Lehigh Valley Source

Civic Theatre's 'Little Shop of Horrors' Proves 'Delightful'

"Little Shop of Horrors" runs through March 7 at Civic Theatre of Allentown.
Photo courtesy of Civic Theatre of Allentown

 

By STEVE SIEGEL
Special to Lehigh Valley Source

Allentown, PA -- Take one part cheesy science fiction flick, two parts Broadway musical, graft them together with a blood-thirsty plant from another planet, and you've got one of drama's all-time hits. The Civic Theatre of Allentown's production of "Little Shop of Horrors," the campy 1983 hit musical based on the 1960 Roger Corman film, is deliriously delightful.

The story is one to which you just can't help relate. Nebbishy Seymour, played by Michael Hull, works in Mushnik's failing flower shop on skid row. He nurses a yearning desire for his attractive co-worker, Audrey, played by Cheryl Moritz, who's stuck in a violent relationship with Orin Scrivello, DDS, a sadistic dentist played by Tom Onuschco. When Seymour discovers a strange, flytrap-esque plant and displays it in the store window, business starts to boom. But the plant--which Seymour names Audrey II--needs something significantly more gruesome than plant food to thrive, and that's when the real thrills begin.

Expertly directed by William Sanders, the production flourishes with its cast of just nine performers, five-piece orchestra, and simple yet convincing sets--one even includes some fear-invoking, period-correct dental equipment. The curtain opens on an appropriately shabby, graffiti-ridden street scene which introduces the hit opening number "Skid Row." We are also introduced to the endearing do-wop girl trio Ronnette (Melissa Egan), Crystal (Lizabeth Malloy), and Chiffon (Nichi McFarlane), who appear throughout the show, acting as sort of a skid row Greek Chorus.

Hull and Moritz are both simply superb, and play their roles with plaintive charm. Hull's Seymour is equally sweet and nerdy, played with lots of heart and sung with a powerful voice. Moritz, with her affected lower-class New York accent, her diffident laugh, and tender vulnerability, could be a stand-in for Ellen Greene, who played the role in the 1986 film version. Her delivery of the hilarious "Somewhere That's Green" was a knockout.

Onuschco was funnier in his numerous small character roles than in his larger one as the nitrous oxide-sucking dentist, which was a bit uneven and over-the-top, but still did a fine job as the "leader of the pack" style character he's meant to portray. Mark Stutz played a fatherly Mr. Mushnick, a bit weak in voice but big in heart, and was especially entertaining in his "Fiddler on the Roof" style dance routine with Hull in the "Mushnik & Son" routine.

Kudos must go to Daniel Becker, the puppeteer behind (and sometime inside) Audrey II, and the plant's spine-tingling voice, sung by Traci Ceschin. Four Audrey II puppets are used throughout the show to represent the progressive growth of the plant, from a small potted version operated Muppet-style, to a huge monster that takes up practically the entire stage.

The opening night show I attended was remarkable in its smoothness, marred only by some minor audio glitches.

"Little Shop of Horrors" will be performed at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday through March 7, 2010, at Civic Theatre of Allentown, 527 N. 19th St., Allentown, Pa. For tickets, phone 610-432-8943 or visit www.civictheatre.com

Steve Siegel is a freelance writer.

 

Nebbishy Seymour, played by Michael Hull, nurses a yearning desire for his attractive
co-worker, Audrey, played by Cheryl Moritz.
Photo courtesy of Civic Theatre of Allentown

Michael Hull's character, Nebbishy Seymour, works in Mushnik's failing flower shop on skid row.
Photo courtesy of Civic Theatre of Allentown

THE PINES DINNER THEATRE ”I Do! I Do!”

Greta Kleckner and Ryan P. Kelly as Agnes and Michael in
“I Do! I Do!” playing at the Pines Dinner Theatre, 448 N. 17th
Street, Allentown through February 28.
Contributed photo.

By DIANA MORSE
Of Lehigh Valley Source

Allentown, Pa.--Allentown’s newest showplace, The Pines Dinner Theatre, opened last week with “I Do! I Do!” Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt’s musically warm and charmingly witty depiction of marriage and family life.

The two-character play includes the romantic, once pop-music hit “My Cup Runneth Over,” but the show’s essence—that of life’s challenges—is found in numbers like “A Well Known Fact,” and “The Father of  the Bride,” in which husband Michael (Ryan Paul Kelly) busts stereotypes as the self-righteous breadwinner, and writhes at his 
daughter’s marriage to “an idiot.”

Wife Agnes (Greta Kleckner) tosses a few stereotypes at the audience as well.  Well, darn it, who doesn’t like to shop, right?  And if the latest beauty craze is a slumber helmet, darn it, we’ll wear one!

Kelly and Kleckner are wonderful together, serving up delightful softshoe steps in between insults, laughter and tears.

The 1966 play spans a couple’s 50 years together, beginning with a shy wedding night.  Though costumes and careers (she’s a homemaker, he’s a novelist) are sweetly dated, human nature hasn’t changed much.  Kelly and Kleckner do not shy away from heated arguments, peaking with a horrific separation and relieved reconciliation.

”I Do! I Do!”’s cup runneth over with laughter, complementing The Pines guests’ plates, which runneth over with delicious entree elections including braised short ribs, chicken cordon Bleu and broccoli Alfredo over penne pasta.

The Pines provides a wonderful afternoon of good food and entertainment.  Dinner is served at noon, and the play begins at 2 p.m., to avoid competition with rattling dishes.  The theatre is BYOB.

I Do! I Do! runs through Feb. 28.  For show times and ticket information, call 610-433-2333 or visit www.pinesdinnertheatre.com.

“Crimes of the Heart” Guilty as Charged

By DIANA MORSE
Of Lehigh Valley Source

Henry Higgins himself could not have coached a finer cast in Southern  charm and grace than that of Insomniak Theatre Company’s “Crimes of  the Heart.” But then again, dialect coach William Marley actors are hardly a  collection of motley Eliza Doolittles. 

Nicole Brousseau, one of the finest young actresses in the Lehigh Valley, returns to Insomniak as the eldest of the three tragic Magrath siblings.  Brousseau rises to the challenges of portraying the sweet, shy, sensitive—and dowdy, and reproductively challenged—Lenny. 

Brousseau teams with another Insomniak regular, Laura Romano as somewhat round-heeled Magrath sister Meg, a character with American Idol-sized dreams of fame, years before the hit TV show.
Romano is striking, shooting Sophia Loren-meets-Mae-West come-hither glances to now-married former beau Doc Porter (Ettore Cerino) and childhood playmate turned family lawyer Barnette Lloyd (Matthew Meckes). 

Polar opposite in personality from the Magrath sisters is their insufferable cousin Chick Boyle, played with relentless social climbing “frenemy” drive by Gabrielle Grube. 

Jen Santos takes on the toughest of the sisters’ roles—that of Babe Botrelle, a child bride who turns on her abusive husband.  Whipsawed by the powerful and corrupt politician even from his hospital room, Santos takes comfort in the legal aid of haunted childhood friend Lloyd, who has his own ax to grind with Senator Botrelle. 

As Lloyd, Meckes is perfect as the young and talented, yet still fumbling and bumpkin-like country lawyer.  Meckes soft-spoken dialogue drips with Southern charm.  His conservative styling is equally 1950s -- almost retro—right down to bringing sideburns back. 

Ettore Cerino’s Doc Porter is spot-on Southern comfort.  Cerino plays the good-old-boy next door with a twinkle in his eye.  Loved the styling of the plaid shirt and brylcreemed cowlicks. 

Scenic Designer Kristen Meixell outdid herself, crafting an inviting 1950s-era kitchen for the play to unfold.  You could almost smell the linoleum, and feel the cold as the vintage refrigerator door was opened and shut.  Sound Designer Matthew Oberdoester compiled excellent musical tracks and a convincing old-fashioned telephone ring.  Lighting by Aaron Bowersox was sunny and light, betraying the darkness behind the sisters’ often giddy and desperate laughter. 

Director Charles Weigold III has scored another winner. 

CRIMES OF THE HEART continues 8 p.m. Jan. 16, 21, 22 and 23 and 2 p.m.  Jan. 17 and 24 at Insomniak Theatre Company, 60 S. Main St., Nazareth.  Tickets $15 adult, $12 senior or student.  For reservations, call 610-759-7000.

Must Be Close To Valentine's Day! "Crimes of the Heart" Hits Lehigh Valley

  Babe (Jen Santos) and Meg (Laura Romano) have a
  heart-to-heart in "Crimes of the Heart," directed by
  Charles Weigold, III, opening at Insomniak Theatre
  Company, Nazareth, on Thursday, Jan. 14.
   Contributed photo.

By DIANA MORSE
Of Lehigh Valley Source

Nazereth, Pa.--As History repeats itself, beginning Thursday night, director Charles  Weigold, III returns to InsomniakTheatre Company after a sellout run  of Bert V. Royal’s “Dog Sees God:  Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead”  to serve up “Crimes of the Heart,” Beth Henley’s 1978 Pulitzer Prize-winning show about history repeating itself, in the most intimate ways.

“No play is presented only for entertainment purposes,” Weigold says  of the latest of Insomniak’s often emotionally intense productions.   “We develop our season on how well shows serves as a psychological and  educational experience for everyone involved.”

Insomniak’s mission to bring innovative theatre to the Lehigh Valley  is not only beneficial for our actors, but for the community and their  moral needs, he says, adding the decision to stage Crimes of the Heart  followed the theater’s phenomenal success of “Dog Sees God.”

“I realized our target audience was primarily teenagers and young  adults who (have or) are experiencing the situations brought out by  those familiar characters,” he says.  “With this production, I want to  attract a more “global” audience.

“Though ‘Crimes of the Heart’ is written with great maturity, and most  young people may not enjoy its lack of ‘action,’ audience members of  all ages will recognize the emotions and situations these characters  face.”

For Weigold, “Crimes of the Heart” serves as “food for the soul,”  echoing recent events in his own family.

“It’s like ‘psychological comfort,” he says.  “We learn from the  choices our parents make and although we may disagree with some of  them, a part of us is shaped from what we vow never to do when we grow  up.”

Nicole Brousseau returns to Insomniak to play Lenny Magrath.  Featured  actors also include Gabrielle Grube, Ettore Cerino, Laura Romano, Jen  Santos, Matthew Meckes.

Dialect coach William Marley, who grew up only a few miles outside of  Hazlehurst, Mississippi, the setting for “Crimes of the Heart,”  donated his time and expertise to coach the cast in accurate character  dialects.

Insomniak Theatre Company, 60 S. Main St., Nazareth presents “Crimes  of the Heart,” opening 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14.  For reservations,  call 610-759-7000.

Crowded Kitchen Players To Hold Auditions for “Shore Insanity" Mon. Jan. 11

Allentown, PA.--Crowded Kitchen Players will hold auditions for the comedy, “Shore Insanity”, a new play by Brian McDermott and adapted by Ara Barlieb,  on Monday, Jan. 11th , from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the ‘Kitchen’, 1680 Minesite Rd., Allentown  and Wednesday Jan. 13th from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at McCoole’s Arts & Events Place, 10 S. Main St. Quakertown.  A prepared piece is not needed; we will read from the script. “Shore Insanity” will run March 5 – 21st  at McCoole’s Arts & Events Place.  Needed are seven men and six women, 21 and older. For more information and directions, please call 610.395.7176, email ckplayers@rcn.com or visitwww.barliebwallace.com

Pines Dinner Theatre: Playing--With Food--in Allentown

The Pines Theatre

By DIANA MORSE
Of Lehigh Valley Source

Allentown, Pa. -- Dinner theater returns to the Lehigh Valley on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009, when The Pines Dinner Theatre, 448 N. 17th St., Allentown, opens its doors.

Oliver Blatt, artistic director at the former Blatt’s Dinner Theater, decided to open The Pines when his parents, who owned Blatt’s, retired the Kutztown-based company. Blatt, with co-owner Stacey Yoder, are principals at The Pines, employing five full-time employees, including pianist and bass player Stacey Bechtel, who Blatt says does most of the company’s musical arranging.

The Pines originally opened on High Hill Road, Slatington. The decision to move to the Lehigh Valley was made earlier this year, following a transfer of the Slatington property’s ownership.

Blatt says the company’s new home--in the former Gate 9 Grille--is a natural for a dinner theater.

“The kitchen in huge--almost too big--but we’re not going to complain,” he says, stepping over debris and equipment during extensive renovations. A 120-seat theater is planned. A full-time chef will be on staff to serve up matinee and dinner offerings.  Wooden Nickel, The Pines Dinner Theatre’s country band, will continue to perform.

Tickets, which include dinner and a play, are $16 per child and $45 per adult. Senior pricing is available.

Blatt says the theater relies on attendance to make ends meet.

“We’re like the scrappy little dog running around,” he says. “We don't get help from grants.”

The Pines prides itself on presenting family-friendly shows. The theatre will open with “Christmas at the Pines,” a holiday musical review. The 2010 lineup includes “I do, I do,” as a mid-winter offering, followed by the Johnny Cash tribute musical “Ring of Fire.” Next summer, The Pines will present “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” and in fall 2010 will produce the gospel-inspired “Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming.”

According to Blatt, the Lehigh Valley had been on the theater’s radar for a while.

“Seventy-five percent of our customers are from this area, and we wanted to be closer to the thick of things,” he says.

Blatt has penned a musical himself--“The Book of Love,” which premiered at The Pines early this year--and he is currently working on a second full-length musical.

“I like to make people laugh,” he says. “It is the best medicine. We need that right now.”

The 36-year-old Tulpehocken High School graduate holds degrees in piano technology from Shenandoah University and musical theater performance from Millikin University.  Blatt’s tours include as keyboard player for “The Who’s Tommy” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” for which he was both associate conductor and a keyboard player.

The Pines Dinner Theatre casts by show and seeks volunteers for a variety of tasks, from ushering to ticket taking.

“We do this because we love it,” he says. “So we'll take all the help we can get.”

For show dates and times, call the box office at 610-926-3702 or visit www.pinesdinnertheatre.com.

Muhlenberg’s ‘Bat Boy’ Production Lacks Bite; Actor in Title Role Steals Show

By STEVE SIEGEL
Special to Lehigh Valley Source

Allentown, Pa. -- Poor, misunderstood “Bat Boy”--doomed to inhabit a murky realm as distant from the high camp of “Rocky Horror Picture Show” as from the musical cleverness of “Little Shop of Horrors.” Although the cast of Muhlenberg College’s production of the quirky musical--which opened at New York’s Union Square Theatre in 2001--seemed to give it their best shot, “Bat Boy: The Musical” simply lacks bite.

The tale begins deep inside a cave near the small town of Hope Falls, W.Va., where three siblings of the Taylor clan find and capture a strange batlike creature that is brought to the home of local veterinarian Dr. Thomas Parker, played by Eric Thompson. Bat Boy, splendidly played by Jeramie F. Mayes--complete with Vulcan ears and pointy teeth--is eventually transformed from a menacing beast that can make only batlike shrieks into a debonair lad with the diction of a Shakespearean actor.

In fact, this Bat Boy could teach the entire cast a thing or two about vocal delivery and elocution, which is mostly missing in this production. While none of the vocals are particularly strong, Denise Ozer, as Meredith Parker, has some moving moments, notably in “A Home for You,” a duet with Mayes. Leah Holleran is outstanding as the Parkers’ daughter Shelley, who falls in love with Bat Boy and has some notable vocal moments of her own.

Bat Boy’s education by the Parkers occurs during a single, hilarious musical number that clearly evokes Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle, and ends with his speaking in an impeccable British accent. Aided by Karen Dearborn’s clever, fast-paced choreography, it’s one of the best parts of the production.

It is Mayes who steals this show. His remarkable athleticism, scurrying about the stage, even hanging upside down in his cage, makes us truly believe he is some sort of cross-species. Of course, Bat Boy is doomed, being falsely accused by the villainous Dr. Parker of two deaths and the plight of the town’s emaciated cows. When we learn the secret of Bat Boy’s true parentage--unfortunately, via a sequence that’s humorous but overly long--we know his fate. The play is, after all, a tongue-and-cheek morality tale, in which each viewer is expected to discover his or her own inner “Bat Boy.”

It takes a serious approach to acting to make musical comedy work. Unfortunately,   director Beth Schachter allows most of the town’s characters to be played with slapstick, superficial nonchalance. Exceptions are Gabriel Martinez’s hilarious delivery as Rev. Hightower, Mrs. Taylor, and the Institute Man, who is summoned to take Bat Boy away, but arrives too late.

The score’s musical numbers are tuneful, if not particularly memorable, and were competently played by the five-piece orchestra, under the direction of Ken Butler. The set, designed by Anya Klepikov, consists of multi-tiered scaffolding winding between two craggy peaks. It comfortably serves as a cave, the Parkers’ living room, and a tent for a religious revival meeting.

“Bat Boy: The Musical” runs at 8 p.m. on Oct. 24 and 28-31 as well as at 2 p.m. on Oct. 25, 31, and Nov. 1 at Muhlenberg College’s Baker Theatre. Tickets are $20 for adults and $7 for students. For information or tickets, visit www.muhlenberg.edu/tickets or phone 484-664-3333.

Steve Siegel is a freelance writer, who lives in Fogelsville, Pa.

You Can't Take It With You

Rachel Bertoni as Alice and David Smith as Tony.
Contributed photo

By STEVE SIEGEL
Special to Lehigh Valley Source

Allentown, Pa.--Sometimes the best tonics for hard economic times are comedy and denial.
When George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart wrote "You Can't Take it with You" in 1936, America was still reeling from the effects of the Great Depression, and needed to laugh. Seventy-three years later, that medicine is just as effective.

DeSales University's Act 1 production of Kaufman and Hart's screwball play is, now as then, just what the doctor ordered. Expertly directed by Rev.
Gerard J. Schubert, the founder of DeSales theater department forty years ago, the play is a nonstop melee of eccentric characters, fabulous foolishness, and real, exploding fireworks.

The frantic and funny action focuses on the Sycamores, a family of charming eccentrics blithely oblivious to the economic depression that surrounds them. Grandpa Martin Vanderhof quit his job 35 years ago to do nothing, and has never regretted it. Charlie Roney is a standout who plays the role with casual, dry triumph and a twinkle in his eye. Victoria Rose Bonito is delightful as the scatterbrained Penelope, a good-natured free spirit who happily writes bad plays and paints lousy pictures, as the mood sways her.

Nicole Murray hilariously flutters around the stage en pointe as the bumbling ballet dancer Essie, whose ingenuous husband Ed (James Nester) accompanies her on the Xylophone. While all this is going on, Penelope's husband Paul, played by John Reshetar with marvelous ice-man cometh resignation, makes fireworks in the basement with Italian immigrant Mr. De Pinna (Anthony Connell).

The one "normal" daughter Alice, played by Rachel Bertoni with grace and aplomb, is engaged to Tony Kirby (David Smith), the handsome son of a wealthy but stuffy Wall street tycoon (Ryan Yandersits) and his equally conventional and frustrated wife (Lauren Durdach). Bertoni's sincerity really makes us feel the impending doom of Alice's relationship with Tony.
Guess who's parents come to dinner - one day early?

Rachel Bertoni as Alice and Charles S. Roney as
Grandpa Martin Vanderhof.
Contributed photo

The entire action takes place on a wonderfully cluttered set whose walls are filled with paintings, books, and assorted bric-a-brac as dizzying in variety as its inhabitants. The family even has a pet snake, which Grandpa nonchalantly feeds dead flies. The play is loaded with social messages - the failed capitalistic economic system is constantly challenged by its colorful mix of characters, with its wide disparities in nationalities, social classes and ages.

Especially endearing among this collection of zanies is Boris Kolenkhov, an outrageous Russian ballet coach/wrestler played by Jacob R. Dresch, whose sweeping, histrionic bows and athleticism are hysterical. Equally amusing is Julia Stroup as a deposed Russian Grand Duchess, now a waitress in Child's restaurant but who aspires towards a loftier position at the swankier Schraffts - admittedly only a real New Yorker would see the humor in this.

After the staid Kirby's are caught in a riotous police raid of the Sycamore residence under suspicion of anarchy, and after a fireworks explosion that fills the stage with smoke, Mr. Kirby comes to realize that just maybe the Sycamores' laid-back lifestyle has something to say for it. His son's relationship to Alice finally earns his blessing.

The delightful play ends as the entire "family" of free sprits, loose ends, and good-natured wackos sits down to dinner. Everyone is welcome at this table.

Crowded Kitchen Players to Present 'Driving Miss Daisy' through October

Lehigh Valley, Pa.--The Crowded Kitchen Players will present “Driving Miss Daisy” at 8 p.m. on Oct. 9, 10, 16, and 17 and at 2 p.m. on Oct. 11 and 18 at Church of the Mediator, 1620 Turner St. Allentown, Pa., and at 8 p.m. on Oct. 23 and 24 and at 2 p.m. on Oct. 25 at McCoole’s Arts & Events Place, 10 S. Main St., Quakertown, Pa.

The play by Alfred Uhry centers on Daisy Wertham, a rich Jewish widow, who is informed by her son, Boolie, that she is no longer allowed to drive. Against her wishes, Boolie hires an unemployed black man, Hoke, to be her driver. Daisy takes an immediate dislike to Hoke, who refuses to let her attitude toward him keep him from doing his job. In the course of 25 years, their mutual differences begin to disappear as they grow closer and more dependent upon each other.
 
Ara Barlieb directs Crowded Kitchen Players Sydney Davis as Miss Daisy, James Symmons as Hoke, and David Schappert as Boolie.

Tickets are $18 for adults, $14 for senior citizens, and $8 for students. For more information or to reserve tickets, call 610-395-7176, e-mail ckplayers@rcn.com, or visit www.barliebwallace.com.
 

Jeff Dunham, 'Friends' Delight at Allentown Fair

“But I want to keeeeeel them!” Achmed the Dead
Terrorist threatens infidels at the Great Allentown
Fair. Jeff Dunham and his pithy puppets made their
Lehigh Valley premier at the Grand Stand on
Tuesday, Sept. 1.
Photo by Diana Morse

By DIANA MORSE
Of Lehigh Valley Source

Allentown, Pa. -- Ventriloquism has come a long way since Mortimer Snerd and Charlie McCarthy.

From Vaudevillian beginnings with Edgar Bergen’s mild-mannered moron and monocled gent, the art of throwing one’s voice has evolved into contemporary characters, including Achmed the Dead Terrorist; Peanut, a lewd purple humanoid; Jose Jalapeno, a racy hot pepper; and Walter, a mercilessly insulting old man.

Comedian Jeff Dunham developed the personality-plus puppets after learning ventriloquism from a recording-and-puppet set his parents gave him as a boy. The expert showman--whose gross income seconds only Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock--made his Lehigh Valley debut Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2009, on the Great Allentown (Pa.) Fair’s grandstand stage.

Although the puppets--all handmade by Dunham--may be new, many jokes were steeped in comic history. Dunham added a modern twist to Abbott and Costello’s “Who's On First” routine with help from Achmed, who, although “dead,” continues his vigil to seek and destroy infidels-- including Dunham himself and his Allentown audience.

Achmed: I think I am enjoying being a comedian.
Dunham: As long as you don’t bomb!
Achmed: But I want to bomb!
Dunham: No, bombing is bad for a comedian. Killing ’em is good.
Achmed: But I want to keeeeeel them!
Dunham: You’re killing them now!
Achmed: But how come there is no blood?

Achmed did slay the audience, however, with a sympathetic play on the joke about a dog with no legs.

Dunham: What did you call him?
Achmed: You’re kidding.
Dunham: No, what did you call him?
Achmed: He was a dog. With no legs.

After some Darth Vaderesque threats to Dunham’s good health, Achmed finally gave up the punch line: “It doesn’t matter what you call him. He can’t come.”

Dunham’s genius reaches beyond a single puppet. His silicone sidekicks have seemingly developed actual relationships with each other, often sharing aspects of their lives in a   storage trunk.

Walter, Dunham’s crotchety retiree, took his own jabs at Achmed, built from a skeleton purchased at a costume shop.

Walter:  Achmed likes infomercials, so I bought him a Clapper.

After laughing maniacally, Walter reveals that he purchased the classic TV sale item as a practical joke.

Walter:  You have to clap! He has no hands!

Achmed was quick with his own retorts.

“I have my father’s eyes . . .  [evil glare] . . . in a box! I put them near Walter so when he wakes up it scares the crap out of him!”

At that moment, Dunham throws his voice to the trunk and is an alarmed Walter, upset and then fussing about finding the box.

Oh, I could go on about Peanut--his misadventures with the proprietor of a Chinese restaurant and the fact that “Taste of China,” when pronounced a certain way, sounds like . . . well, I’ll just say it was funny.

I’d also tell you to run out and buy tickets to Dunham’s second show at the Great Allentown Fair slated for Sunday, Sept. 6, but it’s SOLD OUT!

As Walter would say, “That sucks.”

Jeff, help us out here. Come back soon.

“Helloooooo, Alllllllentown!"  manic Peanut
gives a shout out to the Little Apple. 
Dunham returns for a sold out Grand Stand
show at the Great Allentown Fair on Sunday,
Sept. 6.Photo by Diana Morse

 

Foul-tempered senior citizen Walter
tells ventriloquist Jeff Dunham a thing
or two about aging.
Photo by Diana Morse

As a grand finale, Dunham presented brew-swilling
redneck Bubba J., who, when introduced to
Allentown, exclaimed,“I'm home!”
Photo by Diana Morse