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WINDY CITY TIMES
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Chicago Gay Men's Chorus Holiday Show
2003-12-24
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This article shared 3515 times since Wed Dec 24, 2003
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According to my partner, Rick, I let out an audible gasp when I opened the program for A Sassy, Brassy Christmas, The Chicago Gay Men's Chorus annual holiday concert Dec. 12. The source of my excitement was my discovery that the CGMC was opening its concert with 'Christmas Wrapping,' written by the underrated Chris Butler and originally performed by The Waitresses. What a pleasure it was to discover that artistic director Patrick Sinozich was broadening the horizons of both the chorus and the audience with song selections that went beyond the expected holiday music canon.
After a brief opening sketch involving an Evergreen tree and a chainsaw, Chad Baus, Tim England and Steve Geiermann, dressed in glittery red dresses and black gloves, with black wigs atop their heads, took the lead on 'Christmas Wrapping' while the chorus members, dressed in white shirts and red, green, gold or grey ties, and black slacks filed into place. For the brassy number, chorus members dressed as a Salvation Army band, joined the other musicians on-stage. The second Mr. Rogers reference of the week ( the first being in the Bette Midler concert ) began the 'Wrapping Paper' number, which was then topped by four chorus members dressed as dancing rolls of wrapping paper. The 'Feliz Navidad/Christmas In Mexico' medley featured festively decorated sombreros and scantily clad beach boys applying suntan lotion to each other. Eight chorus members, dressed in hula skirts and reindeer antlers, hulaed their way through 'The Reindeer Hula.'
The concept for 'Don't Leave Me This Way,' a desperate Mrs. Claus pleading with Santa not to go on his Christmas delivery route, was clever, but needed a stronger vocalist for the solo. Tom Lehrer's 'Hanukkah In Santa Monica' benefited from both a capable soloist ( Bill Larking ) and the dancing menorah. An old woman with a vacuum cleaner pursued a Christmas tree in the entertaining 'Needles In My Hoover' number. |
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This article shared 3515 times since Wed Dec 24, 2003
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