See ‘Follies’: Big-hearted entertainment serves a cause, and has fun doing so

Cast and crew have pulled together another winning show, this year with the theme “That’s Country!”

Supporting Follies means supporting your friends and neighbors in a labor of love involving weeks of practice, hundreds of hours of rehearsal.

Supporting Follies also means supporting the Oregon Sight and Hearing Foundation and, new this year, the Megan Perkins Scholarship Fund. Lions started the fund in memory of long-time Follies standout Megan Perkins, who died during the 2018 run.

For show details, see page B3. Also, see page A12 for backstage photos from Saturday’s performance.

The story, with local performers taking on big-name personnae such as Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, is a simple one about talent, ambition and teamwork.

Aspirations are tested and attained, and rivalries start hard-edged but smooth out. A prime moment comes after friends Gwen Armani (Sierra Muenzer) and Miranda Lambson (Kristin Fox) are pitted against each other in a “The Voice”-style competition, but end up performing together and supporting each other.

This show has its share of sketches and interludes of dialogue, but it’s essentially about the music, especially after the intermission. From powerhouse solos to tender duets and energetic trios to full-cast song and dance numbers, it’s got it all.

That includes the humor and finesse provided by the barbershop quartet of Dave Diers, Ted Regentin, Shane McCarthy and 12-year-old Matthias Neipp.

“That’s Country!” as a title certainly describes the show, but you needn’t be a fan of country to enjoy the performances.

Director Bev Bridgewater corrals new and returning talent into a melodic proceeding. Indeed, it is the emergence of a number of young singers that bodes well for the creative future of this big-hearted community tradition.

The talent and the heart are certainly there for all to see, and the folks on stage and backstage at Hood River Middle School are working hard to create something special. Make plans this weekend to attend the 43rd annual Lions Follies.