Vol. II – And Even Better

By R. Scudder Smith

CLINTON — When the doors opened at 6:30 pm on Saturday, July 24, for An Evening of Classical Pops Vol. II, the people who were crowded into the lobby of Andrews Memorial Town Hall filed rapidly into the 450-seat theatre and took up all but a few of the seats. Some of the people had been there a year ago when Amber Edwards and Patrick Brady offered Vol. I, and they came back for more. One lady in the lobby said “I heard such good things about last year’s show that I had to be here this time.”

And there were no disappointments. Beautiful music, beautifully performed, filled the hall every time Amber took center stage and Patrick accompanied her on the piano. The songs, such as “Taking A Chance On Love” and “Time After Time,” all struck familiar notes and brought smiles to the people in the audience.

One of the highlights of the evening was a melody of many tunes arranged by Patrick that included the music of, among others, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Jerry Herman, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, Stephen Sondheim, “Fats” Weller and Richard Rogers. The list of lyricists was equally impressive.

At one point in the program Amber and Patrick announced they would do a number for the “Old West,” but needed a sheriff to join them and asked for a volunteer from the audience. On cue, Laurence Rosania, formerly of Sandy Hook and now a New York City resident, sauntered down the aisle and joined his friends with a rousing rendition of the song from Blazing Saddles, the popular Mel Brooks film. The audience rewarded this number with loud applause.

In introducing the Blazing Saddle number, Patrick mentioned it was written by his boss, Mel Brooks. Patrick is currently the musical director and vocal arranger for The Producers, the hit musical on Broadway, and his other credits include Will Rogers Follies, Crazy For You, Triumph of Love and Fosse. He is a resident of Newtown.

Amber Edwards, wife of author Justin Scott and also a resident of Newtown, started doing summer stock in New Hampshire and has won nine Emmys as host/producer of New Jersey Public Television’s State of The Arts series. She is a Yale graduate and has made five award-winning documentaries for PBS.

Following an encore, Amber and Patrick performed a wonderful rendition of “God Bless America,” asking the audience to join them for the final verse. It was a fitting end to a most enjoyable evening, with the audience standing first in tribute to the country, and lastly in appreciation of “An Evening of Classical Pops Vol. II.” The program was presented again on Sunday afternoon.

P.S. — There is positively going to be a Vol. III, and there is some talk that a performance might be given in Newtown. Stay tuned.