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April 2, 2008
“Our Town — A Hysterical Revue”
opens Friday, the 32nd installment of the Mid-Columbia Lions
Follies.
The annual show
runs April 4, 5, 10, 11, and 12, and is a benefit for the Oregon
Lions Hearing and Sight Foundation.
This year’s
title refers in part to the Follies’ return to its traditional
venue, the historic Hood River Middle School auditorium. The
2007 Follies had to move to the Westside Elementary School stage
after a burst frozen pipe in the school caused extensive water
damage in January 2007.
The venerable
hall, built in 1927 and on the National Historic Registry, was
repaired last spring and summer and is again host to school
programs, concerts, meetings, and, now, Follies.
This year’s
Follies includes varied skits and spoofs on local and national
events over the past 80 years, and includes familiar Follies
faces and some new performers.
Director Bev
Bridgewater wrote this about the inspiration and creative
process for this year’s Follies:
“The theme for
this year’s Follies was sparked by the unfortunate flooding of
the Hood River Middle School Auditorium in winter 2007. Due to
this, many performance events in Hood River had to find other
space — the Lions Follies included. Word quickly spread about
the saturation of the building from the water and how much work
would need to be done for the renovation. Lions followed the
progress with great interest. We realized that coming back to
this wonderful space would be like ‘Singing in the Rain.’
“The show was
planned with the theme of celebrating the auditorium by decades.
The show writers considered what could have occurred in the
auditorium or the community and wrote a scene around that event.
Of course, the usual comedy and singing had to be added.
Consequently, the 2008 show is a historic look at our community
as told through the decades.
“The show
starts in current time, then goes back to 1927 when the
auditorium was opened. Audiences should listen closely for
familiar names. As we go through the 1930s and 1940s, we see a
radio show and a town hall meeting. For the 1950s through 1980s
we chose to do a dance theme for each. We brought in our
children and their friends to help out. We recognize the final
high school graduating class in 1970 in a special scene that
features Mike Oates as Principal Chuck Bowe and Caryn Chilton as
teacher Miss Dotson.
“Rounding out
our show are spoofs of two popular events that should have come
to Hood River, or maybe they will. There is an ‘American Idol’
try-out scene and a 2008 Democratic Presidential debate scene.
“The show has something for
everyone — young and old. Our performers range from age 2 and
up. Music ranges from flapper to disco, from Broadway to pop,
from standard to rock-n-roll. Once again, the Follies have hit
their mark with a fast paced, entertaining show.”
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