Bastille Day Street Festival And Free Performance Saturday In Fairmount
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Let them eat Tastykake! Eastern State Penitentiary and Fairmount businesses are getting ready for the 17th annual Storming of the Bastille show tomorrow night. The free performance takes place outside the walls of the historic site.
It's the story of the French Revolution and the fate of Marie Antoinette with a Monty Python style twist. Sean Kelley, director of public programming at Eastern State, explains.
"There's always lots of topical humor. Lady Gaga is in there. Marie also thinks she is going to get raptured at any moment, so she not really all that concerned. And she's constantly got a competition going on with Kate Middleton."
Kelley says one of Philadelphia's favorite snacks plays a prominent role.
"The final moment of the show is when since Marie Antoinette is in Philadelphia rather than say here she says let them eat Tastykake. We have the embattlements of the prison line with 3,000 butter scotch krimpets we rain them down on the crowd. Kids show up with butter fly nets and it's just an amazing, amazing thing."
Kelley says bring your water pistols. Every time the words "reign" of terror is mentioned you are encouraged to let it rip and make it rain.
"Yeah, bring your super soaker."
The show starts at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. It follows a day long, French-style street party.
Reported by John McDevitt, KYW Newsradio
