Great Venues, The 94th Van Nuys

This is my rave review of our home base dinner theater venue in Lake Balboa (Van Nuys).  The 94th Aero Squadron.

When we left El Cid in 2010, we needed a new home in L.A. for our public murder mystery dinner shows.   We (Nora and I) wanted a place near our home since we have small children and want to spend as much time with them as possible.  The 94th is close so we checked it out.

First of all, it is hidden away - a hidden gem off of Woodley, near the Van Nuys Flyaway.  When we first drove up and saw the unique and amazing 94th Aero Sqaudron, we were already delighted.  It looks like a WWI French Farm House and Bunker and is perfect down to the minutest detail.

Plenty of parking, yay! That is the best kept secret of the San Fernando Valley - You can park here! We went in sat down and it was busy in the mid day.  We spoke to the manager and made arrangements to begin producing our murder mystery there on a regular basis.  Now we have been very fortunate to gain the goodwill and public trust of our (famous?) trademark and our  highly acclaimed 5 star entertainment so of course choosing a venue is very important to us.  The 94th felt the same way.  They have been a staple of the Valley for a loooong long time and  they also wanted to be sure that ours was a high quality production that would deliver the very best entertainment for customers.

Almost 5 years later I am very proud to say we made a very smart choice!  We love the Aero Squadron.  It is top notch. Unique!  Very Special Place.  Very pleasant and professional staff who always offer the warmest hospitality, terrific service and delicious food!

There are 4 different rooms we use for our Murder Mystery Party.

The Nieuport is on the main level and adjacent to the bar.  That is our preferred space.  Great decor, overlooking the runway, where 1500 (I am told) single jet planes take off and land everyday.   This room is perfect for groups up to 60.

Next to the Nieuport is the Bunker.  It is designed to look like a war bunker and is really cool.  Talk about atmosphere!  This room is great for groups up to 40.

Across the restaurant on the other side of the main fireplace is "Dining Room C".  Why they choose this nebulous name for this fantastic dining area is a mystery to me. Its kind of like calling it Area 51!  This room is set up more like a real dinner theater and even with a few sightline issues on the upper level, it is absolutely delightful for our Murder Mystery Dinner Show and our Trial By Jury Dinner Show.

Downstairs is the Rckenbocker Room.  BIG!  Great for groups up to 150.  Awesome access to back patio and outside bar.  Very adaptable.  We even section it off for small groups sometimes.

Summary: Very Pleasant, Easy to park, Not Stuffy,  really great party atmosphere - Very fair pricing for food and beverage.  I give The 94th Aero Squadron Van Nuys, a Sharpo 5 Star Review!

We are hoping to return for many more great dinner shows at the Aero in 2015.  See ya at the show!

Your Ticket To Fun!

Okay,  I know that title is a little presumptuous.  "Your Ticket To Fun!"  But as 2014 draws to a close, I am reflecting on what matters in my own life and what matters in the greater scheme of things.  I have spent many years chasing many rainbows.  They always seems to slip away just when I get to the gold.  But it sure has been fun chasing them!  So now... as I contemplate... having fun has become my mission.  I am on a mission for FUN.  To make life more fun.  That is my Sharpo! Entertainment Productions mission for 2015:  To make life more fun for my audiences.

Get your ticket to fun!  You know what makes performing and entertaining so exciting for me?  Interacting with the audience.  I have made a career out of getting people to play along.  My events are part show and they are also part game. Thank you all who have made "Sharpo!" a top rated , highly acclaimed production!

As I get older I am thinking about what really matters in this life and what makes me happy and what stresses me out.  You know what?  Hollywood stresses me out.  Hollywood takes all the fun out of my unique brand of entertainment.  How does the old song go? "I gotta be me."  So... I think moving forward, I am going to let go of the stresses of Hollywood and the "business".  I am very lucky and grateful for the opportunities I have enjoyed over the years.  I realize now  that life is short so let's squeeze as much fun out of this life as we can.  Lets live it up and laugh it up.

Are you with me?  Are we going to do this thing in 2015?  The "Fun" thing?  In 2015 I am going to play detective, magician, pirate and clown.  I am going to rev up my conversational comedy  and dive headfirst in to the adventure of life.  Let the good times roll.

In upcoming blogs I will highlight the many incredible California venues I have played at over the years.

Here's some magic for ya!  See ya at the show.