We perform primarily for seniors at retirement facilities, but this year we were chosen as the official performance group for the Portland Rose Festival. The big festival weekend just ended, and we were busy! We had a performance Friday night, as well as a Sunday matinee at the Hollywood Theater.
Friday's show was packed, mainly with bus tour groups. Sunday's crowd was smaller, and younger - mostly friends and family of choir members. Both crowds loved us! :-)
Our theme this year was "Let's Go to the Movies". It was a mock Awards Ceremony, wherein we presented the "Memory Lane Awards" to songs from movies from the 30's through the 60's. "Celebrities" from the era presented the awards; I was Joan Crawford, and presented the winners in the Drama and Adventure category. What a hoot!
Other presenters included June Allyson, Ethel Merman, Lucille Ball, Marilyn Monroe, Ginger Rogers and Gene Kelly ("Fred Astaire got cold feet!"), Inspector Clouseau, The MGM lion mascot, and Harpo Marx.
We did some great songs: "In the Still of the Night", "All the Things You Are", "As Time Goes By", "I Got Rhythm", "Moon River", "Days of Wine and Roses", "Hallelujah", and an MGM medley that included such greats as "Singin' in the Rain" and "Over the Rainbow" (my solo). The audience especially enjoyed "Rock around the Clock" with its hand jive choreography. Great music and a good time!
Back to my "Joan" look. I decided to do the roll thing at the top of my head, and discovered I needed a "rat" to wrap my hair around. My secretary at school told me she used to make them out of pantyhose stuffed with plastic bags when she did high school hair and makeup for her daughter's performances. So, I did just that. Took an old black knee high, stuffed it to the right diameter, adjusted the length, doubled it back on itself, and sewed up the end. So clever!
It took me a full hour to get my hair and makeup done. Every night, I'd wrap my hair around the rat in front and curl the rest. My hair is so fine that it took a ton of product (and hair pins!) to hold it in place each night. It felt like it was shellacked! Makeup was a challenge in itself. The eyebrows got thicker and closer together as time passed, and I finally got them symmetrical by the time we did the big Rose Festival shows. Just goes to show that practice does make perfect! My lips are pretty thin, so I had to fatten them and widen my mouth, as well. That improved as time went by, too.
Don (our fabulously talented and very creative director)
asked me several months back if I would play this part. I agreed on the condition that I would not have to employ method acting - I refuse to beat my children with wire hangers! I did, however, watch a dozen or more of her movies in preparation for my role. I think, in the end, I got her voice, pronunciations, and inflections down pretty well. I did ham up my performance to the hilt. Give me an inch...
I must say, as much as I enjoyed the show, it was time to be done. School is ending and summer activities begin immediately! It's time to move on - and time to have my own hair back!
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