Let Me Entertain You ...

"... Let me make you smile." Remember that old song from the musical Gypsy? Frank and I perhaps show our age by the type of entertainment we seek out. Come to think of it, isn't choice of entertainment a clue for those of any age? The Golden Follies and The Music of Simon and Garfunkel are two shows we enjoyed this summer.

July 29th – Golden Follies
It is rare to see an 80+ year old on the ski slopes. Neither does one think of a Las Vegas show girl to be past mid-life. The performers we went to see in the Golden Follies were just that. Their ages ranged from 55 to 92 – yes, 92!

These Senior sensations heat up the stage with Broadway Favorites & Fabulous Places while adorned in gorgeous costumes and executing lively choreography; their high energy and showmanship make for a wildly entertaining revue.

Frank and I went to a July 29th matinee performance (of course for seniors it would be a matinee) of the Golden Follies at the Firehouse Arts Center in our neighboring town of Pleasanton.

We had front row seats so Frank could see all those high kicking legs and glitzy costumes up close.

The performers were amazing, executing precision, high-energy, synchronized dance numbers to rousing Broadway show tunes for the first half and travel songs for the second half. We heard That's Entertainment, Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat, A Chorus Line, Luck Be A Lady and later Viva Las Vegas, New York New York, and Chicago. The performers, the majority a decade or more older than me, put my energy level and stamina to shame. Their bodies were far from shabby, too.

We enjoyed the show and milling about in the lobby afterward was a hoot. The audience emerged from the theatre into a sea of orange-red plumed and beaded head-dresses bobbing higher than the crowd.

Frank posed with one of the stars from the show. It was a carefree, lively evening. If the troupe performs near where you live, their show is worth seeing.

Aug 12th – Simon and Garfunkel

In keeping with an age appropriate theme for us, two weeks later, Frank and I had tickets to a concert featuring the music of Simon and Garfunkel. Again this stage production was also held at our Firehouse Arts Center, a 6.0 mile 13 minute drive from our house.

I'd researched the performers and read some reviews of the pair before the show, but Frank had not. He was surprised to learn the duo was not two guys but rather a man and a woman performer. Their harmony was excellent and they did an amazingly good job of replicated the characteristic sound of Simon and Garfunkel. Near the end of the performance they did one or two songs of their own writing. These songs had the same softness and characteristic melodic tones of Simon and Garfunkel's work. I actually bought a CD as we left.

Sprinkled in with the songs they sung, Kelli and Swearingen filled in some history of Simon and Garfunkel. One anecdotal story they told was about the song Mrs. Robinson from the Dustin Hoffman / Ann Bancroft movie The Graduate. Apparently there was a deadline for the musical numbers for the film and the lyrics had not yet been completed, hence the Doo--doo-doo-doo, Doo--doo-do-doo and the Dih--di-di-di, Dih--di-di-di fill-ins for words in some of the verses. I am not convinced of the veracity of the story but it was fun to imagine even if stretching the truth a bit.

I realized I had never seen the classic movie The Graduate so I bought an old copy off Amazon. The movie was incredibly weird, yet funny at the same time. Seeing such a young Dustin Hoffman was a reminder of how much we all change with age. I guess I am now one step closer to a well-rounded viewing experience in classic films. And yes, indeed there were the verses of Doo--doo-doo-doo, Doo--doo-doo-doo and the Dih--di-di-di, Dih--di-di-di. Fun! We were entertained.