June 25th, 26th & 27th, 1998


During the final performance on June 27th, 
Shirley Jones walked out on to the stage to  the cheers and applause 
befitting a lady of her great talent.
   Then in a very raspy voice   she told us that she had laryngitis,
  which of course is a singers worst nightmare.
"But The Show Must Go On".
   
With that, the crowd erupted in a chorus of   "WE LOVE YOU SHIRLEY"
to which she then graciously replied,
"Thank You So Much, I really need that tonight".

Shirley did both performances with The Burbank Civic Light Opera. She did all of the show 
and gave everything she had. Calling her a trooper would be an understatement.
Somehow this great lady managed to break through the laryngitis and sing most of 
those powerful strong notes. Her voice echoed throughout the night sky at this 
beautiful outdoor venue.
Not many singers could do what Shirley did, not very many would even try.

A couple of funny things happened that I'd like to share with all of Shirley's fans.
About halfway through the program, beautiful light colored owls would 
glide and swoop above the footlights.
They eventually perched high up in the rafters toward the front of stage.
On the second night when Shirley came out to do a medley, she looked up 
and then informed us of what the odd sounds were that came from the proscenium. 
She also quipped: "I think the owls get paid more than we do."

Also, during the Pirates of Penzannce medley, one of the lead singer was wearing a phony
mustache. The glue was not holding and as he sang it blew comically in front of his face.
Toward the end of his number, he grabbed the pesky thing and threw it up over his shoulder in a
cavalier fashion. Naturally the crowd giggled with delight. These are the fun moments that make live
theatre so special. It was a shame that there were still seats left for both performances.

The Show

This presentation included songs from many musicals. Not just Shirley's
three musical classics Oklahoma, Carousel, and The Music Man.
There were numbers from West Side Story, Fiddler On the Roof, Guys and Dolls, South Pacific,
Pirates of Penzannce, Pippin, Showboat and Evita.

The story that goes with
this blurry picture is fun.

Their Grand Finale was a medley of tunes from Oklahoma 
with Shirley leading it off singing
"Oh What A Beautiful Morning", "People Will Say We're In Love", 
and "Out of my Dreams".
The last number of the medley was, of course, 
"Oklahoma".
As Shirley transitioned into the song, 
a curtain rose on the Burbank Civic Light Opera ensemble.
The kids from the BCLO came charging out and Shirley had to literally 
run off the stage. The first night was really cute because Shirley was 
casually walking off and then she broke into a quick jog as she saw the 
throng of Singing Dancers coming her way.

On the final night, Shirley made a much hastier dash off to stage right.
That is the photo you see above. She was really moving!

These ladies are performing "Buenos Aires" from Evita

Top Photos -- Shirley working with Director/
Choreographer Lucy Record

 
More photos from the dress rehearsal on June 25th.

 If you are looking for Shirley, follow the trail of Evian bottles. As a singer, she needs
plenty of water. There is always an abundance of bottled water whenever she performs.

From the June 27th performance in Burbank, Ca.

Back to The Home Page
Back to The News Page

Return to the Archive Menu