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Youth & the Arts

Dinner & a Show: Make it a Date- for Your Whole Family!

By Katie Jillions and Juliet Piccone

Philadelphia is a great place to see a show with your entire family, but why just go for a show? Make a night out of it! Take your kids out to dinner and a show and make a trip to a favorite ice cream parlor afterwards. Many restaurants and theatres in the city are within walking distance of each other, so pick a Friday night once a month and make it a date! (We suggest the first Friday of the month. All of the galleries are open on the first Friday, and local artists line the streets with artwork. Even with no prospect in buying, the artwork helps make walking to different places entertaining.) Every month, we will suggest a combination of restaurants, shows, and ice cream parlors for your dates that are all relatively close to each other.

The twenty blocks to the Arden Theatre was a quick car ride, but would also be a very easy and pleasant walk, weather permitting. The Arden Theatre is not your typical theatre with a stage and stadium seating, it is an amphitheatre, making it great for children’s shows. The Dinosaur Musical was very well done. The amazing cast and set helped the kids relate to the performance. The costumes were very clever. Instead of having each of actors in full costumes, each member of the cast had a dinosaur head piece and a matching tail. The musical score was impressive, but the power and emotion the actors put into their songs added to the excitement. It was interesting to see how each actor took on the role of their dinosaur. Each actor had their own distinct characteristic, whether it was the way they walked, their voice or their energy. Each cast member of the cast took the time to make their part their own and showed their personality through the dinosaur. The cast did a phenomenal job of bringing the dinosaurs to life.

The set was interesting too. As soon as you walk into the theatre you feel as if you took a trip to pre-historic times. The sound and lighting crew created a jungle atmosphere, with animal noises and dimmed lights. The actual set was quite simple. It consisted of a volcano that looked as if it was going to erupt, palm trees and vines. Amelia and Tommy, two 7-year-old students at Our Lady of Good Counsel, wondered what the set was made out of, in particular the palm trees. The set remained the same throughout the whole musical, with a few minor changes. The actors and actresses told the story of the dinosaurs after the meteor through dialogue, song, and dance, all while being dressed in brightly colored clothing, a tail, and coordinating headpiece. The plot gave a new twist to how the dinosaurs became extinct. After a meteor hits, the characters struggle for survival and fight for peace. Director Whit MacLaughlin said, “It’s a mixing of hard-boiled 40’s-movie characters with a ‘Parent Trap’ love story, all dressed up as a science project.” After the finale, the audience had an opportunity to ask the cast and crew questions. After all of the children’s questions were answered, the audience was dismissed to the lobby, where we had a chance to take pictures and talk one-on-one with the members of the cast.

The night would not have been complete without a nice sweet dessert. A quick two block walk landed us at the “Franklin Fountain,” an old fashioned ice cream parlor and soda fountain furnished just as Ben Franklin would have had it. The original interior design included pressed tin ceilings, one-motor fans, an original marble serving bar, and fold out stools. Several old fashioned tables and chairs accented the décor and the coat rack with hat and umbrella completed the look. The “Franklin Fountain” is the perfect spot for a family or a couple and is conveniently located amidst theatres and galleries.

Katie Jillions is a Sophomore at Holy Cross High School. Juliet Piccone is a Sophomore at Moorestown High School.

Extra

This month, we chose “The Spaghetti Warehouse” on Spring Garden Street. (You can’t miss this block-long restaurant and its huge green, neon sign) Originally built in the early nineteenth century, this building was an indoor farmers’ market. By the early 1900s tires were being sold instead of fruits and vegetables, yet that soon changed. In the 1940s the building was the home of a night club. When it opened in 1970s as “The Spaghetti Warehouse,” the owner purchased two-million dollars worth of antiques for this and other restaurants. In its lobby, you can see the old bank teller’s corner station, the telephone operator’s equipment, old barber chairs, and many old bottles on the bar. Throughout the restaurant there are many old signs, but one of the most interesting points of the décor was the San Francisco trolley that you can dine in. ‘Dinosaur-sized’ meatballs were included on the full Italian menu that included chicken and seafood. The owner Neil keeps the restaurant running smoothly, and the serving staff is efficient, pleasant, and quick. (Prices are also relatively low; the most expensive entrees are just over $15)