Entertainment : In Depth - Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is back – this time without Keira and Orlando! However, word on the street (one volunteer, one regular patron, and my daughter) would have us believe that “Pirates 4” is – dare I say it – as good as the first one!

“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” plays the Palace Friday, June 24 and Sunday, June 26 through Thursday, June 30 at 7 p.m. You can also catch this summer blockbuster in 2 p.m. matinees on Sunday, June 26 and Monday, June 27.

Penelope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, and Ian McShane round out the all-star cast, with Keith Richards (Depp’s longtime family friend) finally making his appearance as Jack Sparrow’s father. “Pirates 4” is rated PG-13 for the usual ghostly, ghastly, scary action, and runs well over two hours. Probably not a good bet for our youngest patrons.

THE PALACE WILL BE CLOSED ON SATURDAY, JUNE 25. Don’t miss the iconic a cappella group, Tonic Sol Fa, at Party in the Park, as well as the Palace Popcorn Roadshow!

And lemon shakes! I placed our order for lemons with Fareway last week. Incidentally, Fareway lemons are impressively larger and juicier than any other area lemons.

JULY

The Palace staff and volunteers are excited about our fantastic schedule for July – beginning with “Kung Fu Panda 2” stacked with “Bridesmaids,” followed by “X-Men First Class,” “Super 8,” “Cars 2,” and finally, Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts in “Larry Crowne.”

Watch for additional Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday matinees, as well as a Saturday late show all month long. Schedules and advance tickets are available online at www.vintonpalace.org, or at the theatre.