A tingle went down my spine as "That Old Black Magic"
was sung Friday night. It was the World Premiere of
"A Dash of Rosemary!" and there I was taking it in
along with over 700 other people.
Paul Feraldi's set was picture perfect: "A Dash
of Rosemary!" sign lighting up the stage. The minute
the five-piece band struck their first chords, I was
in awe at how things had come together.
When the actors -- Nicole Fenstad, Gregg Kapp and
Jill Roberts -- hit the stage, I knew we were in for
something special. Each, in their own down-to-earth
way, brought Rosemary Clooney to life. With ease,
these actors told the story of Rosemary's ups and
downs.
And the voices -- oh, those voices -- I could have
listened to them for hours longer, especially when
they harmonized; Kapp's smooth voice, Roberts' strong
voice, Fenstad's sweet, soft voice.
It was like every note of every song they sang was
perfect, from "Too Old to Cut the Mustard," to "Botch-A-Me,"
to "Count Your Blessings." I could go on and on.
Two larger than life silhouettes came to life during
the song,"I'll Be Seeing You" as the lights dimmed
the we learned that Rosemary's sister Betty had just
died.
The lights surrounding the "A Dash of Rosemary!"
sign which hung from the stage shown brightly as "Count
Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)" was performed and
I actually felt tears well up in my eyes when "Turn
Around" was sung.
The two hours flew by and before I knew it the last
song was sung. In the lobby, I heard more than once,
"I didn't know all that about Rosemary or that she
sang all those songs."
Hopefully Douglas Kampsen will bring the show back
to Sauk Centre soon. Here's to the cast and crew and
like the song from "A Dash of Rosemary!" in a few
years hopefully, "I'll Be Seeing You!"
