MORRISBURG – “Viva Las Vegas!” And Viva! the Kris McHarge musical starring Derek Marshall, ‘Vegas Knights!’
For two hours the audience was transported back in time to that ‘Sin City’ of the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s to a time when Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Bobby Darrin, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Tom Jones and Elvis packed them in at the Copacabana and the other swinging night clubs. As director and creator Kris McHarge said in an earlier Leader interview, “Everyone knows this music…the themes of the songs are universal: they speak to everyone…’Vegas Knights’ gives them a chance to feel what it must have been like.” And certainly this production at Upper Canada Playhouse turned into a two hour “musical love affair” between Derek, his outstanding band, and the delighted audience.
Sharing the jokes and the stories, and the crowd quips, that seemed to bring those great artists to life, Derek Marshall was a dynamo on stage. He segued musically from Dean (“Only Dean could knock the Beatles from the top of the charts!”) to Tony, from Sammy to Elvis. His strong, versatile voice made his delivery of songs as totally different as “That’s Amore” and “Mack the Knife” a true pleasure to hear. He sang. He danced. And he even brought startled but delighted ladies from the audience on stage to sing and dance with him. The crowd loved it.
And they also loved the incredible musicians who performed that dynamic music at the Playhouse.
Stephen Ingram, Joel Haynes, Lew Mele, Alain Desroches and Yves Turgeon really did infuse their own unique brand of swing into the music. Master musicians all, each individual artist was often spotlighted in certain numbers to loud applause from the audience. They worked flawlessly with Derek. What a band!
There were also some deeply touching moments in ‘Vegas Knights.’
When Derek told of the racism that Sammy Davis Jr faced (until Sinatra stepped in), then danced and sang to Davis’ beloved “Mr. Bojangles” there was more than one teary eye in the audience. And the same was equally true when Derek and the band performed the music of that “citizen of the world,” the late Tony Bennett. The house was very quiet as they performed “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” The applause that followed was loud and heart-felt.
By the end of this production of ‘Vegas Knights’ the entire audience was on its feet singing and practically dancing along with Derek to Elvis’ legendary “Viva Las Vegas.” From Sinatra, the Chairman of the Board, to the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis, this was a production which celebrated music that is, essentially, immortal.
Kris McHarge, Derek Marshall and the Vegas Knights band left us all hugely entertained, and as Derek, from the stage, had promised… singing happily as we left the Playhouse.