Cherries were a prevalent crop in the county for years. Now they are the 5th largest grower of the fruit. But, you can't throw a stone without hitting a cherry infused treat. Cherry ice cream, cherry crepes, cherry pancakes, cherry wine, cherry pie, cherry salsa, cherry jam, cherry magnets, cherry hot pads, cherry festivals, cherry t-shirts, cherry postcards and even a cherry musical comedy.
This evening, I witnessed the "world premiere" of "Bing, The Cherry Musical." It was performed by a troop in Peninsula State Park. Their venue was an amphitheater amongst the trees and mosquitos. Thankfully, the mosquitos did not pay for their seats tonight. The orchestra consisted of two electric pianos, an electric bass and a drum set.
The set was simple only because the company performs three plays throughout the summer, never the same from night to night.
The trees were hung with speakers and lights while benches filled the manmade clearing.
And... they have a rain policy. That would be, should it sprinkle throughout the show, the audience sits in the drizzle and the players slide around on stage. Veterans of the location came with padded seats, blankets, rain ponchos, rain coats, rain hats, trash bags, but no umbrellas. In investigating the crowd, it was obvious who had attended a prior performance.
To start off the show, audience members participated in a cherry pit spitting contest. Then it began to drizzle. It drizzled at various levels of intensity through the first half of the show and then it was just cold. Layers were piled on; however, not one patron relinquished his seat. Diehards, all of us. The ones I felt sorry for were the players, wearing summer costumes as the temperature dropped below 60 degrees. But, the show must go on and it did successfully.
It was a delightful evening concluding a delightful day. I really wanted to be up on that stage performing, singing and having fun. Maybe in my next life. I think I'll get a ticket for "Guys and Does" next week.
Go for it kid.
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