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?