New West Theatre goes back to the past this July with their new show The Ritz: Hits of the Big Band as they explore Rat Pack era big band music with special guests George Gallant, Mark Campbell, Dave Mikuliak and Jeff Carlson each performing for a week.
“ It will be like seeing a different show every week,” said director Jeremy Mason, who thought it would be a great idea to combine the 25th anniversary of New West Theatre with the 50th anniversary of the Lethbridge Big Band.
“We’re each taking a week. It’s the first time they’ve tried something like this. It’s just been a hoot,” said George Gallant.
His last show in the run was a lot of fun, July 8.
Gallant was a highlight during the opening number “Puttin’ on The Ritz.”
The Ritz: Hits of the Big Band beautifully shows off the Lethbridge Big Band, who are front and centre on the stage as the cast performs around them.
They all get to be “guest vocalists” with the band in this show — much coveted position.
It is a source of comedy as well as Erica Hunt shows Devin Brayne, after being inspired by Gallant, how to be a crooner in one bit. It is all a joke as Devin Brayne shows he doesn’t need any help to be a crooner on numbers like “Catch A Falling Star.” He shows his humour on “She’s no Lady.”
None of the cast are slouches by any stretch, they sing beautifully and Erica Hunt, Kathy Zaborsky and New West newcomer Andrea Gedrasik are all powerhouse vocalists in their own right, especially singing together. As always, they all get their solo spots as well as participating in group numbers.
Gedrasik is impressive in “Luck Be A Lady.” The music ranges from powerhouse vocals to more sedate, poppy ’40s / ’50s style TV commercial style, tinny vocals.
Scott Carpenter shines on a couple of numbers including “Magic Moments” and “ Banana Split For My Baby,” one of the more humourous numbers.
He performed a hot duet/ medley of “My Funny Valentine” and “ How Do You Keep The Music Playing” with Kathy Zaborsky.
Group numbers like their Perry Como tribute were very entertaining as were their medley of popular children's hits like “ The Candy Man,” “Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead.”
George Gallant shone on “Ain’t That a Kick In The Head” and “ You Make Me Feel So Young” which ended the first half of the show.
But they were just getting started.
The second set begins with the apt “Too Darn Hot,” as the cast all changed costumes for it.
Erica Hunt was at her sultry best in it.
While the show is mostly about the Lethbridge Big Band anyway, Medicine Hat trumpet player Mark Ward took centre stage to sing an excellent version of “Mack the Knife.”
“It's been so much fun. It’s probably one of the best jazz karaoke gigs there is. And we’re backed by a 17 piece band. They are a really good band,” Gallant said.
“ We’ve never done a collaboration like this, so I really liked the idea, so we when we were talking about it. I really wanted to do a Rat Pack crooner show and everyone said ‘you need to talk to (musical director) Paul Walker,’” Mason said.
“This was a good chance to collaborate with the Big Band,” he continued.
He noted crooner style shows have always been a popular New West Theatre draw though they haven’t done one since the late ’90s.
“ It’s been quite a while,” he said.
“We’ve done a couple of jazz shows, but it’s been well over a decade since we’ve done one,” he continued.
He noted the cast is the same size as last year's “Country Gold” country and western show, but smaller than usual for comedy revue shows.
He said the special guests fit in well with the cast, which includes newcomer Andrea Gedrasik and familiar faces like Erica Hunt, Devon Brayne, Kathy Zaborsky, and Scott Carpenter.
New West Theatre veteran Scott Carpenter is excited about the show as he grew up listening to crooners and big band music.
“My family listened to the crooners, so I grew up listening to them,” he said.
“And I studied big band music at Capillano College in Vancouver,” he continued.
“This is completely comfortable for me. It’s a dream,” he said adding he is excited to not only to sing some Perry Como, but also to sing a duet with Kathy Zaborsky.
“It’s going really well,” he said.
“ All of our special guests have performed with either Lethb
ridge Big Band or with New West,” Mason said adding they are all familiar with each other's work and their capabilities.
“ These four guys fit in perfectly with us,” Carpenter added.
“ It’s like putting on a well worn glove that fits perfectly,” he continued.
“And they're all different, so it’s like we have four different moods. It’s been very amazing and very cool,” Carpenter continued.
“ Big band music is popular again. People forget how hip big band music was. Lots of musicians are performing with big bands. Even Justin Timberlake recorded with a big band,“ Mason said.
“The Ritz: Hits of the Big Band runs July 3-26 at the Yates Theatre at 7:30 p.m. each night.
George Gallant performs July 3-5 and 8, Mark Campbell performs July 9-12, Dave Mikuliak performs July 15-19 and Jeff Carlson winds up the show, July 22-26.
There are also 1 p.m. matinees, July 12, 19 and 24.
