Judith, Jan & Jill tap dancing in
20th century GALS |
Auckland Gay and Lesbian Singers
June 23 & 24
Conductor: Stephen Bowness, Elizabeth Lau
Guests: Raine Shirley and Terence Maskell
MC: David Steemson
Accompanist: Murray Askin
A musical journey through a century is not a new idea, but one which always provides the audience, particularly one that has grown up anywhere in that span of years, a good nostalgic wallow.
GALS concerts are like family gatherings, and as both participants and audience on Sunday night (don't know what the audience demographic was for Saturday night's concert) were ‘of a certain age', this odyssey through music their parents and grandparents knew and the tunes they knew as part of the postwar culture and emerging freedom as gays and lesbians evoked stronger responses than other music might have.
Having Raine Shirley in drag as an army private- cum- accordion and leading a singsong of WWII songs was a good stroke. Raine's enthusiasm for these old, dare I say it?, warhorses is infectious as is her wonderful way of getting on with the job which pulls the punters along with her. “Kiss me goodnight sergeant major” took on a nudge nudge wink wink meaning in this context, and it was good to join in belting out “Bless ‘em all” and “White Cliffs of Dover”.
Of the choral items, Terence Maskell's arrangerment of “Now is the Hour”, which he graciously conducted, and the opening “Teddy Bear's Picnic” were the big crowdpleasers in the first part, leading up to Raine's sing-a-long just mentioned.
The part two items were ambitious, some worked and some didn't. Sondheim's “Bohemian Rhapsody” was a struggle, as was “Rock Around the Clock” but “Send in the Clowns” received a gasp of appreciation and effusive applause from the rapt listeners.
The staging (presumably by stage manager Amy Carlin) and continuity that went into the evening naturally made it more appealing. David Steemson's arch emceeing and the lighting of Robin Gee both turned the concert into more of a show, infinitely more appealing than if they'd just presented song after song. As to the actual performance, well, GALS has its strengths and its weaknesses – strengths being sprit and charisma, weaknesses being all put down to the limited technical abilities of the performers, which is an area they can work on. Any singers of exceptional ability out there who want to lift the standard? Try emailus@gals.org.nz