Quad City Music Guild Presents On With the Show: A Revue
We had an early birthday party for Sara at our new house the Sunday before last. I took that opportunity to fire up the laptop and show my parents, my wife, and my younger sister the revue On With the Show. It was videotaped at Quad City Music Guild's Prospect Park Auditorium, and streamed to those who had purchased tickets for The Secret Garden last year.
Also, it was streamed for those who wanted to buy a ticket this year.
I loved it.
It brought Music Guild back. The opening number was Kevin Pieper, Pami Triebel, and Harold Truitt singing "With a Song in Our Heart" from Sweethearts. It brought back memories of hash browns, scrambled eggs, watermelon, honey dew, fighting over the last scraps of bacon, and scrambling for the blueberry scones at the annual brunch.
Beth Marsoun narrated the roughly 50 minute film. It included images of Prospect Park Auditorium, which dates back to the early 1900's, when the park was the end of a trolley line. Shows were put on in the auditorium prior to Music Guild. A committee bailed the building out circa 1949, and on wooden benches, with a flat stage, Sweethearts was mounted.
We're treated to a history lesson about Music Guild. The set builders would still basically be painting the sets for future scenes while Act 1 was in progress.
Nowadays, we have set designers in the scene shops months before the show goes up, and volunteers with drills, radial saws, and C-clamps on the stage weeks before opening. Bill Marsoun or the late, great Bob Williams would be onstage with their showtunes collection.
Emma Tully, who would have been in the cast of The Secret Garden, performed a beautiful piece. What song was that? And what show was it from?
Shay Schehl, who would have played Mary Lennox in Secret Garden, gave a delightful rendition of "I Enjoy Being a Girl." What show is that from again?
Jordan Dodd performed "Gary, Indiana" from The Music Man.
There was another performer from the Secret Garden cast, I think it was Ellen Rickert, who performed another musical theatre piece. What song was that? And what show was that from?
Then we had Luke Vermiere perform "Get Me to the Church on Time" from My Fair Lady.
Taylor Bley performed "This is the Moment" from Jekyl and Hyde The Musical.
Mark McGinn performed "The Impossible Dream" from Man of La Mancha. This one holds a particularly fond place in my heart. This was the first show I saw at Music Guild. Mark was Don Quijote. I was twelve.
I may have forgotten some of the other numbers. I know that they sang a song about happiness is two scoops of ice cream at the end. And what show is that from?
Now there were also lots of pictures shared throughout the streaming show, as it is obvious a lot of work went into this. Bob Williams would be proud. Bob oversaw the archives, and I could practically see his guardian angel overseeing the assemblage of this digital production. Right down to the pictures of board members in the 1950's, to the portraits from The King and I with Eric Christian Olsen (Deeks from NCIS Los Angeles) or Daniel Breaker from 1995's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Passing Strange, Shrek the Musical, and yes, he took over for Leslie Odom Jr. on Broadway in Hamilton).
It was a Where's Waldo of photos from 72 years of history at the Guild. I waited to watch if I would turn up. And I did! A baby-faced twenty year old me as Ben the Bounder in The Scarlet Pimpernel made an appearance near the end.
I love Music Guild. I love riding the bus from the JC Penney Parking Lot to the auditorium. I love meeting the person at will call and getting my ticket. I love stepping over people to get to my seat, and dodging stepping on a woman's purse, or kicking a man in the shin, as I get to my spot in Row H seat 14. Or thereabouts. I love the opening announcements. The entracte. I love revisiting an old show that I love, like The Music Man, The Sound of Music, The King and I, or seeing something new to Music Guild, like Les Miserables, Legally Blonde, or Cats.
I miss working the concessions, working the hot dogs on Rolanda. Or standing in line to grab a white chip macadamia nut cookie and a Sierra Mist. I miss giving the actors hugs after a performance.
I want this back. It may not be quite there, yet. We've got a long way to go with the pandemic. But getting this slide show and cabaret of songs, seeing them performed on that old familiar stage, it was like getting a letter from home on foreign term.
Four Stars.
Found the Happiness song! I believe that's from You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.
Also, it was streamed for those who wanted to buy a ticket this year.
I loved it.
It brought Music Guild back. The opening number was Kevin Pieper, Pami Triebel, and Harold Truitt singing "With a Song in Our Heart" from Sweethearts. It brought back memories of hash browns, scrambled eggs, watermelon, honey dew, fighting over the last scraps of bacon, and scrambling for the blueberry scones at the annual brunch.
Beth Marsoun narrated the roughly 50 minute film. It included images of Prospect Park Auditorium, which dates back to the early 1900's, when the park was the end of a trolley line. Shows were put on in the auditorium prior to Music Guild. A committee bailed the building out circa 1949, and on wooden benches, with a flat stage, Sweethearts was mounted.
We're treated to a history lesson about Music Guild. The set builders would still basically be painting the sets for future scenes while Act 1 was in progress.
Nowadays, we have set designers in the scene shops months before the show goes up, and volunteers with drills, radial saws, and C-clamps on the stage weeks before opening. Bill Marsoun or the late, great Bob Williams would be onstage with their showtunes collection.
Emma Tully, who would have been in the cast of The Secret Garden, performed a beautiful piece. What song was that? And what show was it from?
Shay Schehl, who would have played Mary Lennox in Secret Garden, gave a delightful rendition of "I Enjoy Being a Girl." What show is that from again?
Jordan Dodd performed "Gary, Indiana" from The Music Man.
There was another performer from the Secret Garden cast, I think it was Ellen Rickert, who performed another musical theatre piece. What song was that? And what show was that from?
Then we had Luke Vermiere perform "Get Me to the Church on Time" from My Fair Lady.
Taylor Bley performed "This is the Moment" from Jekyl and Hyde The Musical.
Mark McGinn performed "The Impossible Dream" from Man of La Mancha. This one holds a particularly fond place in my heart. This was the first show I saw at Music Guild. Mark was Don Quijote. I was twelve.
I may have forgotten some of the other numbers. I know that they sang a song about happiness is two scoops of ice cream at the end. And what show is that from?
Now there were also lots of pictures shared throughout the streaming show, as it is obvious a lot of work went into this. Bob Williams would be proud. Bob oversaw the archives, and I could practically see his guardian angel overseeing the assemblage of this digital production. Right down to the pictures of board members in the 1950's, to the portraits from The King and I with Eric Christian Olsen (Deeks from NCIS Los Angeles) or Daniel Breaker from 1995's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Passing Strange, Shrek the Musical, and yes, he took over for Leslie Odom Jr. on Broadway in Hamilton).
It was a Where's Waldo of photos from 72 years of history at the Guild. I waited to watch if I would turn up. And I did! A baby-faced twenty year old me as Ben the Bounder in The Scarlet Pimpernel made an appearance near the end.
I love Music Guild. I love riding the bus from the JC Penney Parking Lot to the auditorium. I love meeting the person at will call and getting my ticket. I love stepping over people to get to my seat, and dodging stepping on a woman's purse, or kicking a man in the shin, as I get to my spot in Row H seat 14. Or thereabouts. I love the opening announcements. The entracte. I love revisiting an old show that I love, like The Music Man, The Sound of Music, The King and I, or seeing something new to Music Guild, like Les Miserables, Legally Blonde, or Cats.
I miss working the concessions, working the hot dogs on Rolanda. Or standing in line to grab a white chip macadamia nut cookie and a Sierra Mist. I miss giving the actors hugs after a performance.
I want this back. It may not be quite there, yet. We've got a long way to go with the pandemic. But getting this slide show and cabaret of songs, seeing them performed on that old familiar stage, it was like getting a letter from home on foreign term.
Four Stars.
Found the Happiness song! I believe that's from You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.