Everything Old is New Again
Everything Old is New Again
Spotlight Cabaret Series
Starring Kevin Kelly
Musical Direction by Chris Leavy
March 11, 2015
Winter Park Playhouse
Winter Park, FL</strong>
There are those who age gracefully, and then there are those who channel Frank Hilgenberg from the back of the room. Kevin Kelly puts on a tux once again to lead his sixth cabaret in beautiful downtown Winter Park. It’s his birthday so he is allowed to select his favorite songs, although I suspect he would have done that anyway. Most of these songs are completely obscure, and I hope I get their titles right. The opener is easy, it’s the crooner friendly “Those Were The Days”; it’s followed by the age-proof “I Still Have My Health” (and not to be confused with “Young and Healthy”). But with the boat off the dock I was adrift, tunes like “Frim Fram Sauce” and “(Ah, The Apple Trees) When The World Was Young” drift along in Kelly’s mellow voice as I scribble bits of lyric on a napkin as a reminder. Thanks to Google I’m pretty sure those are right, so I’ll stop while I’m ahead.
Audience banter is part of the show; another birthday boy was heckled and he heckled back. As the show rolled along, a Tom Lehrer number “When You Are Old and Gray” added some naughty humor; with all the good Lehrer material out there maybe one night we can all sit down for a full program of those old-fashioned science songs. A guest appears; Noel-Marie Matson popped off a few duets and plugged her own upcoming show; their “Get Happy/ Happy Days Are Here Again” was especially nice. As our drinks diminished (everyone had to drink if Kelly blew a lyric) and our musical experience expanded Kelly wrapped up with a standard from Bobby Darin, “When the Curtain Falls”. Nostalgic and exotic, Kelly’s a sure bet when it comes to singing in public.
For more information on Winter Park Playhouse, please visit http://www.winterparkplayhouse.org</em>
