Sure, NBC’s hit series, America Got Talent, is in its 19th season. But, hey, did you know that Fairfield Harbour also has talent? Our very own Harbour Lights Players just presented their 2024 Follies, an epic event that goes back well over 30 years! (Take that, NBC!)
Featuring song, dance, and some jokes thrown in for good measure, this year’s Follies was called “Around the World in 80 Minutes”, with music from such exotic and faraway places as Israel, Mexico, Hawaii, and Bavaria, plus some elegant and exquisite dances by Kalinna Musser from her native China!
The Follies also showcased some of the best American music, with blistering blues by Doug King and his magic electric guitar, Terry Knickerbocker singing an original called The Getaway, then leading the receptive audience in a first-ever Follies sing-along of Leaving on a Jet Plane. And let’s not forget one of the show-stoppers, Donna Hunter’s touching rendition of the Norah Jones classic, Come Away With Me.
Other US faves included Southern Cross, a song originally by CS&N, Never Been to Spain, and Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay, with Chip Johnson and Glen Druhot, with Doug King getting in some hot licks. Hawaii was represented by the Wiki Wackies, featuring Alexandra Kemendy on vocals, who later was joined by Jay Barker, a fifth generation concertina player, performing a traditional Bavarian folk song from the 1820s.
The musical mood was lightened considerably by The Captain and the Admiral playing a song extolling the excitement of owning a boat (alert: there was not much joy but there were laughs involved in this song!) and then The Jug Heads finished up the first act crooning about the virtues of Homegrown Tomatoes, just like Meemaw would have made them back in the day.
Attendance at this year’s Follies smashed the previous record, so the crew and cast of the HLP want to thank all the folks who came out and hope to see them all again next year.
For those who are interested in lending their talents to next year’s extravaganza, please contact Alexandra Kemendy at 413-768-9778. She’d love to hear from you.
And remember, there’s no business like show business! See you next year!
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