After more than a year of delays, Pines Dinner Theater has finally opened in its new home at Allentown’s Shops at Cedar Point, 315 S. Cedar Crest Boulevard, Allentown.
And Pines celebrates its new location with a playful, entertaining production of the hit comedy musical “Nunsense,” playing through April 19.
The new theater, housed in the former Pistachio Bar & Grille, retains the restaurant’s wall of windows in the entry, but opens into a cozy, welcoming space with tiered seating set with tables sporting crisp white tablecloths and a large stage.
The five talented performers in “Nunsense” use both the stage and the area around the diners to immerse the audience in the show.
“Nunsense” follows the five remaining nuns at the Little Sisters of Hoboken. who are holding a cabaret to raise money to bury four of their sisters who have been stored in the freezer since they ran out of funds for burials, after 52 sister were accidentally poisoned by bad soup.
The show is full of comical musical numbers that feature the nuns doing decidedly un-nun-like things like kicklines, twirling their rosaries and tap dancing.
Trish Steele is larger than life as the stern Reverend Mother, who caused the financial shortfall when she spent the money on a big screen TV. Steele is effective and humorous as the overbearing Reverend Mother who previously worked as a tightrope performer and still longs for the spotlight in "Turn Up the Spotlight." She is especially hilarious when Reverend Mother inadvertently sniffs glue found in the girls’ bathroom and gets high.
Deborah D’Haiti is memorable as practical second-in-command Sister Mary Hubert. She and Steele offer up nice harmonies in "Just a Coupl'a Sisters," and D’Haiti displays her impressive gospel chops in a rousing "Holier Than Thou."
Amber Blatt gives a tough edge to the Brooklyn nun Sister Robert Anne who chafes at being the understudy before getting to let it all out in "I Just Want to Be a Star," after Reverend Mother’s unfortunate incident with the glue.
Stacy Yoder is uproariously wide-eyed and clueless as Sister Mary Amnesia. She has an amusing number with a naughty puppet "So You Want To Be A Nun," and then belts it out as a wannabe country star in "I Could've Gone to Nashville."
As Sister Mary Leo, a novice who dreams of ballet, Gabrielle Hondorp is endearing. She performs a sweet dance interpretation of morning at the convent in “Benedicite” and a more dramatic (and humorous) turn in "The Dying Nun Ballet" with Blatt’s Sister Robert Anne.
The on-stage band is made up of conductor Stacy Bechtel on piano and a rotation of Dan Mark, Nathan Farley and Bill Shive on drums.
Oliver Blatt effectively uses all the space in the new theater as director.
Pines has been working towards opening this new location since 2023, when the dinner theater, which had been at 448 N. 17th St. for 14 years, found out its lease on the former location was not not being renewed.
Pines was originally scheduled to open “Footloose the Musical,” at the new location in June 2024, however renovations took longer than anticipated, so that production was postponed to this July.
As construction met more delays in 2024, several productions were postponed and others were presented at other locations including Delta by Marriott in Breinigsville and Christ Lutheran Church in Allentown.
Now with its new location up and running, Pines is forging ahead with its 2025 season which includes “Breaking up is Hard to Do” (featuring the music of Neil Sedaka), May 3 to June 21; “Footloose the Musical,” July 5 to Aug. 16; “Lucky Stiff,” Aug. 30 to Oct. 25 and “Christmas at the Pines,” Nov. 8 to Dec, 28
Prices for show admission is $42. Food is available for purchase a la carte.
Performances are 6:30 p.m. dinner, 7:30 p.m. show Fridays; 12:30 p.m. dinner, 1:30 p.m. show and 6:30 p.m. dinner, 7:30 p.m. show Saturdays and 12:30 p.m. dinner, 1:30 p.m. show Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
For information, call 610-433-2333, or go to www.pinesdinnertheatre.com/.