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Lisa Kent and Robert Burns perform a number on stage at the Old Town Playhouse in Kenai. Kent and Burns appear in the Kenai PerformersÕ New YearÕs Eve USO Show at the Playhouse on Saturday.
Photos by John Hult
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New Year’s Eve revelers on the Kenai Peninsula looking for nostalgia to go with their champagne can party like its 1945 Saturday night when the Kenai Performers host their first New Year’s Eve USO Show.
The performance starts at 7:30 p.m. with a prime rib and stuffed shrimp dinner, continues with three hours of dancing, comedy, big band tunes and old-time radio jingles, then caps the night with champagne and desserts at midnight.
The show was a long time coming. According to producer/caterer/singer Charlotte Legg, the idea for a New Year’s Eve show modeled after the USO radio shows of World War II fame grew from a Kenai Performers’ production of “My Favorite Year” in February 2004.
“It was supposed to be a live television show during the ’50s,” Legg explained. “That’s what made me think of a USO show for New Year’s Eve with a big band.”
Legg knew she wanted to include Abbott and Costello’s “Who’s on First” routine, as well as jingles for the show’s sponsors, but much of the material was chosen at auditions in October.
“We asked people to bring a prepared piece from that era, so most of the performers selected their own stuff,” Legg said.
There were so many performers that Legg ended up with more material then she needed.
“Every single thing that everyone brought in was just great,” Legg said.
After the auditions, the group worked together to hammer out the rest of the material, which includes a Groucho Marx skit, a Gracie and George Burns skit and many others. The commercials — all for actual Kenai Peninsula sponsors — had to be written, as well. One has performers channeling Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.
One choice was easy — which song to begin with. After dinner, the 25-piece band will launch into what may be the most recognizable swing-era standard, Glenn Miller’s “In The Mood.” The 12-member dance troupe will swing and jitterbug to that song and others, but dancing is not just for performers. Willing audience members will be invited to learn the moves or show off their own throughout the evening.
Don’t know how? Don’t worry, said Terri Zopf-Schoessler, a teacher at Skyview who sings, dances and acts in the production. The dancers didn’t even know how to swing dance until they met with choreographer Lucas Anderson a few weeks ago.
“Everybody out here, he taught how to swing dance,” Zopf-Schoessler said.
The dancers had to learn routines at a fast clip. Anderson was away for Thanksgiving so they’ve rehearsed every day for the past two weeks to make up for the time lost, except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
“I picked as much music as I could when I was on the plane to visit my family in Iowa,” Anderson said of the song-selection process.
So much time went into perfecting the tap, ballroom and swing routines, Anderson now looks forward to being entertained himself.
“I’m only in charge of six numbers, and the whole show is three hours, so I’m excited to see what everyone else has been doing,” he said.
The orchestra also had a full plate. Many members are part of the Redoubt Orchestra, which was preparing for a Christmas concert as well as learning songs for the USO show through November and early December. Big band presented a challenge beyond double-duty rehearsals, though.
“There are some string players who’ve never played big band music, so it was a first for them,” explained conductor Tammy Vollum-Matturro. “It’s rhythmically challenging — it has a totally different feel.”
According to Vollum-Matturro, the challenge has brought out the best in her group.
“They’re jamming,” she said. “It’s really fulfilling directing them and listening to the sound that’s coming out of this group.”
She also hopes her group can keep playing big band jazz in the future.
“That’s my goal. I would love to just keep doing this. If somebody needs a big band, just call me and I’ll get the musicians together,” she said.
The New Year’s Eve USO Show will begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Old Town Playhouse in Kenai. Tickets are $65 per person or $120 per couple. Tickets are available at Charlotte’s in Kenai or River City Books in Soldotna, but are nearly sold out.
