Collected Stories: Volume 1
Collected Stories: Volume 1
With Ned Wilkinson
Spotlight Cabaret Series
Nov. 18, 2015
Winter Park Playhouse, Winter Park FL</strong>
Some musicians like to show off more than others. You can’t step into Winter Park Playhouse without seeing Mr. Leavy sitting behind a piano; there are rumors of a drummer named “Sam” but no one can actually describe him. On the cusp of visibility we find Ned Wilkinson, a man often described as a “Mr. Multi-Instrumentalist.” He plays darn near anything that makes noise, and speed learns those he hasn’t touched yet. Tonight’s entertainment involves a large standup bass, it may be his favorite fiddle, and he opens on it with “I Am My Own Roadie.” Then it’s over to alto sax for some modern jazz, and oboe for “Who Knows Where or When?” and then a sad trumpet version of Gene Pitney’s “Town Without Pity.” It’s crowded with instruments up there by the window; from the street the place looks a bit like a pawn shop. Wilkinson tosses in a few Winter Park Playhouse back stage stories but as you might expect they were nowhere as juicy at the tales you might encounter at Fringe or any other less classy operation. After a trombone influenced “Let’s Face the Music and Dance” and a flutish “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive” there an unplugged version of “Everybody is Turning On.” It really was unplugged; a Les Paul doesn’t sound right without a hum buck pick up and Peavey amp. This is one of the more unusual cabarets I’ve seen; it’s a combination of musical virtuosity and a repertory built mostly on the rhythm or counter point version of long time hits. Was anything missing? Yes: Mr. Wilkinson needed more cowbell.
For more information on Winter Park Playhouse, please visit http://www.winterparkplayhouse.org
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