It was my first time at Parx casino in Bensalem. Couldn't wait to see Joe Conklin again. I love him in the mornings on WIP with the great Angelo Cataldi. And I've seen Joe a few times with Big Daddy graham in their "Two Funny Philly Guys" show.
So I was disappointed to find out that Joe wasn't there last night. He's on vacation, which is cool but there was no prior indication that he wasn't going to appear. In fact, his Twitter account sent a tweet about the show that afternoon.
Whatever, as I was there to see Conklin, but more so his special guest at his weekly comedy show- the legendary Willie Tyler & Lester.
Willie is 77 now. He has been a master ventriloquist since his initial appearance on TV way back in the ;late 60s on Laugh-in.I grew up with Willie Tyler & Lester. In the opening brief montage before they took the stage, it made me appreciate them even more, realizing they had been on The Jeffersons and numerous variety and talk shows for so many years. When I heard they were coming to Parx I was happily surprised as I had lost track of them over the years.
First, my impressions of Parx. The staff, from the valet guys to the waitresses ( gorgeous in Phillies jerseys and shorts) and even the security guards at the front entrance were all extremely nice. I loved the open space where the complex is located. I had been to the site in the past a long time ago. Keystone racetrack and Philadelphia Park were located on the grounds. They still have racing there certain times of the year.
Anyway, the casino is spacious and clean and has numerous machines and table games. There was a handicapped-accessible blackjack table. Since it was a midweek evening in summer it wasn't crowded at all.
Me and my girlfriend ate at Chickie & Petes and enjoyed cheese steaks and crab fries. The lay-out is nice as all the restaurants and entertainment venues- the Event Center for the bigger shows, and the 360 Lounge where we were heading, are on the same floor as the casino. Very convenient and well-planned.
We played a little Joker Poker before the show. We lost but it was fun. As usual, not enough jokers appeared.
We headed to the small venue around 7:30 for the 8:00 show, as tickets were all general admission so we wanted to get a good spot so we could see the stage.
A really nice guy introduced himself when we went up the ramp, a burly fellow named Mike Baldini. He said he ran the show and the club and worked for the casino. He got us a table near the front.
For a $20 ticket, a free drink was included so it was a good deal for a fun night of entertainment and to be so close.
We met one of the comics to perform before the show, a female comic named Maureen from New York City. She was nice and wanted to warn me that some of her material included jokes about the disabled and specifically about the late Stephen Hawking and the fact he left his wife a tone time. I reassured her that no offense was intended. We gotta laugh, especially in these tough times.
So, Mike warmed up the gathering crowd, the audience mostly older. There was a group there from WHAT-AM and an afternoon talks how host did a not-too-funny few minutes on stage. I don't listen to WHAT so I really didn't know who the hell he was or didn't care.
The first comic was a guy form King of Prussia who looked like Ben Stiller. He was good. Right away i could tell that the crowd wasn't into it. Maybe many were disappointed that Conklin wasn't there. In fact one guy near the stage looked sour and told the MC Baldini that he was disappointed . Baldini said he would "take care" of the disgruntled guy, with a "gift card and a broad."
Maureen came on next and frankly, tanked. She got a few laughs but a lot of silence too. She did her Stephen Hawking joke she had warned me about and he was received with lukewarm response. It probably wasn't worth the drive down from New York.
Then came the iconic Willie Tyler & Lester. Willie may not be a spring chicken anymore, but he looked good, all dapperin a navy blue pin-striped suit. When he arrived before the show, checking out the stage area, he brought a bright yellow suitcase with him. Had to be Lester in there.
The gags were cute and corny, but there was something refreshing in hearing clean jokes instead of the garbage out nowadays. After a few moments I was transfixed on Lester. Willie is so good a throwing his voice, I thought Lester was really talking ( he had his own mic). Lester's gestures were cool too, from his arm-raising to turning his head completely around like in "The Exorcist."
Four songs were included in the roughly 20-minute act, and Willie has a powerful voice for his age, both as himself and as Lester. Of course, he did a few routines which showed off his peculiar skills, and it was hard to tell if he was moving his lips at all. I kept watching his throat to be honest, still amazed.
The cutest part of the show was when Willie called a girl up on stage to be Lester's arms and hands ( by putting her arms inside Lester's jacket- which he said he bought at Costco). That was a lot of fun.
Overall, it was a fun night of entertainment. Yes, I was disappointed no Conklin but I would go back if another interesting headliner was on the bill.
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