August 1980 HIGH GEAR Page 15

Half-baked Bride cooks

By Thom David Gianfagna June 1, was an evening of fun. fuming, and flesta for members and friends of the GEAR Foundation and the Buckeye Rainbow Society for the Deaf (BRSD) Imagine a wedding cake that disappears. a visible conscience constantly carried and constantly nagging, misunderstood flirtations. revelations of longburied secrets. and feverishlymoving fingers that clearly express emotions and motives

Then possibly you can catch the. flavor of a play by the Fairmount Theatre of the Deaf (FTD)

"The Half-baked Bride" was not a half-baked play. Fast paced throughout and furiously farcial at the conclusion, the play grabbed the audience imme diately with excellent miming. dual parts with one voice and one signer, colorful characterizations, and an involved but completely understandable play-line

Son hits rock trail

By Tom Villella Some clever exploiters did their very best to promote Enrico Caruso, Jr., in the mid-thirties as an operatic tenor. Two 78 RPM discs have survived to show us that, while no match for Enrico Sr., Junior hardly gave average 30s tenors any competition.

In other words...he was a dud. When Rina Gigli, daughter of Beniamino, another great tenor. started her career in the 40s. father was ever present. Impresarios were reminded that if they wanted overwhelmingly popular father, they must also sign fledging daughter.

They did. In fact, Rina did quite well, even making a series of HMV discs with her father, and appearing often in the early 50s

with him a fact verified by the several underground complete opera recordings starring Gigli the father and Gigli the daughter.

For more than 30 years, from 1930 to his death in 1960, Jussi Bjoerling was THE tenor in the world. He came from a family of singers, his father a tenor himself. In the 20s, he formed a trio with his sons, and sang in the Scandanavian communities.

here

Today if you read live operatic reviews in Opera News, and elsewhere, the name Ralf Bjoerling shows up often. Yes, he is a tenor, and yes, he is the great Jussi's son. And again, he does record.

The voice sometimes has the Jussi Bjoerling timbre, curiously

Set in an early American town the play revolves around a father's wedding plans, his daughter's counter-plans, and the intervention by a consciencestruck interloper Swiftly weaving through this major plot are vignettes about the dreams of a lazy baker, a frustrated wife who longs for a child, a witch who has long hidden knowledge of her child, and a father who wakens to his fatherhood.

The entire cast gave energetic

enough, but mostly is individual enough to be a good solid tenor on his own vocal chords

But son Ralf knows HIS tenors I recall just a few short years ago, in Columbus, when in company of Luciano Pavarotti in his hotel room...the ever-present. and ever-ringing telephone sounded

It was Ralf Bjoerling wishing Pavarotti well (Luciano was singing a concert), and talking shop about Ralf's Columbus debut as Manrico in 1: Travatore"

Today, it's a different world. Baritone Robert Merrill is beaming these days because his son, David, is making a name for himself in the music business. Is David a tenor? Baritone? Basso?

Gear Benefit Performance

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and memorable porfornfances ut this farce written by theatre's director Yet the eye and ear will long recall the scene where Goodman Yeast wakes to find his elaborate wedding cake gone! Or Goodwoman Yeast stalking shrewdishly around and struck by love And Nathan's longsuffering and inventive conscience.

The audience was made up of both deaf and hearing persons Throughout the afternoon. signed conversations remarked

Or Manager? Or what? Nope. None of the above operatically speaking.

David Merrill, now 24. has Rattlers." and he sings someformed a rock group called "The

where between tenor and baritone, and plays bass.

on the playing. The play and the players fry Chvious sponse at the conclusion of the play. was a long round of applause for an exciting and. amusing aftenon.

After the show members of GEAR and members of BRSD went to Chester's for refreshments and socializing. The group discussed FTD's production and what an enjoyable afternoon of theatre everyone had.

Dustin Hoffman... Are you ready?... "Ratso Records."

Whatever the Rattlers have THAT sound which means its Contemporary rock, and salable and appealing.

The group has played the best. spots in and around New York. The Palladium, Max's, and has a nice, fresh engagement coming at the The Bottom Line

And get this. The record, side one. "Livin' Alone," and "On The Beach" is Numero Uno in a Salem, Massachusetts radio station

Oh yes, the label is called par. don us "Midnight Cowboy" and

Right now, David is Robert Merrill's son.

If the career takes off for David, and it looks like it will, Robert will become David Merrill's father

Caruso, Gigli, Bjoerling and Merrill. Three opera singers.out of four isn't bad. But then Caruso, Jr.. Rina Gigli, or Ralf Bjoerling probably wouldn't know' the Beatles from Looney Toones

Or Elvis. Or Elton. Si?

Huntington

Playhouse

28601 Lake Road Bay Village

Sunday, September 14,

at 8:00 P.M.

For tickets or information, call.

751-2261

Tickets $5.00

or send your check with self-addressed stamped envelope to

P. Zimmerman

2962 South Moreland Apt. 11

Cleveland Ohio 44120-

Make checks payal je to "Gear Foundation