http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/chuck_darrow RSS Feed for DN Col Chuck Darrow en-us Sat, 21 Apr 2012 03:29:14 GMT 2012-04-21T03:29:14Z en-us http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/chuck_darrow/20120420_Ron_Wood_can_do_Atlantic_City_solo_gig.html WE WERE instructed by his people not to ask any questions about the Rolling Stones or Sally Humphreys, his new, younger-by-three-decades girlfriend. But hey, those subjects were not why Ronnie Wood agreed to chat up the Daily News in the first place. Instead, the veteran guitarist, who just last weekend was inducted into the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the British rock band Faces, called to gab about his Saturday-night set at Golden Nugget Atlantic City. Sat, 21 Apr 2012 03:29:14 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/chuck_darrow/20120420_Ron_Wood_can_do_Atlantic_City_solo_gig.html 2012-04-21T03:29:14Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/chuck_darrow/20120416_From_the_beginning_with_Greg_Lake.html HAVE A QUESTION you’re dying to ask singer-songwriter/progressive-rock titan Greg Lake? Well, your chance to do so is nigh. Thursday, Lake brings his one-man show, “Songs of a Lifetime,” to Glenside’s Keswick Theatre. Although the meat of the program is a survey of the 64-year-old Englishman’s musical output, the audience will play a large role in the proceedings. Mon, 16 Apr 2012 20:54:09 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/chuck_darrow/20120416_From_the_beginning_with_Greg_Lake.html 2012-04-16T20:54:09Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/chuck_darrow/20120328_Statistics_about_the_new_Revel_casino-hotel.html Fact and figures about the Revel casino. Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:56:44 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/chuck_darrow/20120328_Statistics_about_the_new_Revel_casino-hotel.html 2012-03-28T15:56:44Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/chuck_darrow/20120328_.html KEVIN DESANCTIS may have supervised the creation of a tall building, but he can't leap it in a single bound. Nor does he wear blue leotards and a red cape with a giant yellow "S" on it. Nonetheless, there are those in Atlantic City who view the low-key, 59-year-old gaming-industry vet as Superman. For just like Clark Kent's superhero alter ego, DeSanctis is, they conclude, the savior of his adopted hometown. Wed, 28 Mar 2012 21:51:28 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/chuck_darrow/20120328_.html 2012-03-28T21:51:28Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/chuck_darrow/20120327__West_Side_Story_s__first_Riff.html SOMETIME around 10 p.m. Tuesday at the Academy of Music, the Philadelphia debut of the latest iteration of "West Side Story," which runs through April 8, will conclude with a reprise of "Somewhere." At this point, the audience will no doubt rise to its feet and reward the cast with a loud and appreciative ovation. But no matter how enthusiastic the crowd's response may be, it probably won't match that of those at Washington, D.C.'s National Theatre on Aug. 19, 1957. "We got like 15 curtain calls," recalled Michael Callan, 77, of the night the groundbreaking contemporary adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" had its pre-Broadway premiere. As the actor portraying Riff, the "commander" of the American street gang, the Jets, Callan was one of the recipients of that unforgettable roar of approval. Tue, 27 Mar 2012 21:12:55 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/chuck_darrow/20120327__West_Side_Story_s__first_Riff.html 2012-03-27T21:12:55Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/chuck_darrow/20120327_.html THE "WEST Side Story" that checks into the Academy of Music on Tuesday is unlike any production of the iconic musical ever seen in this area. It's based on the 2009 revival directed by Arthur Laurents, who wrote the show's book, and the differences will be noted almost immediately by those who have seen previous versions of the set-in-1950s-New York adaptation of "Romeo and Juliet." Instead of the opening ballet-inflected dance to "Prologue," the members of the working-class street gang the Jets simply walk onstage and glare at the audience. "I felt the gangs in the original production were sweet little things," Laurents said in an interview distributed by the company producing the show's current tour. "And the truth is, they're all killers - every one of them. I wanted to do a much tougher 'West Side Story.'?" Laurents died last May at 93. Tue, 27 Mar 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/chuck_darrow/20120327_.html 2012-03-27T07:00:00Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/chuck_darrow/20120326_E_Street_Band_s_Max_Weinberg_to_speak_at_National_Museum_of_Jewish_History.html WE LIKE TO picture our rock stars spending their tour off-days engaging in various manifestations of debauchery. But if you're Max Weinberg, you're spending your Tuesday night in Philly in a most un-debauched manner. Tue, 27 Mar 2012 00:50:08 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/chuck_darrow/20120326_E_Street_Band_s_Max_Weinberg_to_speak_at_National_Museum_of_Jewish_History.html 2012-03-27T00:50:08Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/chuck_darrow/20120321_Revel_casino_poised_to_breathe_new_life_into_A_C_.html Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:20:06 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/chuck_darrow/20120321_Revel_casino_poised_to_breathe_new_life_into_A_C_.html 2012-03-21T21:20:06Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/chuck_darrow/20110903_CasiNotes__Christie__Come_on_back.html POINT PLEASANT, N.J. - Get the hell back on the beach! A week after telling people - in some not-very-subtle terms - to leave the shore as Hurricane Irene swirled up the coast, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie yesterday encouraged people to head back to the boardwalk with open wallets. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 07:01:00 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/chuck_darrow/20110903_CasiNotes__Christie__Come_on_back.html 2011-09-03T07:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/chuck_darrow/20110722_CasiNotes__Mountain_casino_a_winning_alternative_to_shore_resorts.html TALK ABOUT "out of sight, out of mind." Because it's tucked away off Route 611 high in the Pocono Mountains some 110 miles north of Philly, Mount Airy Casino Resort doesn't always enter the discussion when the subject is eastern Pennsylvania gambling halls. Fri, 22 Jul 2011 07:01:00 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/chuck_darrow/20110722_CasiNotes__Mountain_casino_a_winning_alternative_to_shore_resorts.html 2011-07-22T07:01:00Z