Me and My Girl Broadway Palms

It’s 1937 and the Earl of Hareford has died leaving no apparent heir. The family has gathered, eagerly awaiting to hear how the estate will be split. They are shocked to learn that the unlikely heir is commoner, Bill Snibson, a pugnacious Cockney ne’er do-well from Lambeth. In order to inherit his fortune Bill must be deemed a fit and proper person by the two executers of the will; Maria, Duchess of Dene and Sir John Tremayne. Hilarity ensues as the determined Duchess; much to the consternation of the rest of the family is convinced that she can turn Bill into a proper gentleman. But there is another hitch: Bill has brought along his girlfriend, Sally Smith, also from Lambeth.  The Duchess presses on with her plans for Bill as she gives him lessons in how to speak and behave at a party she is planning in his honor. Sally, of course, will not be invited. At the Hareford Arms pub, Sir John tries to persuade the unhappy girl that both she and Bill should go back to Lambeth, but he is deeply moved when Sally reveals how much in love she is with Bill. The British blue-bloods eventually warm to Bill’s charm and so will you as you dance in the aisles to the “Lambeth Walk”.

A simple little tale reminiscent of Pygmalion’s Eliza Doolittle, Me and My Girl became one of Britain’s most successful musicals. Me and My Girl opened on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre on August 10, 1986, and closed on December 31, 1989, after 1,420 performances. Directed by Mike Ockrent with choreography by Gillian Gregory, the production was nominated for 13 Tony Awards and won for Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Choreographer. Tim Curry played Bill Snibson in the extensive US Tour that followed the Broadway run.

Me and My Girl is directed and choreographed by Ann Nieman. The production features set design by David Snyder, costume design by John P. White, Lighting design by Jacob Mishler and sound design by Chris Kockler. The roles of Bill and Sally are played by Jennifer Weingarten and Vince Wingerter. The cast also includes Justin Droegemueller, Jeff Duncan, Elizabeth Flanagan, Allison Fund, Katharine Gentsch, Paul Glodfelter, Regina Harbour, Derek Johnson, John Keating, James Lane, Joshua Lattimore, Bob Marcus, Kate Marshall, Susan Murphy Megan Orlowski and Christopher Russell.

THERE’S SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE AT THE BROADWAY PALM

In the Marquee Theatre, Run For Your Wife has been extended for an additional three weeks. This hilarious show originally scheduled to close February 26 will now run thru March 24. The story of an ordinary London cabbie who somehow finds himself with two wives, two homes and two completely different lives suddenly finds his life unraveling in a spectacularly bad fashion when he is injured in a mugging and the police return him to the wrong wife. Rob Watson plays the devious but loveable John Smith. He tells little white lies with ease, and with the help of his coded diary knows where he is supposed to be and what he is supposed to be doing each day. John’s wives Barbara and Mary are wonderfully played by Jillyn Jacobs and Elizabeth Brooks. Eric Hogan plays neighbor Stanley Gardner with comic genius and the overly suspicious detectives investigating the “muggings” are played by Andy Jacobs and Mark Kleinman. Mark Shannon plays the flamboyant neighbor Bobby, prancing in and out of scenes with leers and looks that has audiences howling. Run For Your Wife is a fast-paced, slapstick, laugh-a-minute romp that will leave you in stitches and begging for more. Hilarious one-liners, mistaken identities and improbable situations have had audiences doubled over with laughter.

The Broadway Palm Concert Series continues on February 28 with Strait Country, A Tribute to Country Music’s Living Legend – George Strait. On March 5 That Kool Band returns with their great harmonies and flashy guitar work in their fabulous Rock & Roll tribute to the 50’s and 60’s “At The Hop”, The 3 International Tenors return for a St. Patrick’s Day matinee performance on March 17 and The Dutton’s will have two performances of their popular show on March 19.  Coming in April – AZ Diamond presents their stellar tribute to the legendary Neil Diamond on April 16.

The Broadway Palm Art Gallery features the photography of Tim Trumble during the run of Me and My Girl. Trumble is the official photographer of the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre and his exhibit features favorite shots from past Broadway Palm productions.

Looking for that perfect gift or souvenir? Check out the Broadway Palm’s Gift Shop. Featuring unique and reasonably priced items from jewelry and clothing to toys and books this hidden gem is located in the theatre’s lobby and is open on show days.

Tickets can be purchased online at BroadwayPalmWest.com, by phone, (480) 325-6700, or at the Box Office, located at 5247 E. Brown Road in Mesa.

The Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre is located at 5247 E. Brown Road, on the southeast corner of Brown and Higley Roads in the Alta Mesa Plaza. The theater is easily accessible from the Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) or the US 60 (Superstition Freeway) via the Higley Road exits. Parking is free.

I’d like to say, thank you for providing us citizens with more boozing pleasure! Every day this week, various clubs, lounges, restaurants, and bars in Scottsdale and Phoenix will highlight their best alcoholic concoctions and offer them to you with specials. I definitely recommend checking out the event schedule on the website listed below for more details.

There will be mixology and dining events all week with the week’s closing celebration at Culinary Drop Out. This Saturday, stop in and try their Black Apple Mischief made with black tea, apple, ginger-infused Skyy Vodka, apple cider, and angostura bitters. Or try their other featured drink, L’il Icharus, created with Plymouth Gin, hum, house orgeat, and lemon juice. There will also be tasty dishes and live music to help enhance the flavors and your mood. Saturday, February 25th. Live music until midnight. 7135 E Camelback Rd # 125. http://arizonacocktailweek.com/

Treasure Fingers

And the DJ’s fingers are made of gems. Atlanta-based Treasure Fingers specializes in disco and house remixing indie hits from artists like, Empire of the Sun, Santigold, Lykke Li, along with super artists like
Kid Cudi, Kanye West, and Lady Gaga. He also creates his own original tracks that get remixed by bands like Chromeo which tells you this DJ knows what he’s touching and is turning it into gold. Treasure
Fingers is loved by many and thanks to the people at Brick, we Phoenicians get a taste of him live. So make sure your wig is tacky and your style is fresh because this party is going to get bananas a
la mode! Saturday, February 25th. 10 pm – 2:30 am. Presale Tickets www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/99047. $10. Ages 21+

Surprise BBQ Festival

Just before Opening Day of 2012 Spring Training at Surprise Stadium,  a BBQ Festival will set the tone (and by tone, we mean smell of smoked meat!)

On March 3, 2012, a smokin’ good time will be had at the first Surprise BBQ Festival on the Surprise Recreation Campus—the spring training home for the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals. Although Opening Day for the 2012 Spring Training season is Sunday, March 4, BBQ teams from around the country will descend on Campus grounds, setting up camp for the big BBQ festival on Saturday, March 3.

Over 30 teams from as far as Alvarado, TX, Missoula, MT, and Olympia, WA, are coming in to fiercely battle for $10,000 in prize money and competition points from the judging organization, the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS). Festival attendees will enjoy $2 samples of pulled pork, smoked chicken, beef brisket, and baby back ribs from over 20 of the competing teams. Rounding out the BBQ offerings, top BBQ vendors from around the state will vend full plates of ‘que with all the fixin’s.

This event will have a decidedly family-friendly, baseball-driven theme to it – from the Stadium right next door, to the three college baseball games going on at neighboring fields during the festival, and special baseball themed attractions in the Kid’s Zone, such as pitching games and a face painter specializing in team logos.

The event starts at 11am and costs $10 to enter. Inside, The Brookside II Sports Bar & Grill will operate the main bar, smack in the middle of the events’ eight-acre grass field. Bartenders from this popular west side spot will add a lively atmosphere to the festival. The Larry Miller Toyota Main Stage will host two blues bands—the Bottoms Up Blues Gang and The Sugar Thieves—who will play as people check out new Toyota vehicles parked around the stage itself.

A boutique whiskey tasting expo will take place from 12-5pm. For only $10, guests will have their run with some of the finest bourbons, whiskeys, and single malts ever produced. After a trip through the expo, organizers recommend a ride on the mechanical bull or race in potato sack relays with event sponsors, Yelp.com and Popchips.

The Surprise Recreation Complex is located at 15960 N. Bullard Avenue. General admission is $10 (free for kids under 12); food samples are $2 each; beer, wine, and whiskey cocktails are $4-$10; BBQ meals start at $6. For more information, visit  www.surprisebbqfestival.com.

Face to Face

The Festival will begin at noon and run until 8 p.m., but reach a fever pitch at 2 p.m. when Buck-O-Nine, an American ska punk band from San Diego, kicks off an impressive lineup of national bands. Then at 3:15 p.m., the Voodoo Glow Skulls ignite the action with a 45-minute set of frenzied ska punk. Goldfinger, a California ska punk band that got its moniker from the James Bond film of the same name, hits the stage at 4:30 p.m. for a furious one-hour set. Goldfinger reached No. 5 on the U.S. record charts with Here in Your Bedroom. The Festival headliner is Face to Face, taking the stage at 6 p.m. for a two-hour set of in-your-face, raucous So Cal punk. Face To Face rose to fame in the 1990s with its album Big Choice, featuring radio hit Disconnected.

Professionally produced by HDE Agency, the Great American Barbeque & Beer Festival will transform the streets of downtown Chandler into a huge backyard playground with BBQ food, brew, entertainment, and lots of family fun. The festival will be the largest outdoor barbeque event in Arizona, drawing nearly 20,000 barbeque enthusiasts from across the Valley. The Third Annual Great American Barbeque & Beer Festival has received designation as an official Chandler Centennial event.

To accommodate the growing number of BBQ fans, HDE has more than doubled the amount of event space, food vendors and kegs of beer from 2011. The 2012 Great American Barbeque & Beer Festival will span the entire AJ Chandler Park East and West as well as connecting Arizona Ave., which will be closed from Buffalo St. to Boston St. for the festivities. The address is 5 S.Arizona Ave., Chandler, AZ, 85225.

HDE is pulling out all the stops this year with a massive event featuring more than 50 BBQ restaurants and food purveyors dishing out more than 20,000 lbs of mouth-watering pork ribs, pulled pork, brisket and chicken – paired with the state’s finest craft beers.

To wash it down, more than 200 kegs of ice cold craft beer will be tapped throughout the event. SanTan Brewing Company is set to feature their four core brands, which pair well with the sweet and savory flavors of BBQ fixings. Also, craft beers from Sonoran Brewing, Grand Canyon Brewing, Papago Brewing and Thunder Canyon Brewing will be flowing throughout the afternoon.

Admission is only $10 per person and children 12 and under are free. Event partner Bashas will offer $8 general admission tickets at all Bashas grocery stores in the Valley February 27 through March 23, while supplies last. Food, beverages and vendor items will be sold separately by vendors on a cash basis. For more event information and to purchase tickets, visit www.chandlerbbq.com.

Cheech and Chong at Celebrity Theatre

Friday, March 16^th 2012

The most successful comedy act in marijuana history returns to the Valley’s legendary theatre-in-the-round, as Celebrity Theatre presents Cheech & Chong at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 16^th.

Successful beyond their wildest dreams, the infamous comedy duo Cheech & Chong defined an era with their hilariously irreverent, satirical, counter-culture, no-holds-barred comedy routines. Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong’s phenomenal success began on the standup comedy circuit, which led to nine hit comedy albums and eight hit films. Their third album Los Cochinos, released in 1973, earned a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album. Big Bambu, their second album, was the biggest selling comedy record of all time in 1972 and remained so for many years. Their stunningly successful comedy streak transitioned to film in 1978 with their first movie, Up In Smoke, the highest grossing comedy of 1978, topping $100 million at the box office. Cheech and Chong co-wrote and starred in a total of eight feature films together, all directed by Chong.

Cheech & Chong’s first movie in 25 years, Hey, Watch This!, was released on 4/20, 2010 via  DVD, Blue Ray, Video On Demand and digital download. The film documents the best buds’ 2009 triumphant return to the stage and offers new sketch comedy centered on stoner antics surrounding the show.

Movies like Half-Baked, Friday and many films by the directors Kevin Smith and Judd Apatow all have direct roots in the comedy of Cheech & Chong. Until now, Cheech & Chong’s stoner standup has been solely a sweet-smelling memory in minds of many an aging boomer, but the multi-format release of Hey, Watch This! presents such classic comedy bits as “Blind Melon Chitlin’,” “Two Dudes In A Car,” and “Let’s Make A Dope Deal!” to a new audience of young marijuana aficionados.

Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets ($40, $50 and $60) are on sale now at Celebrity Theatre or online at www.celebritytheatre.com. To charge by phone, call 602-267-1600 ext.1. All tickets are subject to a surcharge. Celebrity Theatre is conveniently located at 440 N. 32nd St., just four blocks south of the Loop 202 freeway, in Phoenix.

George-Lopez

It is no wonder Time Magazine named George Lopez as one of the 25 Most Influential Hispanics in America, and the Harris Poll named him one of the Top Ten Favorite Television Personalities. His massive career encompasses a wide spectrum – television, film, standup comedy and late-night television. Lopez recently voiced the character Rafael in the animated blockbuster, Rio, and Grouchy Smurf in The Smurfs. Other film credits include the box-office hit Valentine’s Day, directed by Garry Marshall; Beverly Hills Chihuahua; Swing Vote; Henry Poole Is Here; and Balls of Fury. In 2006, Lopez received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Doors open at 7 p.m. for both shows. Celebrity Theatre is located at 440 N. 32nd St., in Phoenix. Tickets ($50, $68.50, $95) go on sale at 10 a.m. on Thursday, February 23^rd at Celebrity Theatre or online at www.celebritytheatre.com. To charge by phone, call 602-267-1600 ext.1. All tickets are subject to a surcharge. For mature audiences 18+ years.

LocalLily.com Midtown favorite Rice Paper (2221 N. Seventh St., Phoenix 602-252-3326) is a small, bright urban space with fast friendly service and an outstanding modern Vietnamese menu.

Known for their wide variety spring rolls, the kitchen also offers pho (aromatic broth soups), heaping salads and banh mi, outstanding French inspired baguette sandwiches. Meals are plated on gleaming white dishes, beautifully arranged, some with fresh herbs, lime and jalapeños.

Rice Paper keeps the menu approachable for those unfamiliar with Vietnamese food. Expect flavors like lemongrass, bbq, garlic, citrus, carrot and mint. Prices run $10-13 per person. On your first visit, I recommend sampling the menu by selecting several items to share.

A lunch that is too light leaves you hungry in a few hours. One that is rushed or too heavy makes you uncomfortable. A meal at Rice Paper is a well-earned midday escape. In this gorgeous weather, step outside and enjoy a satisfying meal on the low-key patio while you recharge for the rest of your day.

Visit LocalLily.com for more of the Best of Local Living. Find places to Eat, Shop and Things to Do. Facebook/locallily and @locallily on Twitter

Strong Beer Festival is here and gone, and what an event it was.  More on that in a little bit, but we are right in the middle of Arizona Beer Week and despite the fact that it is almost over, there are still quite a few things going on, including some of the best events of the week.  So let’s recap the festival and then move on to how to finish out Beer Week.

If you remember the Strong Beer Festival in 2011, it was a rainy mess.  40 degrees, 40 mile an hour winds and a rainstorm that would make Noah work just a little bit faster.  Despite that there were still 2,000+ attendees and a wonderful time was had by all.  Just one short year later and the most successful Strong Beer Festival ever took place.  It was a perfect day, sunny but cool enough to be comfortable, a light breeze and 3,500 craft beer lovers all in one place, Steele Indian School Park in Phoenix.  Somewhere in the neighborhood of 70 breweries were pouring some of their specialty beers and the crowd was drinking every drop they could get.

Too many highlights to list them all, but we will try to get a few mentioned.  Bell’s Brewing tapped a keg of Hopslam at 3:00 PM and the line at that booth grew almost immediately.  There was a whole lineup of some of the top Colorado brewers including Left Hand, Ska, Breckenridge, Oskar Blues, Great Divide, New Belgium and Redstone Meadery set up by the stage.  People loved the TNT from Left Hand, as well as the 72 Chocolate Imperial Stout from Breckenridge.  Ska had their ProAm beer from last year’s Great American Beer Fest, Sethvleteren on tap and it was a Lips of Faith Day at the New Belgium tent as they brought the two current entries, Coco Mole and Biere de Mars, along with two older ones.  Odell’s had several special beers including a firkin tapping of Footprint, and in the special category, Doug Odell spent almost all of his day working the booth.  If you missed out on two amazing specialty ciders from Crispin, Barrel Aged Marvin and Wonderwall, you missed something special.  Right next door to them were a couple of special treats…Blue Moon brought GABF medal winner, Vintage Blonde as well as Raspberry Cream; and Tenth and Blake unleashed their Brewers Unleashed program with a Honey Braggot and a smoked chocolate porter aged in Cognac barrels.  We also had an amazing Barrel Aged Imperial Stout from Lost Coast as well as OldeBluehairbarleywine from Big Sky Brewing.

Plenty of local beers were available.  SanTan Brewing had some amazing beers in addition to a couple of their core beers, and Papago was well represented as always.  Thunder Canyon was sporting new tap handles as well as Steve Tracy’s excellent beer, and Uwe from Sun Up had several outstanding beers.  Sonoran captured some imaginations with a cask conditioned Inebriator stout aged with raspberries, and there was some buzz surrounding their upcoming Chef Series of beers.  Finally, College Street Brewhouse and Pub introduced themselves to the Arizona beer drinker with a couple of special beers including a craft malt liquor, a blueberry vanilla wheat and an amazing chocolate stout.  There were quite a few other great beers floating around.  Some great beers from Mother Road out of Flagstaff, including the Baconator were enjoyed, as were beers from Pizza Port in California and Big Dogs out of Las Vegas.  Another pleasant surprise was Noble Ale Works out of Anaheim who had an Imperial IPA that impressed quite a few people.

But enough about the past, what about the future?  What is left to do this week?  Plenty.

Thursday night features almost too many good things.  Start out early at The Hungry Monk in Chandler as host Jim Lolli recreates Bell’s Brewery’s very own Eccentric Café.  Veronica from Bell’s is bringing 20 different beers to town and the place should be packed.  Beers are limited and a 3:00 PM start time ensures that you will be able to hit more than one spot that night.  By the way, show your eccentric colors, and dress accordingly, drink specials ensue for all those who come in eccentric garb.  Less than five miles away the fine folks from Flannys will be featuring Colorado Firkin Night.  Six Colorado breweries are each bringing a firkin for the evening, and some of these are sure to be special beers.  Look for brewery reps to be in attendance to explain the beers as well.  Moving further into Tempe, Tavern on Mill will have a Green Flash promo and Yucca Tap Room will be hosting Ballast Point.

Friday has a few key events including Oskar Blues events at both Sun Devil Liquors in Mesa and The Handlebar Pub and Grill in Apache Junction.  We hear that special beers will be tapped at each one of these.  Whole Foods Chandler is featuring California Breweries and Trophy’s in Queen Creek has an Alaskan Brewing Beer Dinner, while Papago hosts a Brewers’ Shuffleboard Tournament while also having a New Belgium Sour Night featuring Sensory Expert, Lauren Salazar.  Saturday wraps up Beer Week and you can start out at OHSO on Camelback for a nice breakfast before heading over to Papago Brewing for their Brewing up Hope event to benefit the M.I.S.S. Foundation.  Brewing up Hope will also feature a celebration of the 10^th Anniversary of Arizona craft distribution pioneer Little Guy Distributing.  Look for the original owners of Little Guy to be in attendance and several brewers are bringing special treats for the birthday boys.

There are still a couple of days to take advantage of week-long food and beer specials at Chop and Wok, Original Wineburger, Garage Wine and Tap, Rico’s, Taps and more.  Find out more about all of these events and the rest of the Beer Week happenings at www.arizonabeerweek.com.

For every short stack of buttermilk pancakes served on National Pancake Day (February 28^th, 2012), IHOP guests are invited to make a voluntary donation to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Donations made at IHOPs in the Scottsdale area will benefit the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals’ program at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. IHOP hopes to raise $2.7 million this year, with a goal to bring the total amount of funds raised to more than $10 million.  To find a local IHOP or to donate online, visit www.ihoppancakeday.com.