'Bah Humbug!' a snappy revue of old songs, local talent

By the time this column comes out, "Bah Humbug!" will have closed and it will be too late for you see it, if you didn't already. Too bad.

Mounted at the Lee Burrows Center for the Arts in Marysville to raise money for the Sutter Performing Arts Association, this cute little Christmas-themed show was a relaxed revue of 21 musical acts.

The featured performers included a number of established local entertainers as well as a few new fresh personalities. Together, they proved Yuba-Sutter continues to produce and foster some real talent.

Neil Thorson and Bob Hechtman directed the show, with musical direction by Steve Shepard. Keyboardist Shepard was joined by Jeff Poppinga, also on keyboard. Rob Hilton played percussion and Russ Decker was on bass.

Also acting as emcee, Thorson appeared in the Victorian miser costume he wears in his continuing one-man show, "Scrooge." He opened the show with "I Hate People" and later dueted with Wendy Cooper on the charming "Baby It's Cold Outside."

Well-known local performers included husband and wife vocalists Brant and Eleanor Bordsen who did the sentimental "I Remember it Well."

Elta Barber and Al Shannon dueted on "Proud Mary," but also performed separately. Barber reprised "Ain't Misbehavin'" from her starring role in the Fats Waller tribute of the same name, while Shannon punched out a stylish "Ol' Black Magic."

A surprise to me was the visiting barbershop quartet dubbed "Pacific Standard Time." In it were baritone Robert Perkins, tenor Tim Martin, bass Al Drouin and lead singer Nick Nero.

They did four standards — get the pun? — of which "Cabaret" was probably the best known to the 40-plus people in the audience. But my favorite was their rendition of the 1931 classic "Nevertheless (I'm in Love with You)."

Alex Cesena, a rising star out of Yuba City's Faith Christian School, did a swell version of "Mr. Cellophane," a so-called "clown number" from "Chicago."

Robert Nichols ably delivered the "The Christmas Song."

Keyboardist and singer Jeff Poppinga did a rousing solo of "Fly Me to the Moon," and joined with his daughter, 15-year-old Kaylee Poppinga, for a rock number, "Street Smart."

Janet Frye ended both acts. Her rendition of "Santa Baby" finished out the first act and her "What are You Doing New Year's Eve" wound the whole show up.

The three young women in this show — Wendy Cooper, Kaylee Poppinga and Janet Frye — stood out for the evening, all of them garnering ovations from an appreciative audience. Perhaps it was their choice of music.

Cooper, for instance, did a smooth "Embraceable" and brought lumps to the throats of some people who apparently harbored fond, but sad, memories associated with the Gershwin brothers' "Someone to Watch Over Me."

As Cooper crooned that song, an older man shifted discreetly in his front row seat and slipped his arm around the female companion. Whatever private remembrances Cooper's voice and "Someone" had elicited in him must have been good.

For me, the night's big surprise was Kaylee Poppinga. Her well-formed voice seemed far beyond her tender teenage years, as did her comfortable stage presence and confident moves.

She delivered Mack Gordon and Harry Warren's 1941 standard "At Last" in a way that would leave Etta James — whose theme song this was — applauding.

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There are a couple of out-of-town shows coming up that deserve notice, and perhaps even the drive.

"Lucky Stiff," a Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty musical-comedy based on the Michael Butterworth novel "The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo," opens Jan. 14 at the Theatre on the Ridge, 3735 Neal Road, Paradise.

Directed by Joel P. Rogers, "Lucky Stiff" is about a man who can collect a $6 million inheritance, provided he can deliver his uncle's corpse to Monte Carlo for one last vacation. If he fails, all that dough goes to the Brooklyn. N.Y., home for lost dogs.

Evening shows are at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m.

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Coming up Jan. 23 at the Nevada Theatre, 401 Broad St., Nevada City, is a performance by slack guitar and ukulele master Led Kaapana.

Kaapana is considered one of the top Hawaiian musicians. If you have never been exposed to this kind of easy-going, romantic island music, you will be well-rewarded if you go.

Call 265-6161 for ticket and times information.