http://www.theolympian.com/entertainment/story/905534.html
ALEC CLAYTON
July 09, 2009
Once again Harlequin Productions offers South Sound music lovers a
rollicking rock and roll extravaganza. This one is a little different
than their earlier rock shows in that it's an all-girl show
celebrating the girl singers of the 1960s.
There's no story, although there is a chronological presentation of
songs of the era with film projections of historical events. There's
nothing on stage but the four women in front of a band with dramatic
lighting and the afore-mentioned projections. But that's plenty
enough because the songs are favorites of many generations and the
four women Elise Campello, Melissa Fleming, LaVon Hardison and
Jenny Shotwell have potent voices and huge stage presence.
The show starts off slowly with Hardison standing alone under a red
spotlight in a red mini dress of the type that was popular in 1962,
with big red of course disc earrings singing "Feelin' Good." The
three other women come out in variations of the same dress, each with
a different color mod-mini purple, green and blue and sing do-wop
backup to kick off this musical romp.
They take turns singing such early sixties hits as "Da Doo Ron Ron"
and "It's My Party" and "Leader of the Pack." A projection of
statistics on teenage pregnancy precedes a comic version of "Chapel
of Love" with choreography and facial expressions putting a spin on
the lyrics that's quite different than the original intent.
Shotwell bursts free of the doo-wop style with a moving "At Last,"
and Hardison introduces the early days of women's liberation with the
saucy "Gimme Some."
Then there is a sudden change of pace with a hauntingly beautiful
interlude as Shotwell sings the Joni Mitchell hit "A Case of You"
with acoustic guitar and clarinet backup from (Brad Schrandt, soprano
saxophone, and Ron Rosenbloom and Bruce Whitney, guitars). This song
is not really a '60s song. It first came out in the early '70s and
was later popularized for a new generation by k.d. lang.
And act one ends with the ensemble singing Nancy Sinatra's one and
only hit, "These Boots Were Made for Walkin'. "
Like the decade it celebrates, the first half of the show is filled
with soft pop songs and doo-wop backup; and the second half comes on
stronger with psychedelic and activist music. The second half is much
stronger. Hardison is shocking with her growling voice on "Come
Together," accented by great drumming by Keith Anderson.
Shotwell is truly mesmerizing when she sings the anthem of the
decade, "Woodstock," and Grace Slick's psychedelic "White Rabbit."
Campello touches tender nerves with the Janis Ian hit "Society's
Child" and Fleming sings a beautiful rendition of "Will You Still
Love Me Tomorrow?"
The costumes in the second act were disappointing. Everyone changed
into yet another version of the mod dresses from the early '60s when
to fit with the time frame they should have worn bell bottoms and
knit vests or peasant style dresses or something more in keeping with
the kind of clothes worn by Janis Joplin and Grace Slick or the cast
of "Hair."
I was astounded by much of the music in act two while I was listening
to it, but as I thought about it later I realized it lacked some of
the grittiness associated with LSD and revolution. Some of the
numbers were too perfectly arranged and choreographed. Still I loved
it, and I'm sure most people who see it will, whether they lived
through the sixties or just heard about it from their parents or grandparents.
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