“Stay Tuned”
Presented by the Headwaters Council for the
Performing Arts
September 16, 2008
By Barbara W. Wilkinson

Once again kudos are in order for the Eagle River Headwaters Council for the Performing Arts with its electrifying opening performance at the Northland Pines High School Auditorium on September 16.  The stage featured both the talented “Five By Design” vocal quintet and their eight accomplished band members who presented their award winning hit musical “Stay Tuned.”  The sell-out audience was immediately drawn into the evening’s entertainment with the toe-tapping music, comedy, and hilarious “novelty” acts that were as quick changing as were the costumes.  Under the direction of pianist Steve Hobert, the cameras began rolling vintage 1940’s vaudeville acts and radio that led to black-and-white television and finally to the living color we saw in the following decades.
    The group’s lively harmonies and comedic interludes were immediately brought to the forefront when it burst into an energetic rendition of the 1940’s hit I Feel a Song Comin’ On.  Quickly the ambiance changed when the background became a soda shoppe and the troupe, dressed appropriately in “fifties” attire, invited the audience to join it in a lively version of Sh Boom.  Again a quick change as the men, Kurt Niska and Michael Swedberg, led by baritone Terrence Niska, belted out a harmonious rendering of Cross Over the Bridge with the back-up of Lorie Carpenter-Niska who then transformed the mood with her heartfelt interpretation of Rosemary Clooney’s hit "Hey There".
    Another shift, this time into Spanish attire, where the five outstanding musicians danced and sang their way through an energetic revision of Papa Loves Mambo, while the band prepared for its exuberant adaptation of Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White.  Sliding into that last high note, the trumpeter evoked fond memories of Herb Alpert’s Tijuana Brass Band of the 1950’s. The two women, Carpenter-Niska and Sheridan Zuther, then joined forces in performing a delightful likeness of the Andrews sisters’ Make Love to Me. 
After amusing the spectators with television commercials including See the USA in your Chevrolet, the troupe delightfully crooned Mr. Sandman and Singin’ in the Rain, both excellent renderings of the former artists.  Then, using the Chevrolet image, they traveled to Istanbul where they performed the energetic song by the same name decked in turbans and shawls to add to the ambiance.  With yet another quick change, the “Five” found their way into an alley as the band began playing Hernando’s Hideaway with muted trumpets and trombone.  As the music decrescendoed into a whimper, the travelers found themselves in a jungle as Michael Swedberg led them with a marvelous falsetto in “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”
    The end to intermission could not come soon enough.  Niska introduced this segment as a “television variety show” which incorporated not only the media but the American culture from 1950-1966 as well.  The band opened with lively themes from Gunsmoke, Alfred Hitchcock, Perry Mason and Peter Gunn and challenged the audience to guess their titles.  Then the “Five” presented classic commercials of the period, including Chiquita Banana, the “snap, crackle and pop” of Rice Crispies, Ajax detergent, Pepsident toothpaste, and Texaco gas stations, complete with wrench, hub cap and pump.  Zuther concluded this segment by skillfully typing to the rhythm of The Typewriter, as it was in the 50’s, complete with bell and return lever.
    After a delightful a cappella five-part rendition of Duke of Dubuque, Carpenter-Niska performed an impassioned breathy Girl from Ipanema and Hobert demonstrated his phenomenal piano skills performing Mancini and Mercer’s Charade.  Finally, the company appeared in white bathrobes, and the make-up came off as they nostalgically sang The Curtain Falls.  A rousing standing ovation followed, congratulating the Headwaters Council in its initiation to another outstanding season.  Indisputably, this was a fitting tribute to the former eras of music and entertainment and if the rest of this year’s performances are of this quality, the Headwaters Council is on its way to another winning season!
The next performance, In The Mood, will be Tuesday, October 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the high school auditorium.  Featuring music and dance from the 1940’s, a time when music moved the nation’s spirit with hope, it promises to be an entertaining evening.  After the presentation, the Riverstone Restaurant will provide a feast of appetizers and desserts and the performers will be on hand to greet the audience.