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Legends in music have always called Palm Springs home. Academy, Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award winners have created the music America loves from this desert playground. The fourth annual Michael Childers Production of One Night Only celebrated those legends and brought the music they created to the stage of the McCallum Theatre on April 28. In typical Childers style, the performers represented the best from Broadway, Hollywood, and television. Some were seasoned performers including Stefanie Powers, Michelle Lee, and Carol Cook — others might not be well known to the general public but their talent was enough to stop the show and brought enormous cheers with each familiar song. New to me was James Barbour although he has appeared in major musicals on Broadway and won numerous theater awards. His rendition of “If Ever I Leave You” from Camelot (written by the late PS homeowner Frederick Loewe) was a memorable end to the first act. Along with beautiful music, there was comedy and no one does it better than Carol Cook performing “You Can Always Count On Me” and Nobody Does It Like Me” from City of Angels and SeeSaw, while Alix Corey’s “Wherever He Ain’t” from Jerry Herman’s Mack & Mabel was a classic with perfect timing.
Among desert homeowners remembered were Hoagy Carmichael, James Van Heusen, Johnny Mercer, Barry Manilow, Frank Sinatra, Lena Horne (Freda Payne did a great job with Horne signature songs “Lover” and Stormy Weather”), and Elvis Presley. Other Palm Springs natives whose compositions added to the evening were Michael Masser, and Tony winning lyricist David Zippel. It was an evening of fun, great entertainment and a salute to desert composers, lyricists and performers who brought their talent to the world from our desert.
In addition to Childers, those whose behind the scenes talent made it all possible were Calvin Remsberg, director, Ron Abel, music director, and Michael Paternostro, Musical Staging. Honorary Chairs and Platinum Sponsors were Annette Bloch, Helene Galen, Barbara and Jerry Keller, and Harold Matzner. Barbara Fromm and Sherry Schor chaired the evening. The final act was supper after the show at Acqua Pazza, a fitting end to a perfect evening. |
