SCRANTON — Three “ghosts” are preparing to “haunt” the Hilton Scranton and Conference Center on the evening of Saturday, Oct. 28. But there is no need to worry; they are of the friendly — and musical — persuasion.
Actors Larry Vojtko, David Spitzer and Connor McGuigan will portray the ghosts of 1920s American composers George Gershwin, Irving Berlin and Cole Porter, respectively, in Mostly Opera’s dinner theater “The Ghosts of Tin Pan Alley,” set to begin with cocktails at 6 p.m., followed by the dinner and show at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $65 and may be purchased by calling 570-702-4356.
Two Clarks Summit residents, Mark Knox and Greg Cali, are among the show’s many singers.
Knox, a big fan of Tin Pan Alley era music, said he loves all the pieces chosen for the production.
The songs include “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” “Blow Gabriel Blow,” “Begin the Begine,” “White Christmas,” “Night and Day,” “It’s de-lovely,” “Anything Goes,” “Embraceable You,” “In the Still of the Night,” “Summertime” and more.
“I think that it (the music) is so nostalgic,” said Knox. “It’s generally cheerful and it reminds you of the ‘good old days.’ It’s the kind of music you bring out for weddings and reunions…because they are really sweet — and sometimes really funny — pieces.”
Cali described the songs of Tin Pan Alley as melodic.
“They have a melody that you can remember,” he said.
Although he refers to himself as an amateur, Cali has nothing but praise for the talents showcased in the production.
“Some of the members of the Mostly Opera group have tremendous voices,” he said.
He added he believes the audience will enjoy “hearing these classic songs sung by really good singers.”
Mostly Opera Executive Director Helene Tinsley indicated the same.
“We’re very fortunate in our area to have a lot of talented professional singers,” she said. “And they’re willing to donate their time and talents to a group like this.”
During the show, the “ghosts” of Gershwin, Berlin and Porter will introduce their music, along with some interesting facts about Tin Pan Alley, through scripted conversation among themselves.
Tin Pan Alley refers to a collection of New York City publishers and composers who dominated the late 19th and early 20th centuries’ American popular music scene.
“Before them (Gershwin, Berlin and Porter), the music that was played and sung in the United States had its roots in Europe – understandably so,” Tinsley said. “We heard English and Irish music music and the operettas from Germany. And in the 1920s, these two Jewish boys from down in lower Manhattan, George Gershwin and Irving Berlin – who didn’t know each other at the time – and this Cole Porter, who came east to go to school at Yale, they heard entirely different sounds, because they heard the negro folk songs and the Yiddish theaters, and they created a new style of music for the United States.
“There’s never been anything like these guys before and probably never will be again.”
Keeping with Mostly Opera tradition, the production will also feature several dancers from the Scranton Civic Ballet, under the direction of Helen Gaus.
“It’s always nice to have relationships with other groups in the community, and we have one with the Scranton Civic Ballet,” Said Tinsley. ”She (Gaus) choreographed the original numbers, just to accommodate the theme of our show. …They do a tremendous job. No matter what our theme is, they’re right there and they’re part of it.”
Tinsley said this year’s stage decor will be set to look like 1920s’ Tin Pan Alley, with a little bit of a Halloween theme thrown in, to accent the concept of the “ghosts.”
“But it’s going to be a treat, not a trick,” she said.
