“I’m Singing in the Rain” or “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” might have been a good last-minute musical additions to the 14th Annual Great Wine Performances.
But “Rain, Rain Go Away” would have been the best. Rain began falling right around the time the Playhouse on the Square benefit began July 27th.
“We were parked,” says Mary Brignole. “About 5 to 6 it started to pour down.”
They sat in the car and waited. By the time they got to the check-in station, the rain stopped, Brignole says. That was about 6:15 p.m.
It still was hot. Some people bore the remnants of the shower, but that didn’t stop them from visiting the various booths, sampling wine and eating.
“Under the Big Top” was the theme of this year’s Great Wine Performances. For the first time, the event was held in Playhouse on the Square’s parking lot. Playhouse thespians in costumes at each station gave hints to what they were performing and asked a trivia question about the show. Guests also tried some wine that corresponded with the mystery show.
Guests were asked to identify the 10 shows represented, answer the trivia question, and state whether or not Playhouse ever produced the show. If they identified all 10 shows and answered the trivia, they were eligible for 60 prizes.
Some Like it Hot could have been the title for Whitney Jo’s booth, but Jo, the theater’s managing director, was just grilling hot dogs and hamburgers for guests. Some Like It Hot, adapted from the 1959 Jack Lemmon/Tony Curtis movie, apparently is slated to hit Broadway this fall. Sugar, a 1972 Broadway show, also was adapted from the movie.
A special VIP section, where people could dine at tables, was behind Playhouse on the Square’s nearby guest housing.
Asked how she thought the event went, Jo says, “I think it was very successful. I absolutely do. It’s outside in the heat. Who wants to come to that? But we were trying to be as COVID safe as possible, so we did it in the parking lot.”
And it was a hit. “We’re still getting phone calls from people saying how much they enjoyed it.”
Would Playhouse consider doing Great Wine Performances outside again? “Yes,” Jo says. “But not in July.”
