{"id":28824,"date":"2020-12-24T09:04:55","date_gmt":"2020-12-24T14:04:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/?p=28824"},"modified":"2020-12-24T09:05:05","modified_gmt":"2020-12-24T14:05:05","slug":"on-stage-sellersville-keeps-going-with-stream-shows-featuring-the-launch-this-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/?p=28824","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Sellersville keeps going with stream shows, featuring The Launch this weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, Entertainment Editor, The Times\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>This year, the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/a>) has gone through a saga that is like that of the \u201cBlack Knight.\u201d<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Black Knight\u00a0is a\u00a0fictional character\u00a0who appears in a scene of the feature film, \u201cMonty Python and the Holy Grail.\u201d<\/p>\n

In case your memory of him is blurry \u2013 or if you\u2019ve never seen the Monty Python comedy classic \u2013 here is a look at his story.<\/p>\n

King Arthur encounters the Black Knight and attempts to cross a bridge guarded by the knight. The Black Knight moves slightly to block Arthur and declares, \u201cNone shall pass.\u201d Arthur orders the Black Knight to move but he says, \u201cI move for no man.\u201d <\/p>\n

Reluctantly, King Arthur fights the Black Knight and severs the knight\u2019s left arm. The knight refuses to stand aside, insisting, \u201cTis but a scratch\u201d and that he has \u201chad worse.\u201d The Black Knight fights on while holding his sword with his other arm.<\/p>\n

Next, his right arm is cut off, but the knight still does not concede.<\/p>\n

As the knight is literally disarmed, Arthur assumes the fight is over and kneels to pray. The Black Knight interrupts Arthur\u2019s prayer of thanks by kicking him in the side of the head and accusing him of cowardice.<\/p>\n

When Arthur points out the Black Knight\u2019s injuries, the knight insists, \u201cIt\u2019s just a flesh wound.\u201d In response to the continued kicks and insults, Arthur chops off the Black Knight\u2019s right leg.<\/p>\n

At this point, the knight still will not admit defeat, saying, \u201cRight, I\u2019ll do you for that,\u201d and attempts to ram his body into Arthur\u2019s by hopping on his left leg. With an air of resignation, Arthur finally cuts off the left leg as well and sheaths his sword.<\/p>\n

The Sellersville Theater has shown the same degree of resilience in dealing with the COVID-19 restrictions and shutdowns mandated by Gov. Tom Wolf.<\/p>\n

Over the last few months, Pennsylvania along with Delaware and New Jersey has clamped down hard on venues wanting to present live shows. Music concerts and theatrical performances have been virtually eliminated \u2013 with Philadelphia hit early and hit hard.<\/p>\n

Music shows were banned but comedy clubs survived \u2013 only for a while. Outdoor shows were scuttled by the arrival of winter weather as were drive-in concerts.<\/p>\n

Some venues like 118 North in Wayne kept hosting shows in an outdoor tent but the venue waved the white flag of surrender a few weeks ago.<\/p>\n

Just like the Black Knight, The Sellersville Theater, which is located in Pennsylvania but not Philadelphia, kept going.<\/p>\n

Just like the resilient knight, the theater suffered setbacks but refused to capitulate.\u00a0 Even though it was \u201cdisarmed,\u201d the venue was able to present live music and comedy at 10% occupancy to live performances with ticketed livestreams as well.<\/p>\n

Then, the latest round of COVID-19 restrictions was posted for Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

Gov. Tom Wolf announced a series of new restrictions on December 10 for the three weeks starting at midnight December 11 including a ban on music venues. It was like King Arthur cutting off the knight\u2019s legs.<\/p>\n

Kasim Sulton\u2019s show, which was scheduled for December 12 at Sellersville, was eliminated completely.<\/p>\n

Other shows scheduled for this month were presented as \u201cLivestream only\u201d events including Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy on December 18 and Deb Callahan Band on December 19.<\/p>\n

The final shows scheduled for this month feature The Launch (A Tribute to The Music Of Styx & Queen) on December 26 and performances on December 31 by AM Radio and Arthur Thomas & The Funkitorium.<\/p>\n

The Launch is a Delaware Valley based tribute band which focuses on the music of Queen, Boston and Styx.<\/p>\n

The quintet features Dan Caguiat (Lead Vocals, Rhythm and Lead Guitars) from Sicklerville (NJ), Fran Galanti (Lead Vocals, Rhythm and Lead Guitars) from Northeast Philly, Stu Franks (Lead Vocals, Bass Guitar) from Philadelphia, William Earle (Keyboards, Backup Vocals) from Aston and Kevin Keefe (Drums) from Hatboro.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor this weekend\u2019s shows, we\u2019re going to broadcast live from the Sellersville Theater,\u201d said Franks, during a phone interview Monday from his home in the Bustleton section of Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the latest rules by the state, only 10 people can be in the theater. So, it will just be the five band members and a minimal staff.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Launch has been building a large fan base in the Tri-State area over the last few years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Launch first came together in 2015,\u201d said Franks. \u201cWe started out as a Boston tribute band. In 2016, a promoter suggested that we add Queen. There was no steady Queen tribute band in the area, so we decided to do it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2018, we added Queen. It helped that it was right around the time that the Queen movie came out. It worked out well because we are one of the only bands with the vocal capabilities to do Queen.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have four vocalists. The only band member who doesn\u2019t sing is our drummer. We can do it all live \u2013 including \u2018Bohemian Rhapsody.\u2019 We re-create the harmonies in a way that four voices can handle it.\u201d<\/p>\n

When tickets for the Sellersville gig went on sale a few months ago, most were scooped up quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were originally four shows \u2013 Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. and at 8 p.m.,\u201d said Franks. \u201cThey were sold out with the capacity limit of 66. Then, it got cut to 33 and, most recently, to 10. Now, there are just two shows \u2013 Saturday at 3 p.m. and Saturday at 8 p.m.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor theater ticket holders, there is a special link. You can watch the show live and also watch as many times as you want for the next three days. Those who buy a Livestream ticket for either show will be able to watch both shows.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe shows will also have extra content \u2013 videos and other little vignettes. There is also a Facebook Live presentation with each show. Viewers can make requests from a list and we\u2019ll play the one that gets the most votes.\u201d<\/p>\n

There will be two completely different shows on December 26 by The Launch, the band that won the 2019 WMGK House Band Competition.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe three o\u2019clock show is Styx and Queen,\u201d said Franks. \u201cThe eight o\u2019clock show is Boston and Queen.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the Queen songs we\u2019ll play, some will be the same each show and some will be different. Both shows will have big Queen hits such as \u2018Another One Bites the Dust,\u2019 \u2018Bohemian Rhapsody,\u2019 \u2018Somebody to Love,\u2019 and \u2018Play the Game.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we play live, we like to put on a show \u2013 not just stand onstage in street clothes and play. We want to be a spectacle. When we\u2019re onstage, we don\u2019t dress like regular people. We wear outfits that are completely outrageous. It\u2019s about having an energy and putting it out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for The Launch \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/bU26fIZobsg<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Livestream tickets are $10.<\/p>\n

The Sellersville Theater will close out 2020 with three shows on December 31 — AM Radio at 2 and 7 p.m. and Arthur Thomas & The Funkitorium at 10:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Greg Farnese Quartet<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cYuletide Jazz & Wine at Winterthur\u201d will be presented next Wednesday evening at Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library (Route 52, Wilmington, Delaware,800-448-3883,www.winterthur.org<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The event, which will run from 5:30-7:30 p.m. each night, features an evening of live jazz, food, and wine among the twinkling lights of the Visitor Center. \u00a0Winterthur\u2019s Pavilion Restaurant is open for dinner with cash wine and beer bar. Reservations required as capacity is limited.<\/p>\n

The final show in this year\u2019s \u201cYuletide Jazz & Wine at Winterthur\u201d series will be The Greg Farnese Quartet on December 30.<\/p>\n

The shows are Included with general admission ticket. For those not purchasing a Yuletide general admission ticket, tickets are $10.<\/p>\n

There will also be live music at Longwood Gardens (Route 1, Kennett Square, www.longwoodgardens.org<\/a>)<\/p>\n

The \u201cOutdoor Christmas Musicians Holiday Series\u201d is running now January 3 in Pierce-du Pont House Plaza.<\/p>\n

Longwood visitors can revel in the delightful instrumental sounds of Rob Dickenson and the Brandywine Christmas Minstrels as they celebrate\u00a0\u201cA Longwood Christmas.\u201d Performances will be held nightly Fridays through Sundays from 5-8 p.m. — weather permitting.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Mr. Mody<\/p><\/div>\n

Some of the local venues presenting live music shows throughout December are Tuned Up Brewing Co. (135 North Main Street, Spring City, www.tunedupbrew.com<\/a>), which will present Mr. Mody on December 25, and Brickside Grille (540 Wellington Square, Exton, bricksidegrille.com<\/a>), which is hosting Dan Graber on December 26 and Madeline Knight on December 27.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times\u00a0 This year, the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com) has gone through a saga that is like that of the \u201cBlack Knight.\u201d The\u00a0Black Knight\u00a0is a\u00a0fictional character\u00a0who appears in a scene of the feature film, \u201cMonty Python and the Holy Grail.\u201d In case your memory of him […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28826,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5166],"tags":[3912,10322,10321,10320],"class_list":["post-28824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-mr-mody","tag-the-greg-farnese-quartet","tag-the-launch"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28824","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28824"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28824\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28825,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28824\/revisions\/28825"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28826"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}