Sugar Babies: a Sweet and Saucy Old-time Burlesque Hits the Stage in Cape May County

Local audiences at Middle Township Performing Arts Center enjoyed Sugar Babies, the musical comedy featuring the old days of burlesque with toe tapping dance revues, comedy sketches and an overall good time!

Veteran actor Mike Boyle, native of Sea Isle, has toured all over the country performing Sugar Babies and returned to his roots to raise funds for his brother Bob Boyle who needs a liver transplant. Mike encouraged everyone to be an organ donor. Mike has also toured with Damn Yankees and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Locally he has directed Annie, Music Man and The Sound of Music.

The lead female role (above)was played by Greta Schwartz, a former NY actress, who has been seen in many local productions including Gypsy, Urinetown and The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

The Show was able to raise $7,000 after expenses for Bob Boyle's medical bills. If anyone would like to donate to help Bob as he waits for a liver transplant make checks payable to Friends of Bob Boyle and send it in care of Sheila Boyle 1621 S. Shore Rd. Lot 178 Ocean View, NJ 08230.

Cast member Greta Schwartz said everyone involved felt it was a gift from God how everything worked out with everyone being so busy getting ready for Christmas and still finding time for rehearsals. "A lot of us didn't know each other before the show." "Everyone came together and sacrificed our time, because we knew it was for a good cause and that it was a good thing we were doing." " It is an amazing feeling getting to help someone like Bob." "When we could be complaining about aches or pains or being tired we remembered why we were doing it and it gave us a good feeling."

A lot of volunteers came together to get everything done. Please continue to pray for Bob Boyle. His large family and extended family are grateful for everyone's support.

The large cast of talented singers and dancers sang their hearts out as the orchestra kept pace with the many musical numbers! There were an amazing number of costume changes as you can see from all the photos!

The production staff included Mike Boyle as Producer/Director; Victoria Clark as Choreographer; Jim Maher as Musical Director; Pat Puglise as Production Supervisor and Maureen Wilson as Costumer.

 Bravo!

The Spectacular Pianomen Take a Walk Down Memory Lane

Pianomen had a great run at the Tropicana entertaining to a packed house. The show featured five piano players bringing alive the sounds of Billy Joel, Barry Manilow, Ray Charles, Elton John and Burt Bacharach. The show wowed the crowd with three superb backup singers and an eight piece band.

Martin Lacasse (above) wooed the crowd with a great smile and Billy Joel tunes like Just the Way You Are, Honesty and Uptown Girl.

Francis Mondoux (above) performed Barry Manilow's hits Mandy, Can't Smile and Copacabana.

Stephane Menard (above) brought back Elton John's Your Song, Yellow Brick Road and Philadelphia Freedom among others.

The talented Dennis Mathews (above) lit up the house with a mixture of Ray Charles' Georgia, Fats Domino's Blueberry Hill, Little Richard's Good Golly Miss Molly and Jerry Lee Lewis' Great Balls of Fire!

The female vocalists were crowd pleasers with their melodious back up singing and dance moves. The music of Burt Bacharach was brought alive by Michel Ferrari, including what the World Needs Now, I Say a Little Prayer and I'll Never Fall in Love Again.

The Finale included Beatles songs Imagine, Let it Be, and We Are the Champions. The show closed with Saturday Night's Allright and then the great encore Billy Joel's Piano Man.

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Gospel singer and songwriter Michael Card brought his incredible musical talent and many instruments to the Ocean City Tabernacle for a special free concert last Sunday night. Card plays guitar, octave mandolin, piano and banjo and has made 22 CDS and written over 200 songs! Most people will know him by the famous El Shaddai that Amy Grant had as a hit.  He was accompanied by Jeff Taylor who plays accordion, piano, recorder and flute. Amazingly Taylor is well versed in the over 200 songs that Michael has written and played along quite well with each song.

Card is an impressive guitar player and his songs are exactly like he performs them on his CDs. He also introduced us to the octave mandolin, (left) which he calls his “bazooka”, only not when he is checking in on his flight!

Card has a vast knowledge of the Bible and shares his knowledge on his podcast radio show available from his website www.michaelcard.com  He has written 19 #1 singles and co-authored 16 books. His father was a Baptist minister and he owns his grandfather’s Bible which he says unfortunately doesn’t have any markings in it. He has made it a point to give each of his 4 children their own Bible with notes and lessons about special verses that have meaning to him in his hand writing.

In his concert he went through the Bible with songs from different parts, Genesis to Revelations. He encouraged everyone to read thru the Bible each year. “Genesis Rocks,” he said, “It’s like Spielberg,”… “and Exodus-the parting of the Red Sea!” I was surprised at how many of the songs I knew, but didn’t know he was the author.

He started the concert in Genesis with Pages in the Book, El Shaddai, and Abraham, about calling his son Isaac, meaning “laughter” because how funny that an old man should have a son. Abraham trusts that God will provide the sacrifice, so he won’t have to kill his son. Then he sang another favorite, “Year of Jubilee.”

Card grew up in a black church in Nashville. He observed in the old songs, slaves referred to Jesus as “Master,” because they wanted their own Masters to know they had another Master. They were proud to be slaves of Christ, servants. Card noted the word “Lord” means owner. Card said, “Everyone is going to be a slave to something?” “Whose slave are you going to be?” he asked, singing the song Better Freedom.

The duo performed a beautiful rendition of the 23^rd Psalm with an octave mandolin, which is an 8-string mandolin with a lower octave, along with a recorder.  It was a real treat to sing along to a hymn sing to hymns Praise to the Lord, Just as I Am and Walk with Me Lord, which is the favorite song of his friend Denny, a former Black Panther, who is dying of cancer.

He ended the concert with songs from the Gospels and Revelations asking the poignant question, why did he choose to die? He wrote his own version of Psalm 51, confessing his foolish lies, but “still he will not walk away from the Lord, even though he made the man of sorrows sorry.”

The Tabernacle took a love offering for Michael Card for his generosity of sharing his gift of music with those in attendance. Some future events coming to the Tabernacle include the von Trapp Children on June 18, 7 pm, tickets $25 at door. Free concerts for Jazz pianist James Ward- August 10 - 7 pm, a harpist on Aug. 17 - 7 pm, and Phillip Yancey on Sept. 14 - 8:30 & 10:30 am, author of Disappointment with God.

Check out the Tabernacle’s Full Schedule www.octabernacle.org 399-1915

“Everything’s Coming Up Roses” for “Gypsy” in Margate!

“Gypsy” is a fabulous show that will have you both laughing and crying before the end and there is one more weekend to catch it at the Margate Performing Arts Center on Fri – Sun. May 16, 17, 18; Fri &  Sat at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 2 pm. You can get tickets at the door or by emailing $10 advanced, $12 at the door. The show is brought to you by Schneider Music/Dean and Suzi Schneider

“Gypsy” is a great story of a stage mother, Rose, and her relationship with her 2 daughters, June (left pic on right) Brooke Feldman and Louise (left) Brookey Ridgway . We see the girl’s grow up in 3 stages, baby June and baby Louise, middle June and middle Louise, and then Adult Gypsy Rose Lee. We watch as Rose lives thru her daughters’. Rose’s ambition takes them right to the top although there are many castaways along the way. It is a good age-old message for show business parents who want to control their children and may do more damage than good. You have to come out to see how this story ends. Natalie Wood played Gypsy Rose Lee in the top rated movie. Balloon girl pictured - Stella Schwartz.

The cast is wonderful and filled with young performers and a seasoned cast of adult performers, even 3 strippers, but don’t worry, they give a modest performance for young audiences.  There’s even a cute pug dog. The Margate PAC is spectacular and the area is blessed to have this auditorium with its great acoustics, stage and orchestra pit. Each night there will be different actors for Louise and June.

Rose – Sunny Tripon (top left) is fabulous as the driven show business mother, with Uncle Jocko - Ken Groome, next Herbie - Jim Maher and Rose middle. Dainty June - Blaze Klotz and June with middle Louise - Alex London as a cow. Tulsa - Alanna Mussachio bowing & Rose and Herbie saying goodbye.

The strippers in Burlesque and Middle Louise (Alex London) beginning and coming out of her shell (below)

Adult Gypsy Rose Lee - Gigi Cormier (Above right).  Mother Rose closes out the show with "Rose's Turn."