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Regional Reviews: Florida - West Coast Jukebox Saturday Night with the Swingaroos
Along with Ms. Hawkey and Mr. Gleizner, Uri Zelig is on drums as he has been on each of their three previous Sarasota visits, and this time out Michael Brownell is on double bass and vocals and Oliver Bonie plays clarinet, alto sax and vocals. The first half opens with "Happy Days Are Here Again" in its original uptempo version. Almost everyone familiar with the song today knows it the way Barbra Streisand reinvented it, as a torch song. Some of the other selections from this half include "Tonight You Belong to Me," "Thanks for the Boogie Ride," Tennessee Waltz," which links into an instrumental on Chopin's "Minute Waltz," "Is You Is or Is You Ain't (My Baby)," "Heart and Soul," and ending with the Glenn Miller hit "Jukebox Saturday Night." The second half opens with Teresa Brewer's mega hit "Music! Music! Music! (Put Another Nickel In)" and proceeds through "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66," Night Train," "Hound Dog," and "Que Sera, Sera" among others. The highlight of this set and indeed the entire show is a blazing version of "Cry Me a River." The set ends with a jukebox medley, everyone chiming in with their favorites. Besides being an extraordinary singer, Ms. Hawkey has great stage deportment. Her outfits are always a treat for the eye and this outing is no exception. She also sings a couple of vocal obligatos during the evening, once sounding like a muted trumpet and another time a sax. Even having seen her do this before, I was looking around to see where the sounds were coming from before I completely realized. Florida Studio Theatre is to be thanked for their ongoing relationship with this great group. Federal stimulus money from the early pandemic days was used to fund the creation of this newest program from The Swingaroos. Jukebox Saturday Night with the Swingaroos runs through October 31, 2021, at Florida Studio Theatre, Bowne's Lab, 1241 N. Palm Avenue, Sarasota FL. For tickets and performance information, please call the box office at 941-366-9000 or visit www.floridastudiotheatre.org. Cast: |
