A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION The Westfield Leader and THE TIMES of Scotch Plains – Fanwood Thursday, Date, 1999 Page 23
CYAN YELLOW MAGENTA BLACK
Arts and Entertainment Arts and Entertainment Arts and Entertainment Arts and Entertainment Arts and Entertainment
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RATING:
Highest possible rating: 4 chef hats Tarantella's Restaurant
1199 Raritan Road, Clark 07066, (732) 396-3700
POSING WITH PIPPIN… The Cranford Dramatic Club will present a final weekend of its musical production, Pippin, on Friday and Saturday, May 21 and May 22, at 8 p. m. Tickets are $15 and may be reserved by calling (908) 276- 7611. Busy rehearsing are Matthew Price as Pippin and Janice Lynn as Fastrada, his step- mother. Ms. Lynn is also the choreographer of the production.
Period Music to be Performed Period Music to be Performed Period Music to be Performed Period Music to be Performed Period Music to be Performed At Madrigal Singers Concert At Madrigal Singers Concert At Madrigal Singers Concert At Madrigal Singers Concert At Madrigal Singers Concert
MILLBURN – The Madrigal Singers will present "Expressions of Love: Sacred and Secular," a program of a cappella motets and madrigals mostly from the European Renaissance on Sunday, May 23, at St. Stephen's Church, 119 Main Street, Millburn at 4 p. m.
Poetry selections, which will introduce each song, will be read by Scotch Plains resident Judy Sullivan.
The concert will feature an old English carol, "Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day," motets by Byrd, Brahms and Bruckner and other religious hymns.
The Madrigal Singers, which has been in existence since 1948, is
comprised of members from many communities in Northern New Jersey. The group has shared its music with audiences from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard.
The concert will feature the voices of Allen Artz, Martha Desmond, Simona Dumitrescu, Peter Dykema, David Fedor, Margaret Gooding of Fanwood, Pamela Johnson of Scotch Plains, David Lawrence, Wendy Talmont Lega, Jennifer Melick, Laura Nichols, Tom Reingold, Sara Riffel, Kirk Robbins of Fanwood, George Stralkus and Margaret Thompson of Mountainside.
Admission is available by donations at the door of the church.
S SS SST TT TTA AA AATE TE TE TE TE OF OF OF OF OF THE THE THE THE THE A A A A AR RR RRT TT TT Art Art Art Art Art
Exhibit: "Places Near & Far" by Cheryl O'Halloran McLeod at The Children's Specialized Hospital in Mountainside through May 30.
Exhibit: "Full Exposure: Contemporary Photography" at the New Jersey Center for Visual Arts in Summit from May 7 to June 20.
Art Show: New Jersey Center for Visual Arts will present its Annual Outdoor Art Show and Sale on Saturday, May 22, from 10 a. m. to 5 p. m. on The Green at Broad Street in Summit.
Theatr Theatr Theatr Theatr Theatre ee ee
Run For Your Wife to be performed on Saturday, May 15, to May 22 by the Westfield Community Players at 1000 North Avenue in Westfield at 8 p. m. Tickets are $12.
Literatur Literatur Literatur Literatur Literature ee ee
Story Hour 60th Anniversary Celebration
of "Madeline," "Mulligan and His Steam Shovel," and "Rudolph the Red- Nosed Reindeer" today, Thursday, May 20, at 7 p. m. at Barnes & Noble in Clark.
Book Signing with J. J. Lair, author of "Dear Pen Pal" on Friday, May 21, at 7: 30 p. m. at Barnes & Noble in Clark.
Music Music Music Music Music
The Crossroads will welcome Splooge tonight, Thursday, May 20.
Music For Children program with Director Nancy Gruskin on Saturday, May 22, at 2 p. m. at Barnes & Noble in Clark.
Showcase of the Arts: "The Arts - A Woman's Perspective" will be held on Sunday, May 23, at 8 p. m. at the Summit Playhouse, 20 New England Avenue, in Summit for $15. The event will feature art, dance, music, theatre and more. For information, please call (908) 464- 5260.
Mixed Bag: Mixed Bag: Mixed Bag: Mixed Bag: Mixed Bag:
Crazy For You at the Paper Mill Playhouse through Sunday, May 30, and a Singles Night this evening, Thursday, May 20. For more information, please call (973) 376- 4343.
George Street Playhouse will feature its 25th Anniversary Gala Benefit on Sunday, May 23, at the Hyatt Regency in New Brunswick. The evening will include Jerry Stiller, Anne Meara, Rita Moreno, and more. For information, please call (732) 846- 2895, Extension No. 144.
Instumental Concert at Franklin Elementary School in Westfield on Monday, May 24, at 7:30 p.m.
Band and Vocal Concert at McKinley Elementary School in Westfield on Tuesday, May 25, at 7: 30 p. m.
Band and Vocal Concert at Washington Elementary School in Westfield on Thursday, May 27, at 7: 30 p. m.
Fine Art & Craft Show on Saturday and Sunday, June 5 and June 6, from 10 a. m. to 5 p. m. at Nomahegan Park, Springfield Avenue, in Cranford. Admission is free.
Strauss' Rosenkavalier Concert
on Thursday, May 20, at 8 p. m. at State Theatre in New Brunswick; Friday, May 21, at 8 p. m. in Prudential Hall at the NJPAC; Saturday, May 22, at 8 p. m. at the War Memorial in Trenton; and Sunday, May 2, at p. m. in Prudential Hall at the NJPAC. Tickets are $12 to $49.
NJPAC will welcome Mandy Patinkin in concert on Saturday, May 22; Soweto Street Beat on May 22; Dance Jam for children on Sunday, May 2; and United Way Showcase on Thursday, May 27. For details, please call 1- 888- GONJPAC.
The Watchung Arts Center will present its Jazz Series with Frank Vignola and Peter Ecklund on Thursday, May 20, at 8 p. m.; a Blues Series: Booglizers on Friday, May 21, at 8 p. m.; and a comedy program, "Three Great Comics" on Saturday, May 2, at 8 p. m.
Waterloo Foundation for the Arts, Inc. will hold a Spring Garden Workshop on Sunday, May 2, from 11: 30 a. m. to 2: 30 p. m. at Waterloo Village, Waterloo Road, in Stanhope. Please call (973) 347- 0900 for reservations. The lecture will include general admission and lunch.
One Popcorn, Poor • Two Popcorns, Fair • Three Popcorns, Good • Four Popcorns, Excellent
By Michael S. Goldberger
POPCORN POPCORN POPCORN POPCORN POPCORN ™
2 popcorns
Writer-director Stephen Sommers's overlong Mummy has an identity crisis.
Uninterested in being a serious hom- age to the original horror movie and hardly clever enough to be a true parody of the genre, the special effects-laden misfire is a bargain basement version of Raiders of The Lost Ark. A lackluster script and cartoonish acting render the action-stuffed melange strictly second rate.
A resurrected mummy as the object of horror? It worked in the 1932 classic with Boris Karloff. Imhotep, an Egyp- tian high priest who lived in the city of Hamunaptra over 3,000 years ago, falls for the beautiful princess, Anck-Su- Namun, and kills the pharaoh. Natu- rally, the royal henchmen must repay the assassin for his zeal. So they mummify him alive, garnishing their handiwork by loading up the coffin with several thou- sand scarab beetles.
A generally capable actor, Brendan Fraser gives it the old college try as the jodhpur-wearing hero, Rick O'Connell. But Mr. Fraser's George Of The Jungle/ Encino Man mugging doesn't work in manly Harrison Ford territory.
His Foreign Legion soldier-turned- treasure hunter at the behest of the per- functory love interest, British librarian Evelyn Carnarvan (Rachel Weisz), is relegated to a series of unrelated wise- cracks as he fights the immortal enemy, a disgusting array of gruesome ghouls with levels of indestructibility.
Rachel Weisz is less successful in her portrayal. Annoying in speech and man- ner, orphan Evelyn pursues a repartee with the heroic lead. You know the age- old drill. They chide each other through- out the adventure until sweet amour finds its way into their bickering.
Miss Weisz's repetitive harangues suggest a fishwife-in-training. The sce- nic background, real as well as beauti- fully computer-enhanced, is entirely
English Patient, but Rick and Evelyn are something out of the contemporary sub-
The Mummy
Won't Enrapture You
urbs — trading insults like two spoiled adolescents.
Along for the ride is John Hannah as Evelyn's tippling brother, Jonathan, a ne'er-do-well fop of the English board- ing school variety whose case of arrested development is supposed to be comical.
Also aboard is Kevin J. O'Connor as sniveling Beni, a traitorous coward who winds up as the mummy's valet once the Evil One begins strutting his stuff, which includes the plagues we saw Moses perpe- trate in the captivity tale: locust, fire, frogs, etc. But for all of the destruction, hardly anything approximates the effect of the scarab beetles Imhotep brings with him.
And then there's the matter of the mummy himself, portrayed by Arnold Vosloo. While it would be outright her- esy to seriously believe someone could ever fill Boris Karloff's sarcophagus, Mr. Vosloo is not without his frightening moments. Yet there is no romantic sad- ness here or melancholia to betray the mummy's rampage.
As dictated by the lore, he more or less goes through the perversely rejuvenating motions. This includes harvesting vital innards for himself and his princess from a cast of Arabs and cowboys.
Shooting for his 15 minutes of fame, Vosloo's pre-millennium mummy is a preening sort——more like a glowering professional wrestler than a fiendish lover risen from the underworld.
Don't let my meager attempt at levity give you the idea that The Mummy has its humorously redeeming points. Truth be told, it's much more fun writing about the movie than seeing it.
But no matter what movie magic film- maker Sommers uses to wrap his mon- ster mishmash in, there's no bandage big enough to cover this Mummy's boo-boos.
* * * * *
The Mummy, rated PG-13, is a Univer- sal Pictures release directed by Stephen Sommers and stars Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz and Arnold Vosloo. Run- ning time: 135 minutes
Sidewalk Art Show and Sale Sidewalk Art Show and Sale Sidewalk Art Show and Sale Sidewalk Art Show and Sale Sidewalk Art Show and Sale Slated By Art Association Slated By Art Association Slated By Art Association Slated By Art Association Slated By Art Association
WESTFIELD – The Westfield Art Association will hold its annual Sidewalk Art Show and Sale on
Saturday, May 22, from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. on East Broad Street at Mindowaskin Park.
The raindate will be Saturday, May 29.
Exhibiting artists will present original work in a variety of media: oil painting, watercolor, drawings, sculpture, prints and mixed media.
The event provides an occasion to meet the artists on an informal basis and to learn more about the process of creating art.
For more information on the show and sale and membership, please call (908) 232- 3381.
Choir Festival Planned At Presbyterian Church
tor and clinician from Florida State University, will conduct this concert of more than 170 voices.
"Singing the Faith," the theme of the Festival, will include sacred music of styles from Mendelssohn to a contemporary gospel piece by Keith Hampton.
Annette White, organist of the Presbyterian Church in Westfield, will accompany the choir as organist. A brass quartet and timpani will also be featured.
This will be the first time a concert of this kind is sponsored by the Presbytery, which includes 52 churches in Union, Middlesex, Somerset and Hunterdon counties.
The public is invited to attend. No tickets are necessary. A free- will offering will be accepted. For further information, please call Mary Lou Stevens at (908) 953- 9809.
WESTFIELD – Choir members from 17 Presbyterian churches of the Elizabeth Presbytery will participate in a Choir Festival on Sunday, May 23, at 7 p. m. in the sanctuary of the Presbyterian Church in Westfield.
Dr. André J. Thomas, conducDr.
André Thomas
Terrill School Bands Plan Spring Concert SCOTCH PLAINS – On Tuesday, May 25, the bands of Terrill Middle School in Scotch Plains, will present their annual Spring Concert.
Two hundred Terrill musicians will perform, including the 100- member Concert Band, the Wind Ensemble and the Sixth- Grade Band.
During the concert, two seventh- grade students will be honored with Ferro Scholarships enabling them to pursue a special musical interest.
The Terrill bands are under the direction of Glenn Van Benschoten.
Admission is $2 at the door; students for $1, senior citizens and children under five are free.
Sacred Music Series Continues Sacred Music Series Continues Sacred Music Series Continues Sacred Music Series Continues Sacred Music Series Continues At Holy Trinity With Concert At Holy Trinity With Concert At Holy Trinity With Concert At Holy Trinity With Concert At Holy Trinity With Concert
WESTFIELD – The final program for the season in the concert series "Sacred Music at Holy Trinity" will be held at the Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church in Westfield this Saturday, May 22, at 8 p. m.
Entitled "Songs of Mary: A Choral Concert," the program will be presented by the Holy Trinity Choir with soloists and instrumental ensemble.
The concert will consist of musical settings of texts in honor of the Virgin Mary. The choir will perform "Ave Maria" by Tomás Luis
de Victoria; the "Magnificat," by Vivaldi; "The Marienlieder" by Brahms; "The Litaniae de Beata Virgine" by Mozart, and "Song of Mary: Magnificat" by SchulzWidmar.
Soloists will include Kathy Anton, Claire Criscuolo, Louis Francz, Helen Hynes, Bob Laudati, Tom Schaefer, Marilyn Spesak, and George Stralkus.
Rives Cassel, Director of Music/ Organist for the parish, will conduct the program.
The public is invited to attend this free concert.
Please send all Arts & Entertainment
Press Releases to: michelle@ goleader. com
Tarantella's Restaurant in Clark creates Italian dishes that are just the way your mother would cook them – with old world style, fresh, with the fin- est herbs and in- gredients, and ro- bust with authen- tic Italian flavor. And there's often a line at the door or a list of reserva- tions to prove the restaurant's popu- larity.
The wait staff is thoroughly atten- tive to every need – beverages are always supplied and when you ask for extra sauce or "piping hot" tem- perature for your meal, you are never let down.
In fact, the staff is punctual, polite, and crisply dressed. Rarely do you find yourself searching out a waiter or waitress for extra attention.
The Gorgonzola Salad is beyond a must. Heaps of tangy gorgonzola are nestled in a plate of fresh romaine lettuce. No wilted, limp lettuce here. Tomatoes, broccoli, black olives, and red onions also accompany the dish. But, perhaps one of the most unique aspects of the dish is an abundance of artichokes which add a special touch. A blend of red wine vinegar, garlic, and olive oil swirl through the let- tuce for a common, yet delicious dressing.
Tarantella's also features a House Salad which is tossed with chunks of garlic, a Caesar Salad and Caesar Salad Supreme which includes moz- zarella, tomato, red onion and black olives.
All salads range from 3.95 to $4.95 for a piccola or small to $5.95 or $6.95 for a regular portion.
Traditional pasta dishes such as Spaghetti, Ravioli and Manicotti are splashed with your choice of pomodoro, marinara, or meat sauce. Baked Ziti, Lasagna, Cavatelli & Broccoli, Eggplant Parmigiana and Eggplant Rollatine are also special features. Though these dishes are traditional, they are certainly not ho- hum boring in flavor.
Prices for these dishes range from $4.95 to $6.95 for the piccola and $6.95 to $8.95 for the regular. Very reasonable for such ample portions.
One of the prize dishes at Tarantella's is the Linguine with Clam Sauce or Vongola, which can be ordered with a chunky pomodoro red sauce or traditional white. Both are impeccable. Both will not leave you hungry. In fact, the piccola por- tion is rather large and very satisfy- ing.
Fresh basil dances atop a heaping portion of luscious linguine and large
clams are abundant. Where most res- taurants make the clam a gar- nish in this dish, Ta r a n t e l l a 's makes their clams the center- piece, which is exactly as it should be.
There is a bevy of choices in this Sauteed Pasta sec- tion – including Primavera with sea- sonal vegetables, Veneto with cannellini beans and fresh spinach, and San Marino with shrimp, broc- coli and pomodoro sauce. These are just a few of the dishes, which are available for $6.95 to $8.95 for piccola and $8.95 to $10.95 for regular.
Special ravioli dishes are also fea- tured for $7.95 to $10.95. The Lob- ster Ravioli is flawless with fresh mozzarella and tomatoes. Sundried Tomato Ravioli with artichokes, mushrooms, and a rich pink sauce and Spinach Ravioli with prosciutto, peas and cream sauce are also musts.
Shrimp Marinara may be served with marinara sauce or fra diavolo sauce. The latter can be slightly too scorching, but the marinara is al- ways just right. The shrimp size is ample, but they could be a little larger.
The dessert menu continuously features rich and mouthwatering dishes such as their cannoli and tiramisu. Although the cannoli does not seem to be freshly filled and the shell has a tendency to be a bit soggy.
Tarantella's also offers an incred- ible array of pizzas from Traditional, with their special homemade sauce, to Papa Mo with honey mustard chicken, roasted peppers and mush- rooms.
Other original pizza pies include Fra Diavolo with hot cherry peppers and hot sausage, Hawaiian with ricotta white sauce, ham and pine- apple, and Farmer with barbequed chicken, red onions and spinach.
All pies range from $5.95 to $8.95 for a small, individual size to the 18- inch pie with a $9.95 to $13.95 price range.
Thin crusts and flowing, fresh cheese and sauce are always offered with priority and care in the pizza pies. Tarantella's does not scrimp and save on these masterpieces – mini individual or lavish and large.
When you come to Tarantella's, there is no need to dress in formal attire. Everyone and everything is casual here, but there is a unique kind of elegance which is all its own.
Never pricey in nature and always satisfying. The parking can be a bit of a challenge, but this is more of a tribute to the restaurant's popular nature.
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