MARBELLA’S RESTAURANT CALLED IT “DINNER THEATRE MUSICAL”

Marbella’s, a Spanish cuisine restaurant in Bayside, advertised having “Dinner Theatre Musical”.   I define Dinner Theatre as watching a performance of a scripted play of some sort and “Dinner Theatre Musical” to be play with much music.  It said, “Simply Me, a show about everything (almost).”   “Featuring Mitchell Robert with his musicians”.   How do you put “featuring” when there is only one person?   I “googled “his name and nothing came up.   Then again if you “google” my name, you won’t see my show business career as I did all my business before the internet was invented. 

Let me first begin with the “dinner” part slated for 6:30.  I, and a friend, was just about the first people to arrive taking a table close to the performer so that I could shoot photos. Drinks. I ask the waiter what is included. Juice, soda, coffee, tea.  I request a combination of juices.  My friend requests seltzer with cranberry and pineapple juice.  I say (to the waiter), “That sounds even better.  I’ll have the same.” I got the juice I originally requested.

Waiter takes the full order. First up, an Empanada, with cheese and black olives.   I give that an “okay”.   We ordered the Spanish soup vs a salad.   We were the last to be served and arrived at about 7:30….tepid.  

The show itself was to commence at 8pm….NOT.   I ordered the Paella and my friend went for the Salmon.  The ad lists the choices of entrees to include the Paella at the price of $49 (plus tax and tip), yet the menu given listed the Paella as being $5 extra.   I notice that the scallops are raw and that one of the clams did not open.   Who is in the kitchen cooking that does not check to see that the shellfish is okay?   I send it back pointing this out to the GM.  He brings me another Paella that has less rice (to hide the other stuff) and more of what I should be having.   I avoid the scallops….if that’s what they are.   Small sea scallops.   The entrée arrives at about 8:15.  Mitchell Robert makes “show business small talk” to stretch the lack of food delivery. 

Dessert…we both had ordered the flan.   GM brings it.  Okay, but with my friend making like the best flan, couldn’t hold up to her recipe and cooking.   As she is in the middle of her dessert, the waiter comes over and says to us, “Did you order the flan or the ice cream?”  He then realizes what’s going on and leaves.

Time for the show.  Here is what I get.  Mitchell Robert likes to write songs, sing and put on a show.  Even with a slight deafness in one ear I could hear his voice going off key, especially when he holds a note.  He “can sing” but does not have a voice that I want to listen to.   I’m not there for the lyrics. 

He tells us that he has been entertaining since “birth”.   He has a music stand in front of him with the jokes written out.   I found all of the jokes and anecdotes to be “mildly amusing”.   I forgot to mention that he had a bunch of his friends and family there.  

Nobody yelled, “more” or “encore”.   He did it for himself wanting to make sure we got to hear another song that he wrote.  I would have run out if it weren’t for my needing a cane to walk.  I think I need to go back into show business! 

I had a flashback of going to Marbella’s several years ago with a few friends.  We ordered drinks.  I had a cocktail.   Entrée was a lobster.  It arrived with a cockroach crawling across the top.   I, of course, pointed it out to which we all got up and left.  The waiter came after me wanting me to pay for the drink saying that there was no cockroach in that.  At least that didn’t happen.