{"id":28082,"date":"2018-04-07T08:19:31","date_gmt":"2018-04-07T12:19:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=28082"},"modified":"2018-04-07T08:19:36","modified_gmt":"2018-04-07T12:19:36","slug":"on-stage-craig-robinson-headlines-at-parx","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=28082","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Craig Robinson headlines at Parx"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, Entertainment Editor, The Times<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Craig Robinson<\/p><\/div>\n

For comedian and actors \u2013 especially comedians \u2013 timing plays a big role in the overall scheme of things.<\/p>\n

Both need the timing to be in the right place at the right time as their careers evolve. Comedians also need timing on stage \u2013 knowing how to maximize moments to make people laugh.<\/p>\n

Craig Robinson, who will perform on April 7 at the Xcite Center at Parx Casino (2999 Street Road, Bensalem, 888-588-7279, https:\/\/parxcasino.com<\/a>) as \u201cCraig Robinson & the Nasty Delicious,\u201d has shown the knack for good timing.<\/p>\n

When the television comedy \u201cThe Office\u201d took off about 10 years ago, Robinson was onboard \u2013 making people laugh in his role as Darryl Philbin.<\/p>\n

Robinson has also performed in more than 30 movies since 2001 including starring roles on \u201cKnocked Up,\u201d \u201cThis is the End,\u201d \u201cThe Hot Tub Time Machine\u201d series, and \u201cMorris from America\u201d (for which he won a Special Grand Jury prize for acting at Sundance in 2016).<\/p>\n

And then there is \u201cGhosted,\u201d an American supernatural sitcom that premiered on Fox on October 1, 2017. Robinson plays the role of Leroy and also is one of the show\u2019s executive producers.<\/p>\n

In addition to being a well-respected actor, Robinson is also a highly-acclaimed comedian.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had a long career in entertainment and stand-up has always been a part of it,\u201d said Robinson, during a phone interview last week from his home in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

\u201cI start a stand-up tour in a week and I\u2019ll be performing every other week throughout the summer. Even when I\u2019m shooting, I like to go out and get up onstage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was in college at Illinois State University, I got the bug to do comedy. I was the night manager at the residence hall. I\u2019d just trip out and trip people out. People came back with my bits.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was playing music in college. I majored in music, but comedy took over. I taught K-8 in Chicago schools. I incorporated comedy into teaching and used the students as my audience.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter I graduated, I started taking acting classes. I spent two years with the Second City Theater in Chicago. I felt that sitcom would be a natural thing. So, I came to L.A.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like all good comedians, Robinson knows how to adapt his show to the audience in front of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe show depends on the audience and the connection,\u201d said Robinson. \u201cThe dream would be to do a totally improvised show.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have my routine \u2013 but I also work the crowd. There is always new stuff I\u2019m working on. When it\u2019s time, I use it on stage. It\u2019s add-and-subtract.\u201d<\/p>\n

For his Philly area show, Robinson will also be performing with his band \u2013 The Nasty Delicious.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople who come to my show there will be laughing \u2013 and they\u2019ll be singing and dancing and having fun,\u201d said Robinson. \u201cI\u2019ll have The Nasty Delicious with me, so you can expect some rocking funk music \u2013 a lot of funk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fun and funk \u2013 that\u2019s a hard combination to beat.<\/p>\n

Video link for Craig Robinson \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/A44F9kMA_h4<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the Xcite Center at Parx Casino on April 7 will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35, $45 and $55.<\/p>\n

Some rock acts from the past made pop music that was truly timeless. A shining example is the Everly Brothers.<\/p>\n

The brothers — Don and Phil Everly — had their own style of country-influenced rock that featured the kind of tight harmonies that only brothers can produce.<\/p>\n

The Everly Brothers made their last recording as a duo in 1998. On January 3, 2014, Phil Everly died of lung cancer — 16 days before his 75th birthday. Don, 81, is living in Nashville.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Everly Brothers Experience<\/p><\/div>\n

Fortunately, there is another pair of brothers intent on keeping the Everly Brothers\u2019 music alive — Dylan and Zachary Zmed. Using the name Bird Dogs, the Zmed Brothers are on the road constantly — touring with their \u201cEverly Brothers Experience\u201d show.<\/p>\n

The tour will bring them to the area on April 8 for a show at the American Music Theatre (2425 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster, 800-0 648-4102, www.AMTshows.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Fans of musical theater may recognize the name Zmed.<\/p>\n

The boys\u2019 father is Adrian Zmed, a noted movie, television and stage actor. He is most known for playing Danny Zuko in \u201cGrease\u201d — on Broadway and on several National Tours.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy brother and I grew up together and we always sang with each other,\u201d said Dylan Zmed, during a phone interview Friday evening as he travelled from Shelby, North Carolina to a gig in Virginia.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad was an actor. With \u2018Grease,\u2019 we got exposed to that era of music. At a young age, we got very moved by it. Seven years ago, we started singing as a duo and trying to figure out which music would be best for brothers\u2019 harmony.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe thought about Simon and Garfunkel and the Beatles and then realized they all had the Everly Brothers as their big influence. We realized there was something special about the Everly Brothers.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother reason we wanted to do the Everly Brothers — we\u2019re in our late 20s and most people our age don\u2019t know who the Everly Brothers are. But, if you play them a song by the Everly Brothers, they recognize it. We feel a sense of responsibility to keep the music alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

The young Zmeds are old rock-and-rollers at heart.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth our mom and our dad were always into the era\u00a0of music — the Everly Brothers, Eddie Cochran, Bill Haley & the Comets, Little Richard, Chuck Berry,\u201d said Zmed, who grew up with his family in the Los Angeles area.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy brother had a band and I joined right after I got out of college. About four years ago, we started focusing on super harmonies. We played tons of bistros, wineries and bars.<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo years ago, we ended the band. We realized that no-one who was young was doing an Everly Brothers tribute. We started doing this project at the beginning of 2016 at Suncoast Casino in Vegas.<\/p>\n

\u201cResearching the Everly Brothers is a never-ending process. We\u2019re submersing ourselves in their history — lots or archive performance and interview footage. We have about 35 of their songs down. We have their big hits — and we go to the deep cuts.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery day, we\u2019re learning new things about their history. We travel and have first-hand experience with people who knew the Everly Brothers during their career.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Zmeds also went to another family that had a great influence on the Everly Brothers \u2013 the husband-and-wife team of Felice and Boudleaux Bryant.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re both dead now but we\u2019ve become friends with their son Del,\u201d said Zmed.<\/p>\n

\u201cFelice and Boudleaux Bryant wrote hundreds of songs, including \u2018Rocky Top,\u2019 the state song of Tennessee. The Everly Brothers recorded 30 of their songs \u2013 all of which charted.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also spent time in Shenandoah, Iowa where the Everly Brothers lived for a while when they were kids. We got to perform there and donate to a scholarship the Everly Brothers started there in 1986.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll that we\u2019ve been learning has informed our show. We recently put together a multi-media part to our show. We go more in depth into the history of the Everly Brothers and tell their story. We\u2019ve committed our lives to this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Bird Dogs — https:\/\/youtu.be\/rMfLbL5CgxE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Bird Dogs\u2019 \u201cEverly Brothers Experience\u201d show at the American Music Theater will start at 3 p.m. Tickets are $26.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

On Your Feet!<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cOn Your Feet!,\u201d which is a jukebox musical fueled by Latin music, is being presented now through April 15 at the Academy of Music (Broad and Locust streets, Philadelphia, 215-731-3333,www.kimmelcenter.org<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Many jukebox musicals start with the music of an artist or a genre and tie the songs together with a loosely-knit story.<\/p>\n

This is not the case with \u201cOn Your Feet!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOn Your Feet!\u201d is a jukebox musical<\/a> that played on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre<\/a>. Based on the lives and music of 26-time Grammy Award-winning husband-and-wife team Gloria<\/a> andEmilio Estefan<\/a>, the musical has a book written by Alexander Dinelaris<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The score is built around the Cuban-fusion pop music made famous by Gloria Estefan \u2013 songs such as \u201cGet on Your Feet,\u201d \u201cConga,\u201d \u201c1-2-3\u201d and \u201cRhythm Is Gonna Get You.\u201d<\/p>\n

It also features an original song called \u201cIf I Never Got to Tell You,\u201d with lyrics by Gloria Estefan and music by her daughter, Emily Estefan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Directed by two-time Tony Award\u00ae winner Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots), with choreography by Olivier Award winner Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys) and a book by Academy Award\u00ae winner Alexander Dinelaris (Birdman), this show features some of the most iconic songs of the past quarter-century.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of jukebox musicals are popular but not always great,\u201d said Debra Cardona, during a phone interview Friday from a tour stop in Chicago, Illinois.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur scriptwriter Alex Dinelaris is just wonderful. He also wrote the screenplay for \u2018Birdman.\u2019 Our show is great at integrating songs into the plot. It\u2019s the best jukebox musical for having a plot. It works really well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cardona plays one of the key roles in the show \u2013 Consuelo, who is Gloria Estefan\u2019s grandmother.<\/p>\n

Other major players are Christie Prades as Gloria, Mauricio Martinez as Emilio, Nancy Ticotin as Gloria Fajardo, Jason Martinez as Jos\u00e9 Fajardo and Amaris Sanchez as Little Gloria.<\/p>\n

\u201cI auditioned for the show exactly a year ago,\u201d said Cardona, a Nuyorican actress who last played at the Academy of Music a few years ago in the National Tour of \u201cMary Poppins.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI had just finished doing a production of \u2018In the Heights\u2019 at the Fulton Theater in Lancaster. The tour went out in September and almost the entire cast from the Broadway show continued their roles in the National Tour. Alma Cuervo, who was playing Consuelo, left the tour and they called me.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had seen the show on Broadway. And, I grew up listening to Gloria Estefan\u2019s music. That was the music I danced to went I went to clubs when I was in my twenties. Now, the Miami Sound Machine is our onstage band.\u201d<\/p>\n

While not Cuban, Cardona understands the culture of Cuba because of the similarities between Puerto Rico and Cuba.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrowing up Nuyorican helped me with the culture and the music,\u201d said Cardona. \u201cI was born in Spanish Harlem and then lived in South Bronx and Queens. The first 10 years of my life I was living in Latino neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis music brings me home. It\u2019s great to do theater that can show people where you came from \u2013 to dig back and say, \u2018this is me.\u2019 Three of my four grandparents were Puerto Rican.\u201d<\/p>\n

For decades, there have multitudes of people who shake their butts on the dance floor to \u201cConga\u201d and \u201cRhythm Is Gonna Get You\u201d yet couldn\u2019t point to Cuba on a map or tell you anything about the island country.<\/p>\n

The infectious rhythms of the Estefans\u2019 music make it so that none of that matters.<\/p>\n

\u201cGloria Estefan\u2019s music transcends cultures,\u201d said Cardona. \u201cIt appeals to everybody. Gloria and Emilio were able to cross over and prove their music was for everyone.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe audience for this show covers a wide demographic. There are tines when you know more Latinos are in the audience \u2013 especially by the response to some of the jokes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis show appeals to all ages. It transcends nationality, culture and age. It really is a show for everyone \u2013 and a show that everyone loves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for \u201cOn Your Feet\u201d \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/0O4ArwynatM<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show will run now through April 15 at the Academy of Music. Ticket prices range from $20-$140.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times For comedian and actors \u2013 especially comedians \u2013 timing plays a big role in the overall scheme of things. Both need the timing to be in the right place at the right time as their careers evolve. Comedians also need timing on stage \u2013 knowing how to maximize […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28084,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7529],"tags":[10137,10138,6518,10139],"class_list":["post-28082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-craig-robinson","tag-everly-brothers-experience","tag-featured","tag-on-your-feet"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28082","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28082"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28082\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28083,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28082\/revisions\/28083"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28082"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28082"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28082"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}