The Toast Of TulsaSpeaking of Oklahoma’s second largest city, I read
an insightful story in today’s
The New York Times on the űber-busy bubbling Broadway blonde actress
Kristin Chenoweth, who originally hails from Broken Arrow, OK.
Give her props for being proud to be who she is. And I can’t wait to see her in the upcoming Great White Way revival of
The Apple Tree, which opens on December 14.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Apple Tree In Good Company Among SOB Readers (November 6, 2006)
The Apple Tree's Casting Gets Juicier (October 12, 2006)
Young Frankenstein Workshop To Feature Monster Casting (October 11, 2006)
Eve of a New Broadway Role for Kristin Chenoweth (September 13, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Kristin Chenoweth, Musical, Revival, The Apple Tree, Tulsa
Trekking Toward Tulsa TimeAs
noted in my first-ever production “overview,” I took in the Tulsa stop of the
Anne Murray concert tour. So what was I doing there in northeast Oklahoma just a couple days after the area experienced one of its worst winter storms in ages and taking in one of Nova Scotia’s favorite daughters?
This journey actually began in mid-October thanks to my razor-sharp and exceedingly fit 95 year old Grampa Charley. You see, when I sailed on
Royal Caribbean’s
Jewel of the Seas this last October for business purposes, I was able to bring along a guest. I decided that since Gramps was about to reach a milestone birthday, I’d ask him to join me on the cruise where we could celebrate his big day early by sailing from Boston to Halifax and back.
Prior to boarding the ship, I asked Gramps if there was any one thing he wanted to be sure to see or do. I was practically stymied when his response was that he wanted to meet Anne Murray; he knew she hailed from the Maritime province on our itinerary. Whether Gramps was being facetious or merely fanciful didn’t matter to me. I knew that he was a fan and that’s all that mattered now.
But how on earth could I pull off such a feat? Was it even possible? Surely the songstress wouldn’t even be anywhere near her hometown of Springhill, Nova Scotia when we sailed into Halifax.
The first step on my Tulsa trek began by finding Anne Murray’s
Web site. After locating a “contact us” e-mail address, I dashed off a note that explained my grandfather was a fan, while half-apologizing for what I assumed would be a futile attempt to see her. I wrote:
(Gramps) told me yesterday that the only thing he wants to be sure to do is see Anne Murray when we’re in Nova Scotia. Now, I’m not sure that Anne Murray will even be close to Halifax on 24 October, but just wanted to check-in to see what I might be able to do for my Grampa.
Much to my delightful surprise, I received a very warm note from a gracious stranger kindly explaining that Murray would not be in Nova Scotia during October. Instead, she invited us to consider visiting the Anne Murray Centre in Springhill. However, rather than just letting it go at that, she also asked for Gramps’ address so she could ensure a birthday greeting and autographed picture of the Canadian recording artist was sent to him.
Yet the biggest surprise came in telling me that Anne Murray would be on a concert tour of the United States in November and December. She indicated that if I could arrange to take my grandfather to one of the concerts, I should let her know so she could try to arrange a backstage meeting with the singer (she also provided the caveat that she couldn’t guarantee it, but would be happy to try).
The note alone impressed me tremendously. After checking out the concert schedule, I found that Anne Murray was slated to appear on December 2 in Tulsa -- the closest tour stop to Gramps’ home in Bella Vista, Arkansas. Since
my grandfather is amazingly robust and extremely active (he still plays golf as many as three times a week and volunteers at his local cable access station), I realized I had better check to see whether his schedule permitted him to make the trip to Oklahoma.
Of course, I called to break the news that Anne Murray would not be in her home province while we would be there, but then I asked what he was doing on December 2 and was thrilled when he said he had no plans. That cemented it for me -- I asked him if he’d be interested in going to Tulsa to see Anne Murray in concert. He sounded so genuinely pleased, particularly when I said I’d take him myself.
The next step on my journey saw me purchasing tickets for Gramps, his lady friend (yes, my grandfather is quite the lady’s man) and me. I then contacted the individual from Anne Murray’s Web site once again and indicated that we would be taking in the Tulsa show. Almost immediately, I heard back and was told that Gramps, his lady friend and I would all be on the backstage meeting list for the concert (although she did also provide a similar cautionary note that things could still change at the last minute).
So yesterday morning, I flew to the Northwest Arkansas Airport that serves the communities of Fayetteville, Bentonville and my grandfather’s adopted hometown of Bella Vista and was met by this truly inspirational man, who was all smiles and more than just a little excited. We picked up his lady friend and hightailed it to Tulsa during daylight in the event the roads would be icy -- which they were beginning about 20 miles east of Tulsa.
Fortunately, despite the terrible snow, the show was still on. We arrived at the theatre early (I used the ruse that we needed to follow our hotel shuttle’s schedule, but the truth was that I needed to pick up the backstage passes 45 minutes prior to show time). None the wiser, Gramps and his lady friend took their seats and clearly enjoyed the concert. I was ecstatic, but knew that the big moment was still to come.
Once the concert was over, I took Gramps and his lady friend to a special holding area. From there we were whisked to a backstage area, along with about ten other excited audience members. Then, Anne Murray arrived and blew me away when she said, “Where’s Charley?” My surprised Gramps lit up immediately and before I knew it, the entertainer was chatting up my grandfather (pictured together above), his lady friend and me. Naturally, being so genuinely good-natured, she posed for a few pictures with us and talked a little more, giving me an opportunity to relay how our journey began -- she seemed touched.
Anne Murray, who is a very youthful looking 61 years young herself and even better looking up close and personal than in photos, now has my undying appreciation and respect for bringing incredible joy to my grandfather. She’s also brought further hope to me that some entertainers never forget that it’s the fans who are ultimately responsible in their quest for fame and success. There will always be a special place in my heart for this amazing artist.
As for Gramps, instead of being on Cloud 9, he is now floating in the stratosphere. Visibly touched and awed that his simple suggestion of wanting to meet the Pride of Springhill, Nova Scotia would actually come true, my grandfather and I have continued to bond not only as a truly grand-patriarch and progeny, but also as true friends. I feel so incredibly blessed to have him in my life, and I’m cherishing every moment I have with him.
I love you Gramps. Thank you for making this journey with me, and here’s to many more.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Anne Murray (The SOB Overview) - Historic Brady Theater, Tulsa, Oklahoma (December 3, 2006)
Labels: Anne Murray, Concert, Special Messages, Tulsa
Anne Murray (The SOB Overview) – Historic Brady Theater, Tulsa, Oklahoma
A review of an
Anne Murray concert? I must be kidding, right? After all, this is a site devoted to live theatre,
isn’t it?!
Well, even
this SOB has a sweet, sensitive and sentimental side (and I’ve posted more about
how I ended up in Tulsa on a December Saturday evening in the first place). And I do have a soft-spot for this gifted singer.
Since the Canadian songstress was indeed performing live on a theatre stage, I’m not going to refrain from writing about her concert. But since admittedly, I’m no music critic -- and some would argue that I’m really no theatre critic, either -- I’ll refrain from calling this an all-out review. In fact, for all similar stories I post in the future, I’ll merely call them my SOB Overviews.
Suffice to say that Springhill, Nova Scotia’s favorite daughter remains a crowd-pleasing entertainer for all ages, playing particularly well in what is all too often derisively called “flyover country.” But she does strike a chord, and she also taps a nerve here and there in a surprisingly profound way.
Whether she’s dishing out hit after hit (and they’re pretty considerable) or dishing up funny fan e-mails or simply dishing on her host city and its audience, she delivers a sweetly satisfying live performance for anyone who relishes her 35+ years of hit country-pop recordings.
During her current concert tour, Murray neatly divides up her concert into two distinct acts.
First come the steady stream of visibly heartfelt hits (including some that were first popularized by others), including “Put A Little Love In Your Heart,” “Shadows In The Moonlight,” "I Just Fall In Love Again," “Danny’s Song,” “Snowbird,” “Daydream Believer,” “You Needed Me,” and “Could I Have This Dance,” among many others (although there was no trace of my own personal favorites: “A Love Song” or “You Won’t See Me”).
The second act is devoted almost entirely to the Christmas season and the hope it inspires, with some rousing renditions of everything from “Oh Holy Night” to “Winter Wonderland” to “Silent Night.” But it’s her encore of the exceedingly timely “A Little Good News” from 1983 that underscores Murray’s continued relevance on the musical landscape.
The dryly droll Murray also entertained with heaping helpings of friendly, yet smartly-sassy banter. She joked about the treacherous drive to Tulsa (which received its worst snowstorm in years just two nights earlier -- and the roads including those directly outside the theatre remained largely impassible last night), the incessant train whistle she could hear in her hotel room at 4 am and the many loopy e-mails she receives from fans (such as the “complimentary” ones critiquing her wardrobe selections and mentioning how her music was able to put some people to sleep).
Best of all, this endearing and tireless entertainer continues to give every ounce of her heart and soul. She still hits most of the high notes, even if her apparent lack of sleep coupled with the ultra-dry venue may have caused her vocal chords to strain just a bit (she sometimes sounded just a tad bit hoarse).
But backed by an impeccably gifted, tight (and very loyal) band and soaring orchestra, Anne Murray gave her fans a solid performance that they eagerly ate up -- and even the most jaded of musical tastes would be hard-pressed to quibble with her nuanced encore song dealing with today’s distressing headlines.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for concert tour ticket information.Labels: Anne Murray, Concert, The SOB Overview, Tulsa
