Where-To-Go Wednesday - Paws Farm Nature Center and Miss Saigon at Kelsey Theatre

What: Paws Farm

Where:1105 Hainesport-Mount Laurel Road
           Mount Laurel, NJ

Who: All ages but especially those 3 to 8

Mom's view: Paws Farm is a really great place for young children to interact with animals, play and learn. There are wide variety of animals on the farm including small animals like guinea pigs and hedgehogs as well as reptiles, fish, birds and farm animals like goats and horses. There are also fun play and learning areas for small children both indoor including a play store and outdoor including fun climbers. There is even a climber shaped like a ship. While older children may enjoy visiting the animals as well, the play areas and climbers are very small and geared to younger children. The farm is meant to be a place for children to learn and have fun and interact with the nature. Classes are held for children 3-5 or 5-8. The farm also hosts birthday parties. While the farm is a fun place to visit especially if you love animals. It is not a place to spend a long time unless your children are very young. Younger children might not want to leave once they get here, but older children probably wouldn't need more than a hour at most for a visit. For more information go to http://www.pawsfarm.com/

******************************************************************************************************
We were given free tickets to Miss Saigon at Kelsey Theatre for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own based on our experience.

What: Miss Saigon

Where: Kelsey Theatre
              1200 Old Trenton Road
              West Windsor, NJ

When: Friday September 23 and Saturday September 24 at 8:00 PM
            Sunday September 25 at 2:00 PM

Who: Teens and above

Mom's view: To some Miss Saigon might be known as the show where the landing of a helicopter on stage was portrayed. To others it may be the show that based on the opera, Madame Butterfly. However, there is so much to the show than that. It is really a bittersweet love story set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War and its aftermath. The current version of the show at Kelsey Theatre is wonderful. The acting and singing are both first rate. Lianah Sta. Ana's portrayal of Kim, the tragic heroine, is especially touching. Michael Scibilia's portrayal of  her lover,  Chris is good too, but he has an unfortunate habit of turning his back to the audience a lot. The two love ballads between Chris and Kim are especially sweet. The rest of the cast is equally good although it sometimes hard to understand what they are singing especially Logan Jo who plays Thuy. It was easier to understand what they were singing than when I saw the original show on Broadway, however. All in all the show, was very well done, and equally as enjoyable as the original  Broadway production. Even the special effects which may not have exactly been on par with the original show, but then again what community theater has the budget for that, were very well done. This is by far, the best show we have seen at Kelsey Theater so far. If you only see one show in the community theater this year, you should make it this one. The show is not suitable for young children, however, due to language and situations. We would recommend it for teens and above. For more information or to find out how to purchase tickets go to http://www.mccc.edu/~humphrew/whatsnew/MissSaigon.html.

And that's Mom's view. Tune in to tomorrow's Talking Topics post for more about Miss Saigon at Kelsey Theatre.