COLE PORTER IS DELOVELY

It's a beautiful 40 degree morning and after a rather cold and windy day yesterday, it was just plain luck to have tickets to see a young singer and his accompanist perform the works of the great Cole Porter at one of my favorite St. Louis venues, the Sheldon Music Hall. I'm talkin about a guy by the name of Tim Schall and his piano man and music director Joe Dwyer.

This was the steal of the year as tickets went for $10.00 and seating was "first come first served."
And they came. I'm an early arrival and in case you never heard of this place, the Sheldon features not just music, but a magnifent museum of top notch art surrounding the hall which is available for viewing before and after the show. It is located just west of the Fox Theater off Grand on Washington and its been there for a long time, a cathedral to good music. A St. Louis relic!

They started coming early about 10:15 A.M. for the eleven o'clock performance, senior citizens by the busloads (at least five busses out front). Since it was general admission you had to be there and early to get preferred seating. I took my seat about 10 rows from the small and intimate stage and watched the theater fill! Seniors, hobbling up and down the aisles, bad knees creaking, my bad right knee tingling, but ready for some stimulation, sore backs, a few coughs and amidst this group of 60 70 80 yea probably 90 year old veterans, in came a young lass with a baby attached to her and took her seat just about five rows from the stage right of center.

And then it happened, out popped Tim Schall and Joe Dwyer from the two doors, one on each side of the stage and Mr. Dwyer introduced Tim and he was off to the races with the famous repotoire of
the great Porter music book. He started with "Your the Top"and finished with It's Delovely and in between about 25 sounds from "Night and Day", "From This Moment On", "I've Got You Under My Skin", "I Love Paris" on and on and on, one better than the next and then the fine piano player Dwyer and Tim did a few duets, notably "Lets Fall In Love" with such memorable lines as:
"Birds Do It, Bees Do It, Even Educated Fleas Do It." and these seniors blistered their paws with applause.

As always when I see a show like this I want to race up to the stage and cheer but being respectful of my older breatheran, we slowly shuffled out of this landmark of great music, grinning from ear to ear. My Saturday was almost complete!

I have two song writers and lyricists who have influenced not just these inners, but have been loved by people all over the globe: Cole Porter and Richard Rodgers. What Mr. Schall pointed out about Cole Porter was that he not only wrote the music, but added the catchy smart words to his songs which have been sung and danced to by the likes of Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald and so many of our greats and of course his Broadway Shows such as "Kiss Me Kate", "Anything Goes" and many others always make for a evening or in this case a morning of sheer delight!

My artistic juices totally orgasized (is this a word), I now sought comfort for my appetite. It was 12:45 when I hit one of the really neat eateries in the West End of town, the Majestic Bar and Grill on Laclede and Euclid, where I don't need to order as my favorite Greeks immediately prepare my "fruit cup" and "bacon and eggs" with hashbrowns and an order of Wheat Toast (I've never been able to figure out why I ask for Wheat Toast since I never eat Wheat Bread at home!) and some fresh and very hot coffee with a water chaser!

Since I had my "Forest Park Forever Hat" onand after a slow and precise drive thru one of the greatest parks in the world, by the St. Louis Zoo (Home of that sex fiend Rajah, my favorite animal), past the "Boat House" restaurant, around the beautiful Forest Park Golf Course and on to Highway 44 for my western trek.

However, I was fired up big time and singing along with Ethal Merman's "Everythings Coming Up Roses" from my "Gypsy" collection, I swerved into the right lane and over Lindbergh to my beloved Borders. Cole Porter had done it again! From his vast storehouse of CDs, I pulled out two nice
works, It's Delovely, the authentic Cole Porter Collection and "Fred Astaire Steppin Out", which features many of the Cole Porter songs he danced and sang to in his movies with his dancing partner extraordinaire, Ginger Rogers. "Oh Baby!" For the lady of the Premio House, in order to make her a slight part of this exciting day, I purchased "Mama Mia", a rollicking show, which she loves so much. She is of a different generation!

I am home now blogging my brains out to you, my public (bless you) and I must confess St. Michael the Archangel, who watches over me constantly and guides me, strengthens me, and sometimes
slows me down a bit, went overboard today and had to be dancing to the sounds of Tim Schall and Joe Dwyer and hopefully his wings were not damaged. To quote from the famous Dali Lama:
"Zowie!"