Icepack Illustrated: Rich Wexler’s dirty puppets, Bart Blatstein’s obvious choice, Natalie Mob Wives fun at Delilah’s
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
News, gossip, goings-on.
Here’s a fun rumor about Wednesday night’s Delilah’s Entertainer of the Year 2014 event hosted by the kids from Peek-A-Boo Revue. Philly Mob Wives star Natalie Guercio may have been involved in a mouthy altercation with a Delilah’s bouncer when she dropped her umbrella in a rain-soaked puddle (while having a cig outside with her pal Ryan Banks) and the bouncer wouldn’t pick up said umbrella as she ordered. According to a source veryclose to Guercio, she went expletive-ballistic and wasn’t allowed back in to Delilah’s. (I wasn’t there, as I was attending Marsha Ambrosius’ home town show at the TLA.) If this rumor is all true, it’s hilarious. If it’s not true, it’s funnier still that a friend of hers has made a wet umbrella an object of such divisiveness.
Remember in October 2012 when I attended Bart Blatstein’s introduction to The Provence — his 700 million dollar casino/hotel/spa project for his (then) newly acquired Inquirer building? I mentioned then how invited guest Larry Magid (who rents his booking company’s booking space in the Piazza from Blatstein) would make a good choice for The Provence’s concert halls and lounges. Right again. Blatstein and Magid paired up the other day at the Broad Street Inky property to discuss managing entertainment for the five intended venues at The Provence, including a 2,200-seat concert hall, along with comedy, jazz, DJ-based and pool clubs. Give these guys a license and be done with it already. If the EastMarket project really goes through with knocking down that block’s cheesiest shops (to the tune of $500 mil) and the Mayor’s dream of City Hall as a glorified restaurant mall becomes a reality, The Provence would get a nice lead in.
Special effects light show designer-turned-theatrical producer Rich Wexler has a way with mixing what he calls “kid stuff with adult stuff.” That’s what he’s up to with his Project Arts company’s The Avenue Q School Edition: keeping things educational while adding elements of improv, puppet history, puppet manipulation and “somewhat dirty content.” Wexler’s Project Arts’ puppet show/musical starts this weekend at The Rotunda. “This process has been super unique and challenging,” says Wexler. “Our cast is diverse. We have mostly females, one trans actor, and teaching teens to be puppeteers is tough.” Wexler’s teen-centric Project Arts has already performed March of the Falsettos and RENT, so the producer/show director wanted to have a “bit more fun and do a show where no one died of AIDS.” As for Wexler’s love for puppets during his Avenue Q, he credits being a Muppet freak since childhood and sharing Jim Henson’s birthday. If you want to know more about the process before heading to the Rotunda on March 21, here’s Wexler’s production blog.
KGriffin Casting out of Philly is responsible for the faces and bodies behind Justin Timberlake in his new video for his next single “Not a Bad Thing” which debuts on The Ellen Show on March 20.
Will Loews Hotel Philly take the wraps (literally) off the first floor’s promised new restaurant Bank & Bourbon from chef Thomas Harkins soon? It was supposed to be ready for March 16, but I’m hearing that it could start serving pure American food goodness by the 23rd.
“Did she come?” That’s my favorite almost-quote from my favorite Inquirer story this week, found here
Speaking of the Inky, our good friend Dan Deluca reported back from SXSW with news that Philly’s Low Cut Connie hung at the Swing House Patio with an “exec from Sire Records,” eyeballing the band’s upcoming album for release. Sire must love Philly. Those with long memories like mine will remember that I had a 2 a.m. dinner with Sire pres Seymour Stein and Philly’s electro-rappers Spank Rock and Amanda Blank with Stein way interested in signing Spank’s crew.
Netflix is set to get a taste of Broomall, PA now that local native Marta Kauffman (Friends) brings her Grace & Frankie comedy to the internetwork starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. Look for a late 2014 start date.
WHOWHATWHERE: When Arcade Fire wasn’t busy covering Boyz II Men hits during their big show at the Wells Fargo Center, they were hanging tough with the WFC’s staff as well as top notch peeps from Aramark and Global Spectrum. Want more backstage action? While Ellie Goulding held court backstage for industry types after her sold out Liacorous Center show, Goulding’s opening act Conway strolled along the Liacouras’ concourse, posing with fans. In-between sets during Robin Thicke’s Susquehanna Bank Center show in Camden, opening act/soul star K. Michelle held a private meet-n-greet backstage. French chefs hang together don’t you know. I say this because I stopped in for a lovely dinner at Patrice Rames’ Bistro St. Tropez the other night and who was there, sitting with Tropez’s chef/owner, but Le Bec Fin’s legendary Georges Perrier. Ooh la la. After that Marsha Ambrosius concert at TLA that I mentioned earlier, Ambrosius and her show's surprise guest, Ms. Patti Labelle, both showed up at the BigScott afterparty at Ms. Tootsie's, down the block on South Street. When Marlan Wayans stopped by the Riverview Theater in South Philly to pre-premiere A Haunted House 2, the young Wayans got a visit from news anchor and occasional actor, Uke Washington. Speaking of anchors, Jon Leiberman, of Howard (Stern) 100 News signed copies of his Whitey Bulger book, Whitey On Trial while reading and hanging at Barnes & Noble on Walnut Street the other night. When it comes to hanging out at radio stations, it was a meeting of the minds when Kesington Kross hung with Mina Say What in the studio during a visit to Power 99 in Bala. Last weekend, David Braverman and Kyber Bernstein, owners of Lit Ultra Bar celebrated their annual White Party, Lit’s second year anniversary, and the beginning of its Bi-Sundown Sunday bash all at one time last Saturday into Sunday. Lastly, I’d like to say goodnight to Scott Ashton, the drummer of The Stooges who passed away this week. He’s not a Philadelphian, just a longtime favorite and will be missed.
