November 10 - 14 2005 The Joy of Operetta! "A rare and wonderful thing [ and ] a grand night for singing!"

Gary Walker . The Desert Sun October 13 . 2004 Derrik Lewis is back with his fifth season of the outstanding "Musical Chairs" series and a tribute to lyricist/composer Sammy Cahn. I'm used to the cornucopia of hit standards but the Sunday opener was a stunner, with almost 50 songs. Frankie Randall is the popular headliner, but it was Lewis and company who did the heavy lifting. Regulars Mara Getz and Richard Leibell were, again, magnificent. New to the lineup are Gerald Colucci, who brought the audience to its feet, and 16-year old Amber Lietz whose lovely voice and stage presence belie her age. What the World Needs Now! An overflow crowd jammed the final performance of the music of Burt Bacharach & Hal David. Wayne Abravanel's "Casino Royale Quintet" supplied the accompaniment for singers Gennine Francis, Bill Ramirez, Mara Getz and New York cabaret star Marcus Simeone. Francis added the Dionne Warwick touch that resulted in so many hits and Ramirez's warm tenor and breezy manner were well received. Special recognition should be given to the always scintillating Getz and the tender counter-tenor dynamics of Simeone, who made the lesser-known songs as delightful as the many evergreens that had the audience going with the flow.