The Camille Playhouse opened strong in April after closing due to COVID-19. For those of you who did not attend the April production that was on for three weekends ending April 25, you missed a real musical treat.
The performance was a rather large group of the very best singers I have ever heard in the Rio Grande Valley. They sang in groups and of course there were a number of very talented solos. They did a variety of songs from TV, pop tunes, concerts and Broadway.
The music was done by a single and very talented pianist who played all of the background music for nearly two hours and never skipped a beat. He must have played it all from memory, as I saw no sheet music on the piano.
These singers, I repeat, are the very best I have heard in the Valley. For example, one of the solos was performed by one of the show’s organizers, Sylvia Lester, that was professional in voice quality, phrasing and emotion; it affected me in a way that the hair on my arms and the back of my neck stood up with a chill; it’s called goosebumps. That happened several times during the show, and once when a young lady sang a song from a Broadway show Cats.
I know a little about theater as I was involved in stage lighting design, direction and operation. I did both amateur and professional. I was fortunate to be married to a very talented singer and actress for 59 years. She starred in a number of shows at the Camille, local dinner theater and Harlingen. She also did some work in production and directing. We traveled to Houston, Austin, Branson, Mo., and Harlingen for live professional entertainment.
As this fantastic show at the Camille continued with me at the edge of my seat, I began to wonder: Is this show Brownsville’s “American Idol” or “America’s Got Talent” where the audiences vote with their applause and standing ovations?
Wow. What a talented show.
To those who had anything to do with putting this show together, whether it was production, casting, direction or organizing, great job! And you too, Board President Martie DiGregorio — fantastic job!
Jim McNeil, Brownsville
