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Cheers
Lions Follies fills the bases, scores



Hood River News Editorial
March 31, 2007

The Lions of the Gorge have done it again: they have created a roaring good time, to be found in the 31st annual Follies.

Saturday will be your last chance to see this year’s laugh-filled model, “Cheers,” an homage and send-up of the hit show and the 1980s.

From the floodlights on the basketball backboards to the dizzying array of ‘80s-style wigs and costumes, the 7:30 p.m. production at Westside Elementary is a testament to creativity, teamwork and innovation.

A beloved Hood River tradition, the Follies almost did not come off following the November 2006 water damage to its traditional venue, Hood River Middle School. But the Lions crew pressed on and have filled the smaller and sparsely equipped Westside stage with an intimate and well-appointed recreation of the “Cheers” bar, itself a recreation of the Bull and Finch in Boston.

From its opening musical number, “We’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” by the Righteous Brothers, sung by Clinton Curtis, Dave Tallman and Andy Streich, through all two-and-a-half hours of music, dance, comic moments, and some genuine ad-libbing, “Cheers” is a treat the whole family can enjoy.

There’s a seasonal baseball subplot as Cheers owner Sam Malone (Curtis) tries to woo barmaid Diane (Sarah Oates Fox) by coaching a baseball team from the local orphanage. The baseball theme is an apt one, in that Lions had to put on their annual show in a pinch-hit auditorium. But the music and comedy, the tight harmonies right out of 1960s Motown, and the big hair right out of the 1980s score a hit for the audience.

With its smart and gently satirical script and impressive vocal performances, Cheers delivers a home run for the Lions Sight and Hearing Foundation, recipient of all ticket revenue.

The only real question out of the Follies is, who’s having more fun, the audience or the cast?