Choral society pays tribute to the '60s with music, dance
By PATRICK DRAKE
Staff Writer
America went through a lot of changes in the 1960s, and luckily for the Plainville Choral Society, most of them were immortalized in song. In its latest show opening Friday night at the high school, the society will be revisiting the wide-ranging music of the entire decade, complete with a number of big dance numbers.
The show, called Flashback to the 60's, will cover everything from Surfer Girl to Aquarius.
"There is so much great 60s music," said Elizabeth Friedmann, president of the board of directors for the society. "... We thought we would take advantage of that."
The flashback fits into the group's reminiscing theme in 2001.
We've been time traveling this year," said Friedmann. Back in March, we went back to the 1890s."
And according to Friedmann, parts of the whole 60s decade are back in style these days anyway.
The styles are in vogue again, the bellbottoms and the Volkswagens," she said.
By covering the entire 60s decade, the show has something for everyone. It has the 1950s-based rock-n-roll of the early 60s, Motown, a Beatles and John Lennon medley, some Bob Dylan, and some of the more "tie-dye" music of the late 60s such as Janice Joplin and the Mamas and the Papas.
The society even included some comedy numbers from television shows, such as the Ed Sullivan Show and Laugh In, which will have anyone who lived through the 60s in stitches, according to Friedmann. Laugh In's Sock It to Me Baby will be put on for the crowd, and there will even be music from Star Trek.
A whole suite of songs will be themed around the Ed Sullivan show.
Get ready for a really big shoe," said Ed Sullivan's player, kicking off the suite during rehearsal Wednesday night.
Plenty of familiar comedy characters will also make appearances, according to Friedmann. "It's basically 10 years of the Ed Sullivan show condensed down to three minutes," she said.
At one point, the Sonny and Cher Show will also show up.
Sonny and Cher is a fun thing to do, said Mal Cummings, a member of the society who plays Sonny and even looks a little like the performer who later became a Congressman. "Sonny couldn't sing and neither can I."
One of the best parts of the show is the finale at the end, a big dance number of "Aquarius" and "Let the Sun Shine In," according to Friedmann.
"We're rockin' the house at that point," she said.
The show will run Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and May 18 and 19 at 8 p.m. at the high school auditorium. Tickets are $12 at the door and $10 in advance. For more information, call 747-5695.