June 23--Even under the most benevolent interpretation, that the celebrity chef Robert Irvine was operating on about three hours of sleep and suffered from technical problems that caused three of four burners to fail repeatedly during his "Robert Irvine Live" cooking show at Proctors in Schenectady on Friday night, it was still terrible entertainment.
Anyone who paid the full price of $87.50 a ticket should ask for at least an $80 refund.
Irvine, at the end of a day of events to promote the national launch of the locally owned, food-centric, social-media platform ChefKey, was terse, unpleasant and boring during his two-plus-hour performance. I don't know how long it lasted because, after 120 minutes and for only the second time in 25 years of reviewing local stage shows of many forms, I walked out. I trailed a group of about 10 or so who took their leave prior to yet another "challenge" Irvine was about to undertake. We all felt it was safer to flee en masse because earlier departees had been subjected to insulting comments or physical pursuits from Irvine, who followed some people to the door of the GE Theatre or made remarks about their seeming need to relieve their bladders.
It's hard to overstate how tedious and amateurish the show was.
And it is flabbergasting to consider that Irvine, who has starred in more than 200 episodes of the Food Network shows "Restaurant: Impossible" and "Dinner: Impossible" and has said he does two dozen live shows a year, was so unprofessional and unpleasant. He insulted the Capital Region, his audience as a whole and some of its members as individuals. And for someone who makes live appearances regularly, it was startling how often Irvine reverted to stock phrases and base sexual innuendo. He said "This is sexy food" at least six times and, during a challenge in which he competed with cooks from the audience to prepare a poultry dish, he and one of his sous chefs made multiple references to "choking the chicken."
"How many people like salmon/spinach/(etc)?" Irvine asked by way of introducing ingredients, as if he had no other way to get the audience involved. He started by having everyone stand up, wave their hands in the air and cheer, and he brought people up to help, or compete with him, while cooking.
Audience interaction is a dangerous game, one best left to deft comedians who can come up with something entertaining to say even if the audience members prove to be duds.
Irvine got lucky a few times Friday night, including with an audience member named Sergei, who was chosen to make food during a "worst cooks" segment and proved an engaging presence, and a woman who winningly sang the National Anthem, a capella, in honor of U.S. troops.
But, often, Irvine's frequent guests had nothing entertaining to say, and he's not enough of a performer (or was simply in a truculent mood Friday night) to cover for them.
Further, he was erroneously glib with his facts: Discussing a recent trip to Afghanistan to cook for U.S. forces, he said there were 99,000 troops stationed there, when the current government figure is about 68,000; responding to a question from an audience member about gluten sensitivity, he said 45 percent of the population has a problem with gluten, but the most recent studies are sharply divided, putting the figure between 0.5 percent and 7 percent; and, in bafflingly out-of-the-blue jab at a Food Network colleague, Irvine presented a salmon dish and said, in a boastful, nonjoking manner, that it would cost $22 at his restaurant in South Carolina, but, "If you see it in one of Bobby's Flay's restaurants, it's $85." When the audience oooh'd at the diss, Irvine said, "Why? It's true." No, it's not. The salmon entree at Mesa Grill in Manhattan is $29.
But, mostly, the problem with the evening was that Irvine provided neither good entertainment nor much cooking instruction.
I've read, and shuddered at, descriptions of Food Network star Guy Fieri's arena shows because they're said to resemble a Van Halen concert.
I saw Van Halen in high school, which, I thought, was enough.
But watching Irvine muddle through cooking lobster after escaping from a straitjacket, I longed for a Van Halen-style understanding of true entertainment and the acknowledgement that people had paid a great deal to witness this event.
I enjoy Irvine's show restaurant impossible, and almost went to this. At the same time I've met and respect Steve's opinion. Hopefully some footage will end up on youtube to watch, as this review has me really interested to see what happened.
I enjoy Irvine's show restaurant impossible, and almost went to this. At the same time I've met and respect Steve's opinion. Hopefully some footage will end up on youtube to watch, as this review has me really interested to see what happened.
June 23--Even under the most benevolent interpretation, that the celebrity chef Robert Irvine was operating on about three hours of sleep and suffered from technical problems that caused three of four burners to fail repeatedly during his "Robert Irvine Live" cooking show at Proctors in Schenectady on Friday night, it was still terrible entertainment.
Anyone who paid the full price of $87.50 a ticket should ask for at least an $80 refund.
It's hard to overstate how tedious and amateurish the show was.
For SHAME on you to criticize anything King Philip puts on at the government theater! Waiting for DV to give you a major reprimand!
The nayboobs are just jealous because they are so dim-witted that they can't figure out how to put even on a sock puppet show.
Watch DV start spewing babble that they Morris should have had DV do a cooking show. Or he's going to post one of this long drawn out babble fairy tales about who the good chefs are and who are not good chefs, etc. etc. blah blah blah Because he is so desperate to find something to say to prove that Proctors had cause in increase in the city's tax base. ROFL
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
"While Foreign Terrorists were plotting to murder and maim using homemade bombs in Boston, Democrap officials in Washington DC, Albany and here were busy watching ME and other law abiding American Citizens who are gun owners and taxpayers, in an effort to blame the nation's lack of security on US so that they could have a political scapegoat."
That's insane to watch a cooking show, I would of took a 1/4 of the money and just went to Dinosaurs BBQ in Troy, $87 OMG
"In the beginning of a change, the Patriot is a scarce man, brave, hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a Patriot."
the sad part is the $87 someone would actually pay for some actor/mouthpiece/court jester etc to dance.....in America we give these folks a lot of attention and $$ then complain about what he/she had and we don't....
sad sad sad......
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
senders is on to something. If someone told me they could get me $87 per person to go around making a fool of myself getting in over my head, I might be tempted. Probably not, though, because public humiliation would be a deterrent to me. I think some of these people get their heads turned by some agent or whatever and start believing their own press releases. The new ethic seems to be that if somebody is willing to pay you, you must be great. People spent money to go watch Charlie Sheen have a nervous breakdown in public just so they could say they saw a celebrity.
The nayboobs would probably pay $150 a piece to listen to Paula Deen tell racist jokes and show how to throw an antebellum party complete with people playing the part of slaves and her cracking the whip and playing the part of some white trash plantation owner.
George Amedore & Christian Klueg for NYS Senate 2016 Pete Vroman for State Assembly 2016[/size][/color]
"For this is what America is all about. It is the uncrossed desert and the unclimbed ridge. It is the star that is not reached and the harvest that is sleeping in the unplowed ground." Lyndon Baines Johnson
The nayboobs would probably pay $150 a piece to listen to Paula Deen tell racist jokes and show how to throw an antebellum party complete with people playing the part of slaves and her cracking the whip and playing the part of some white trash plantation owner.
Nope....i wouldn't pay $87 or $150 bucks to watch someone cook.....REALLY!!! that's insane!!!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Nope....i wouldn't pay $87 or $150 bucks to watch someone cook.....REALLY!!! that's insane!!! eggmcmuffs 2 for 3.33, Dom knows 2 item 5.99 med pizza delivered to your door!! Katinas still got thier specials!! Money Well Spent!!
Logged
