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November 2007 InCider Press Page 5 |
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You just can’t hide it - affluence, that is. During the past few weeks, a number of chorus members and wives complimented me on my “scruffy” appearance as my hair and beard grew longer and my worn-out grey long-john shirt got even more stretched. I believed them and felt pretty good about myself. I truly thought that my appearance would make me a believable down-and-out man of the thirties as I stood humbly on the front row of the chorus during our performance as part of the competition during the Central States District Convention. Finally the day of the competition had arrived. I awoke early, ate breakfast, and pulled on my drab grey shirt and wrinkled, torn trousers. I donned a moth-eaten grey knit cap and a severely tattered flannel over shirt, grabbed my rusty, antique carpenter’s square and set out toward the convention hall. Just as I crossed the street in front of the Marriot Hotel I was approached by a “street” person. He looked me in the eye and said, “Could you please give me a dollar? I am totally broke.” I looked back at him and replied, “Can’t you see that I am more broke than you are,” and continued on my way. In my mind I was the guy who was looking for a hand-out that morning. My regret during the day as I reflected on this event is that I didn’t dig in my pocket and give the man a dollar. He may truly have been a modern version of the man I was supposed to represent when we sang “Brother Can You Spare A Dime?” Did my costume and appearance fail me? Is it perhaps impossible to remove the look in the eyes of a person who has been successful and who is comfortable with his condition despite his outward appearance at the moment? Had he seen me come out of the Marriot? Perhaps the contest judge who said that our portrayal of poor, depressed, down-trodden, hungry men was not convincing is absolutely correct. I personally hope that none of us have to experience that condition so that we can accurately portray such a person in our next contest. I also hope that I can develop a means of more accurately assessing the condition of future pan-handlers who approach me. Perhaps they really need a dime; I feel certain that I could spare one♪. |
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You just can’t hide it By Bart Bartholomew |
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Stage fright, bright lights and music all weekend long! What a time! If any of you couldn’t make the contest venue that weekend, you missed a great time! Barbershoppers and their wives, friends, relatives and significant others flocked together at the downtown Marriott and Music Hall for a very musical weekend I didn’t get much sleep but I thoroughly enjoyed myself! First of all, let me take the time to thank each and every member of The Little Apple Chorus for your time commitment, and effort put forth for the good of the chorus, to represent our chapter in the Central States District! I would like to thank you all as well for the continual support and “break a leg’s” given to Late Night Edition! It means an awful lot when you are up on stage in a quartet and can hear the cheering and shouts from a certain section of the auditorium welcoming you to the stage! I hope we didn’t disappoint anyone with our first time effort!! We (Late Night Edition) received some very good pointers from the judges in our critiques!! We will use that to help us sing better as a quartet and represent our chapter again at the next contest!! I’m glad to know that with our hard work and Ken’s many hours of listening to tapes, worrying over how the music should be interpreted, and cracking the whip during rehearsals, that we did improve! We are on the right track and everything that we are learning can be applied to every rehearsal and performance we do to bring a better representation of the Barbershop music we love to a captive (or not so) audience! I can’t wait to actually see the DVD of the chorus performance and hear what was good and what wasn't! |
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Stage fright and bright lights By Tom Fish |
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doctrine. Perhaps we're not the greatest in terms of musical prowess, but we're pretty darn good at being barbershoppers, which means presenting a program of fun, fellowship, music, performances and philanthropy that we all enjoy. So in looking forward, we're in great shape! We have excellent leadership, especially musically, and our |
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officers and chapter board are dedicated to making your membership and participation worth your while. We're entering a period of celebration during the Holidays, then starting on another cycle of Springtime fun with Singing Valentines, and show preparation. It is an exciting time in our chapter's life, and we hope you can come along for the ride! ♪ |
