As usual, there was a mix of arrangements: straightforward presentations of love songs, Old Friend, I Only Have Eyes for You and The Nearness of You, sung by the full chorus; a few solo or duo numbers; and appearances by the Coastliners, the double barbershop group that appear out in front of their cohorts. There were guest artists and a pair of production numbers.
Why Do Fools Fall in Love? was the opener, delayed slightly because of gremlins in the lighting apparatus, but it was worth the wait. This full chorus rendition was followed by a medley titled A Beautiful Thing of songs from The Mamas and The Papas, (related to the concurrent opening of Dream a Little Dream at the Cleveland Play House.) Dream a Little Dream featured an intricate and sparkling two-piano obbligato midway showcasing the two pianists Robert Day and David Dettloff. They were featured again during the second half in Taking a Chance on Love.
Danny Boy featured two of the group’s members Dan Bobeczko and Mike Schuenemeyer as soloists, backed up by the unaccompanied chorus. This may well have been the emotional high-point of the evening. No gimmicks, just beautiful music.
But, the group also does gimmicks well, especially mixing comedy with the singing. I Do proved the men could clap and sing at the same time (it’s not all that easy!) while His Love Makes Me Beautiful was the first of their production numbers, albeit on a slightly smaller scale than usual. Eight of them were bridesmaids, with headpieces of brightly colored tulle and a bouquet to match, providing comfort to the—ahem, (pregnant) bride, Jerry Zak. Larry Crooks was the happy bridegroom, stepping in at the last moment for his injured and absent friend, Steven del Villar.
Dan Reynolds in a policeman’s uniform had some help from the ASL interpreter Doug Braun in Love Potion Number 9. After a short swig from Braun’s flask, Reynolds went from belligerent to affectionate, happily distributing little kisses to a few nearby audience members.
And What if We Had Loved Like That? with Greg Morley and Jim McPeak as more than capable soloists, was unfortunately marred by an intermittent sound system. (This seems to happen in every concert, or at least every one I’ve attended, which is most unfortunate.) On My Own brought Vince Flores to the front. Here’s to Love, a bit later on the program, featured Clint Condon and Eric Unhold, (minus gremlins.) All of these men have good voices and stage presence, and it’s nice to see and hear them up front.
The Coastliners performed their own triple play. First up was the infamous Let’s Do It of Cole Porter. Hard to believe this song was banned when it first appeared. This version featured sound effects, depending on the species being vocally described. It was a real hoot! Later, in a style reminiscent of ‘boy groups’ of the 50s and 60s, they sang Love Don’t Be a Stranger To Me, with each guy getting a solo. They nearly stopped the show with their final number, however: I Like ‘Em Big and Stupid in a hilarious production. (My favorite line here was wanting a ‘Superman with a lobotomy’.)
I Need to Know brought out Rebecca Sweet and Jean-Paul Bronek of Viva Dance with a high-energy exhibition of dazzling footwork mixed with sinuous, sultry moves, accented by their sexy black costumes. They returned—dressed in gold and sequins—for the finale, a medley of Fever and Steam Heat. This pair could easily stop any show! Thirteen men of the chorus dressed in black tees and trousers were more than adept dancers in this piece. Perhaps a bit more equal than the others was Bryan K. Fetty who is not only a terrific singer, but also an exceptional dancer.
Mark P. Malloy, as always, did a terrific job with the costumes, and Lora Workman worked her magic as choreographer. Michael Rich is both tech director and lighting designer.
The next pair of concerts by the North Coast Men’s Chorus will be June 10 and 11, at Waetjen Auditorium. Tickets for Colors of Our Lives are available now through the web-site: http://www.NCMChorus.org
From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz artswriterATadelphia.net (:divend:)