LEGENDS IN CONCERT
May 16th, 2008
Legends In Concert showcases some of the most famous superstars of the past and present – what more does one need to be entertained for 2 whole hours! I happened to catch the first line-up of the season on the last night of their performance in Branson!! And I must say the entire cast gave it all they had – what fantastic performers!!
George Trullinger as singer songwriter and pioneer rock and roller, Buddy Holly, got everyone REVVED UP – wielding his guitar from one end of the stage to the other, singing Buddy’s 1950’s rockabilly signature hit songs, and providing the initial comedy in the show.
As George took the stage, he had the whole theater rocking to “Oh, Boy!” Just as we were all clapping along, he shouted, “Let’s rock and roll!!” and launched into the well-known “Peggy Sue.” He then joked about looking like a “geek” with his greasy, slicked-back hair, big horned-rim glasses and white socks, and had us all laughing before delivering a medley of “It’s So Easy,” “Maybe Baby,” and “That’ll Be The Day,” during which he had us all singing along.
George ended the Buddy Holly segment with the “flip-side” of his first song, “Not Fade Away.” It was crazy, fun and very entertaining to see and hear him break out of the Holly mode in the middle of the song and start playing bits and pieces of other very recognizable Rock n’ Roll hits such as Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama,” Bo Diddley’s “Who Do You Love,” and Steppenwolf’s “Born To Be Wild” – all following the same rhythmic Rock n’ Roll beat. (A motorcycle rally was in town and many cyclists were in the crowd enjoying every bit of this, too!)
There was much applause as George left the stage – an excellent performer, indeed!!
Stacey Whitten is the most perfect Marilyn Monroe – gorgeous, too!! A marching cadence could be heard as Stacey, appearing in a brightly colored, hot-pink gown, started singing “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend,” from the 1953 film, “Gentlemen Prefer Blonds.” She was dazzling, and the men in the audience certainly perked up during this segment!!
Her second number was “I Wanna Be Loved By You,” from the 1959 movie, “Some Like It Hot,” during which she came into the audience, searching for the “perfect” man. After plenty of comedic encounters with several men in the crowd, she was lucky to find a guy named Butch, who was very eager to follow her onstage for a little Marilyn style fun!! More banter followed as she “teased” Butch and sang Cole Porter’s “My Heart Belongs To Daddy.” And, well, you can see in my photo, what eventually happened to Butch – and he enjoyed every minute of it!!!!
Stacey’s final performance was a song and dance number, “Heat Wave” from the 1954 movie, “There’s No Business Like Show Business.” This included Stacey and the whole cast of dancers performing a most energetic routine, and providing a very dramatic ending to our ever-so-brief encounter with the talented and beautiful Marilyn Monroe!
Justin Clark and Art Vargas as the Blues Brothers, Elwood and Jake, never fail to get everyone jumpin’ in their seats! Anyone who’s seen the “The Blues Brothers” movie knows how wild and crazy these two guys are – while there was always something lovable about them, too. Their music was a combination of rhythmic blues, jazz, Rock n’ Roll, mixed in with a lot of soul – and a whole lot of energy!
Justin moves from one end of the stage to the other in typical Elwood Blues style including his acrobatics, and also plays a mean harmonica during several songs. Art has the classic Jake Blues raw vocal sound and completes the duo flawlessly. Songs included “Gimme Some Lovin’,” “Soul Man,” “Flip, Flop and Fly,” “I Ain’t Got You,” and “Sweet Home Chicago.”
These guys are great together and they also take several trips into the audience with their microphones – so you might get to sing backup if you’re lucky!! Think fast though – I just don’t know where they get all their energy!! Great job, guys!!
Larry Turner is the image of THE REAL LIVE George Strait and sounds just like him, too. I’d sure like to see and hear them onstage together!!! It’d be hard to tell which one is the original!!
A superstar of country music, George has been a mainstay of traditional country style since the 1980’s. Larry entered singing “Heartland,” a #1 hit from the 1993 movie “Pure Country,” followed by “Fireman,” an earlier 1985 hit. Of course, no tribute to Strait would be complete without “All My Exes Live In Texas,” the country swing sound of “Ace In The Hole,” and the romantic ballad, “The Chair.” Larry then brought us “Check Yes Or No,” and concluded his segment with one of the most recognizable George Strait hits of the ‘80s, “Amarillo By Morning.”
My husband and I knew Larry when he used to sing with the Gospel Lads Quartet out of Joplin, MO. It’s only recently we found he was in Branson, thanks to Debbie Jones who moderates the chat room over at http://www.bransoncritic.com/chat/. It seems Larry was previously with the Presley’s, too – sorry we missed him there! However, we really enjoyed his performance with Legends, and getting to chat with him after the show. Great to see you again, Larry, and best of luck to you while performing with Legends In Concert around the country!
Ed Sullivan (George Trullinger) delivered a brief comedic monologue before introducing the newest, hottest performer making television history – “Here he is now, Elvis Presley!!”
Loud applause welcomed Dean Z to the stage as all the females in the audience had their eyes glued on this good-looking, young man! “Shake, Rattle and Roll” started the place to rockin’ and rollin’ as everyone quickly became aware of the talent Dean has to look, shake, and sound like the early rockabilly rocker of the 1950’s, Elvis Presley!
Screams began to echo throughout the theater as Dean and the band launched into Elvis’ first #1 hit record, “Heartbreak Hotel.” More screams were heard as Dean gave the ever popular Elvis response, “Thank you very much.”
The sizzling ballad, “One Night,” caused even more frenzy as Dean told the audience “screaming only makes me move and shake more,” and one woman flew up to the stage to get a kiss.
Two upbeat hits, “Teddy Bear” and “Don’t Be Cruel,” had the crowd clapping along as Dean brilliantly displayed even more of the classic Elvis moves! Then several female dancers appeared onstage with Dean during the fast-paced “I Got Stung,” reminding me this era would soon be followed by Elvis’ movie era in which we would see many more such choreographed songs.
Dean then slowed the pace with a soothing rendition of the gospel number Elvis sang on the 1956 Ed Sullivan show – sung especially for his own mother – called “Peace in the Valley.”
Concluding his Elvis segment with the rousing “Jailhouse Rock,” Dean had us all clapping and enjoying his many dance moves to one of Elvis’ most famous movie soundtrack titles. Once more, he told everyone “the more you scream, the more I sing” to which the crowd naturally exploded.
Dean Z is held in high regard by many other Elvis tribute artists and has become a big hit since coming to Branson! All of his fans are very proud of him. Congratulations, Dean!
The entire cast was re-introduced as they all converged onstage to give a final performance of the Righteous Brothers hit, “Rock and Roll Heaven.” Cast members were available both at intermission and after the show to greet and sign autographs as well.
Leaving the theater, it’s always interesting to hear various comments from the attendees and I noted one person who stated simply, “That was awesome!” I agreed. Be sure and visit Legends In Concert on your next visit to Branson – you won’t be disappointed!
Sandi McKim, Editor
Photos and collages by Sandi McKim