I hadn’t even left the parking lot when I was knocking into elderly ladies in mink coats trying to hurry out of the cold and into the Pollak Theater Sunday, February 12 for In the Mood, a 1940’s musical revue.
Without the use of a time machine, the performances somehow managed to bring the audience back to an era of gramophones, black and white films, and music, music, music.
In the Mood was more than just a celebration of music and “crafting harmonies from heaven.” It paid homage to 1940’s America and acknowledged the memories of all the men and women of that period in history buried within all the silly and sentimental tunes performed in one evening.
The String of Pearls Orchestra, featured the talents of Bud Forrest, Tom Bupin and, Eric Harper in rhythm, Gene Thorne, Brian Hicks, Greg Armstrong and, Hal Fryer on saxophone, Dan Smith, Bob Garrett and, Bill Moore on trumpet, and Brad Bobcik, Art Swanson and Brandon Moodi on trombone.
The Orchestra, without missing a beat, performed a selection of arrangements made famous by bandleaders such as Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, and Benny Goodman.
In turn, the singers and dancers included ladies Jennifer Andrews, Elizabeth Baumgartner and Cori Cable Kidder, who also doubled as the Andrews Sisters for a few performances, and gentlemen Mark Brignone, AJ Converse and Tim Quartier, who served as soldiers.
The faces of the show sang along with the band, tunes penned by musicians such as Sy Oliver, Joe Garland, Cole Porter and Johnny Mercer.
At one point early in the revue, one of the performers brought forth the spirit of what this music and big band sound meant to the individuals growing up during at this time. He recalled, “that wiggly music where you couldn’t understand the words. My parents danced to that music, never touching each other,” he added with an ironic smile as the romantic ballad, Moonlight Serenade, played behind him. “That was their music. This is mine.”
The costumes, designed by Linda Tomlin, were brilliantly colored and appeared to be authentic to the era.
Whenever the three women performing as The Andrews Sisters came on stage, their outfits were reminiscent of what the actual sisters wore to support the soldiers during the war. The male performers sported bona fide costumes of uniform men reminiscent of the navy and the air force’s wardrobes.
Additionally, the dances were wonderfully choreographed. Not only were they suggestive of the Broadway play On the Town’s ballet like sequences, but they also almost seemed to recall the old fashioned entertainment of films like Holiday Inn.
The audience perhaps would not have even been surprised if Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire had come back and hopped up on stage to perform.
At the end of the first act, audience members rose reluctantly from their seats to stretch and step out of the theater.
However, there was no break from the entertainment out in the lobby. Enthusiastic customers were spilling over the tables in search for albums containing the classic, big band music being fed to them and, the music being performed by the String of Pearls Orchestra themselves.
One elderly man talking to a friend was overheard saying, “It’s great isn’t it? Very entertaining.”
“I like it,” Zara Joseph, a freshman, said of the revue after the first act. “It’s very high energy and they’re such amazing musicians.”
The second act dealt with the tragic events of Pearl Harbor and gave an overview of the state of the union at that time. The musical revue demonstrated that music was what boosted the morale of the people and what helped bring them together and let many become a part of the war effort.
Just before the end of the performance, In the Mood performers gave standing ovation to the veterans of World War II present. Of those in attendance, there were at least 20 sailors, roughly 10 members of the Air Force, one lone coast guard who proudly danced during his applause, and too many G.I. men to count.
The traditional Irish ballad, “Danny Boy,” was then performed for all the heroes who did not make it back home.
“I thought the performance was great!” Caitlin Tompkins, a sophomore, said at the end of the show. “Very professional and it really allowed the audience to appreciate the time period with big band music while watching dancers and singers as well.”
Overall, In the Mood was a spectacular experience, and it was a shame to have to walk out of the theater back into the present day.
PHOTO COURTESY of In the Mood
