow. But I did learn how the folks at Disney came up with a princess who talked to mice (e.g., Cinderella)!

I'm sorry I missed the other plays, especially "Ouch, That Hurts," a comedy glorifying boys being boys in the U.S. Army, - so if you happen to head over to Muhlenberg for New Voices 2009 before it ends on October 11, I'd love to hear what you thought of them.

My Top 5 Posts on Lehigh Valley InSite

The month of October marks the one year anniversary of Lehigh Valley InSite. In honor of this momentous occasion, I went back and picked out my Top 5 posts from the past year. This will be a countdown, so first on the list will be Number 5.

5. Lehigh Valley Wedding- This was the first "real" post on Lehigh Valley InSite and actually my first ever blog post although I'm sure everyone who read that post thought I was a forefather of the blog.

4. Cloud Cult at Zoellner - An awesome band and a fun night. If we're going to compete with Philly, Lehigh Valley needs to get their Indie music act together.

3. Girls Night Out: Martinis and Manicures- This one gets the Number 3 spot because I didn’t have to write it. Instead, my fiancé Casey wrote about one of her experiences in Lehigh Valley, which has turned out to be a pretty big hit in the area.

2. This Freddy is One of a Kind- I just really like this post about the State Theatre's Freddy Awards.

1. Lehigh Valley’s Combo Meal to Beat All Combo Meals - This is by far my favorite - the Five Guys/Friendly's dinner on the run. It's like trying to get fast food in a Die Hard movie.

Do you have a favorite Lehigh Valley InSite blog post?
 

"It Might Get Loud" at Civic Theatre

We just got the Civic Theatre's Spotlight Magazine at our office.

Before I go on, let me say that I am not a big "go out and see a movie as soon as it comes out" person. The number one reason for that is price. Thirty bucks for Casey and I to get 2 tickets, popcorn and two sodas is ridiculous.

But when I saw that Civic was getting the documentary "It Might Get Loud", I immediately called to find out when it was playing. Unfortunately, as of today, they aren’t sure when it is playing. Fortunately, that doesn’t matter to me - I am just extremely happy they're getting this film. (My original plan was to go up to NYC and see it the night it came out back in mid-August but circumstances got in the way of that.)

"It Might Get Loud" is documentary about three rock 'n' roll guitar icons: Jimmy Paige (Led Zeppelin), the Edge (U2) and Jack White (The White Stripes, Raconteurs, and Dead Weather). They share stories about music they wrote, what kind of guitars they play, and who actually influenced them.

A rock 'n' roll movie like this is not meant to be viewed in the comfort of your own home on a couch. It is meant to be seen at place like the Historic Civic Theatre - an old school theatre for an old school jam session. I'm looking forward to being surrounded by a bunch of other people who love music and who want to sing, clap, stand, or scream.

Will you go see "It Might Get Loud" when it comes to Lehigh Valley?

Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival's "Antony and Cleopatra": An impressive performance

English poetry has never been my thing, and aside from "Romeo & Juliet," I really have no interest in William Shakespeare. Don't get me wrong, I respect him and regard him as a great writer, he's just not my style. So how did I end up at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival at DeSales University?

My 24-year-old daughter was coming to town to visit for a week from the "big city" of Philadelphia. We hadn't really had much planned, so when I was offered tickets to see "Antony and Cleopatra"at PSF, I grabbed them.

I can honestly say that we were worried that we got in over our head as we sat in the theater waiting for the show to start. We overheard other audience members talking about Shakespearean concepts and the history of "tragicomdies." Huh?!

Then the lights went out and off we went to Egypt. Kissing, fighting, laughing, crying, comedy, tragedy, romance ... I couldn't believe it, but I found myself falling in love with Shakespeare!

Cleopatra's taunts and longings were perfectly captured by actress Lauren Lovett. She kept me on the edge of my seat, wanting to know if she really did love Antony more than herself.

Greg Wood, who played Antony, really made me angry (because of his betrayal of Cleopatra), happy (once he returned to Cleopatra) and mesmerized by his overall passion.

The parts were all cast so well. I hated the militant Octavius Caesar and I laughed at Lepidus and Enobarbus.

We had such a great time getting to see the drama unfold before us and feeling every emotion. The performance was a refreshing reminder of how good a trip to the playhouse can be. I definitely recommend going to see "Antony and Cleopatra" while you can (which is till August 2).

This post was written by Lehigh Valley InSite guest blogger Toni Halkais. Thanks to PSF & Lee A. Butz for the above photo.

Civic Theatre: a Lehigh Valley hotspot for "indy" drama

Aside from live theater and an acting school with famous alum like Michaela Conlin, who plays Angela on Bones (one of my favorite TV shows), Civic Theatre is also a place where you can see "indy" movies.

Now, I'm not an "indy" film aficionado, but I always watch the trailers for the films that come to Civic in case there's something that might interest me. And that is how I came to see "Cheri", starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Kathy Bates, on Friday night at Civic's 514 Theatre.

Reasonably priced at $8 a person, admission to 514 is handled by the same guy who runs the small concession stand, so patience is a necessity. Since I had just come from dinner, I wasn't hungry for popcorn or candy (although I did notice they were far more affordable than I've seen at the movies in a long time). I just got a bottle of Coke, which was only $2, and went off to find a seat.

Also called the "black box" because the walls, floor and ceiling are all painted black (making it a perfect theater for movie-watching), 514 is fairly small. Several plywood tiers are set up with folding metal chairs that have cushiony seats, which actually aren't bad to sit in for the length of a movie. I wouldn't recommend 514 if you're claustrophobic, otherwise it provides a very intimate setting to enjoy a film.

The movie, a tragic romance with a bit of comic relief mixed in, was truly a beautiful film. However, with all of the "love" scenes, the elderly gent sitting next to me didn't seem to share my sentiment as his wife continued to whisper "I'm sorry I made you come."

So Cheri might not be for everyone (check out the trailer, and decide for yourself), but if you're interested, it's playing at Civic's larger 19th Street Theatre until Thursday.

Gettin' down with Cinderella at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival

I took the day off last Friday to take my niece, Jenna, to see Cinderella at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival in Center Valley, Pa. Needless to say, we had an absolute blast!

This classic story was brought to life in anything but a traditional format. Cinderella, or Cindy as she was called for short, was well-portrayed, but in our opinion, the two step sisters (Trivia and Inconsequentia) really made the play with their overpowering personalities.

Dancing was a huge part of the performance. Jenna's favorite part was the Beyonce-like dance moves at the Ball. The three mice, friends of Cindy's, also had some fantastic dance moves that made us laugh. 

The step mother, played by male actor Eddie Seage, also did a phenomenal job and deserves to be commended. You would never have known that he is only a junior at De Sales University. 

The show was designed to bring the kids in the audience up close and personal with the actors. They were allowed to sit on carpeted areas right on the stage. After the show there was an autograph signing session in the lobby that the kids just loved. Some of them even came dressed in Cinderella costumes themselves!

As we were leaving one of the mothers mentioned that she thought the adults had more fun than the kids, which I would have to agree with. Why not take the day off and bring back your childhood memories by going to see Cinderella? You won't be disappointed!