Monday, November 28, 2011

DOWNTOWN CABARET THEATRE STAGES A PAIR OF POPULAR TRIBUTE PERFORMANCES




The Downtown Cabaret Theatre of Bridgeport has gone out of its way to stage a fantastic holiday celebration for your enjoyment and pleasure:  tributes to both Simon and Garfunkel and Neil Diamond.  How special is that?

The singer-songwriting duo of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel began way back in elementary school when the pair appeared on stage in “Alice in Wonderland” with Simon as the White Rabbit and Garfunkel as the Chehire Cat.  They grew up a few blocks from each other in Forest Hills, Queens, New York and began their career together as “Tom and Jerry” in 1957.  They went on to have many big hits in the 1960’s but experienced their own personal “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” in 1970 when they broke up for the first time.  Since then they have reunited once a decade to perform such hits as “I Am a Rock,” “Mrs. Robinson,” “Homeward Bound,” “The Sound of Silence,” “Feeling Groovy,” “Cecilia” and “Scarborough Fair.”

A chance meeting in 1991 at a club in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania brought A. J. Sweringen and Jonathan Beedle together and they have been blending their unique sound ever since in this “Simon and Garfunkel Retrospective,” a return engagement, Friday, December 2 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, December 3 at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday, December 4 at 5 p.m.  Tickets are $33.50 and may be obtained by calling The Downtown Cabaret Theatre, 263 Golden Hill Street, Bridgeport at 203-576-1636 or online at dtcab.org.  Remember to bring snacks and drinks to share at your table.  A guarded parking lot is just around the corner.

Neil Diamond, hailing from Brooklyn, New York, started out as a fencer who wanted to find a cure for cancer.  He detoured along the way and sold 115 million records worldwide. As a legendary singer-songwriter, he has penned such hits as “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” “Cracklin’ Rose.” “I’m a Believer,” “Song Sung Blue,” “Desiree,””Love on the Rocks,” “Yesterday’s Songs” and “Heartlight.”  In last week’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, he appeared on a float of Mt. Rushmore singing “America” and “Sweet Caroline.”

Don’t worry if you missed him because Tom Sadge, a remarkable vocal impressionist and disc jockey, has perfected his Neil Diamond over the last fourteen years and will present him in a tribute concert on Saturday, December 17 at 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. in a 75 minute show with no intermission.  Tickets are $37-47 and may be obtained by calling 203-576-1636 or online at dtcab.org.

Tom Sadge did his first impression of Neil Diamond at the age of ten, singing “Solitary Man” and he hasn’t looked back since.  Watch how A.J., Jonathan and Tom have perfected their impressions of these musical legends. Be there or be square…or diamond shaped.

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