From June 10th and 12th, 2011
It occurs to me that, in the busy rush of last Spring, I never blogged about The Conchords Chorale's spring program, "Let's Go to the Movies: The Sequel." Guess it's not too late...
Due to the popularity of 2010's movie-themed show, we decided to reprise the concept with a new cast of celebrities and brand new songs. After a spate of performances at numerous area retirement facilities, we culminated our season with two shows at the lovely, old Hollywood Theater.
Once again, we were the official choir of the Portland Rose Festival, and as such, provided the featured musical entertainment the weekend of the Grand Floral Parade. Continuing last year's theme, we presented the Second Annual Memory Lane Awards to memorable songs from movies spanning 1930-1988. Awards were presented by movie stars of the time, including Elizabeth Taylor, Daddy Warbucks, Dame Maggie Smith, Nancy Kwan, Robert Preston, Ann Miller, Jo Stafford, Eddie Albert, and moi, Katharine Hepburn.
Again, I watched more than a dozen movies and interviews in order to perfect Katharine's unique style of speaking. I tried out two wigs before I was happy with a hair choice. And, I converted a shirt into a mock turtle neck dickey which I wore under my dress in keeping with her preferred high neck-style of apparel. And, of course, a manly jacket with turned-up collar.
I presented the award in the Drama and Adventure category, along with a most annoying Rocky Balboa. The audience loved him!
As for the music, Deb and John were truly in character in the opening to "Puttin' on the Ritz."
And last year's "hand jive" was such a hit, we had to include it (and "Rockin' Round the Clock") again.
A new addition to this year's show was the inclusion of tributes to two featured musicals. The finale to each half of the show, these vignettes highlighted favorite songs from these movies performed by soloists and backed up by the choir.
Tami Weston and Ethan Reviere played Maria and Tony and did an exemplary job with the difficult music from West Side Story.
The choir enjoyed joining them in various numbers, including "I Feel Pretty," Tonight," and "Somewhere," and in performing the animated "America."
The second half ended with selections from The Sound of Music, with (another) Maria portrayed flawlessly by Morgan Roe, Mike Loveland as Captain Von Trapp, and Janet Loy as the Reverend Mother.
All the audience favorites were there, including the title song, "My Favorite Things," "Do, Re, Mi," and "How do you Solve a Problem Like Maria." For that piece, I joined a group of choir members appearing as nuns from the Abbey.
Another addition to our show was the performance of two songs by a newly-formed jazz ensemble: "How High the Moon" and "From This Moment On." Boy, was this music tough! It took a lot of extra practice, but was tons of fun - once we finally got it down!
Yes, the Hollywood Theater performance, and all the hubbub surrounding the Rose Festival, is exciting, but the real "warm fuzzies" come from our performances at various retirement centers across town. Every now and then, something occurs at one of these places that reminds us why we sing for seniors. This year, it happened at Mary's Woods. There we were singing away, when a sweet couple got out of their seats and started dancing in the aisle. They were so touched by the music and the memories the songs evoked, they couldn't sit still.
I am amazed we were able to keep singing. I was choking up, and kept having to remind myself to watch Don, our director, instead of the touching spectacle in the aisle. I spoke to them afterward, and they told me they used to teach ballroom dancing when they were younger. They love to dance, and take every chance they can to relive the songs and dances from their past.
And that's why we do what we do with this group. Yes, we all love to sing, and let's face it, we're a bunch of hams! But, it's the sense of fulfillment we get when we know we've touched someone's life that really makes it worthwhile.
