A small crew celebrates 20 years in song and performance as it reclaims its annual event this spring.
Last year the Monterey Recreation Centre took on the event and shared the love as all sorts of groups showcased talents.
This year the 20th Note-Ables Spring Revue includes two of those clubs.
“This year the Note-ables invited those two groups again and the Hula Ladies are coming back,” said organizer Pat Chung. “Also we will have a small offering by the Monterey Players, the drama club.”
“Our group is quite small and we are really having difficulty getting members that will commit,” says Chung.
“The young new seniors, they’re different. They’re a lot more active and on the go than 20 years ago.”
People like to travel in the winter and the production requires rehearsal twice a week from October right up to showtime. “It takes a lot a lot of stamina, both physical and mental,” Chung said.
Though small in numbers, this cast packs a big punch.
“(Twenty years ago) we had maybe 25 to 30 people on stage. We had a huge group and we had various people who were interested in creating shows and putting them together. That seems to have dwindled,” Chung said. “We have a small cast this year. They’re enthusiastic and most of them have been with the show for quite a while.”
The spring revue features about 40 songs punctuated with costume changes.
“We’re not a chorus, we’re theatre. It’s song and movement,” Chung said.
The first act will be the opening, with their featured guests directed by Monterey member Barb English. The rest is all Note-Ables under the theme of musical movies, directed by Jill Garnett and Sharon Belton.
“That gives us a wide variety. There’s a broad scope,” said Chung. “Everything from fantasy to jazz to western music will be represented. It’s different than anything we’ve done before. I think this will be quite different.”
The Monterey Note-Ables spring concert featuring the Monterey Players and Hula for Health is Saturday, April 2 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. as well as Sunday, April 3 at 2 p.m. in the Monterey Recreation Centre. Tickets, $10 are available through the centre, 1442 Monterey Ave.