As for the cars, it was a relatively small gathering of customs, street rods and muscle cars, along with a few impressive racers. A few motorcycles showed up. There were also some huge tractor-trailer rigs and buses. I'm not sure they were part of the show or if it was their permanent base, but I photographed them anyway.
Got a few minutes to spare? You can go through all my photos of the event in a few minutes at this link:
Now observing its 90th season, Peterborough Players presented Tell Me On a Sunday. This was a one-woman show, only a week after seeing a one-man show at the Barnstormers. This musical has been presented in many forms since Andrew Lloyd Webber chose Don Black as his lyricist in 1979. The one-act play, running only about an hour and ten minutes, tells the story of an English girl who comes to the United States in search of love. As are other Lloyd Webber productions, the story is told entirely in song. Ilyse Robbins served as director and choreographer for this Players production. Jenny Kim-Godfrey was music director.
I was delighted when I arrived at the Players and opened my program and discovered Bridget Beirne was the lone performer, appearing as "the girl" who was unnamed in most of the many performances worldwide, but when Roberta Peters assumed the role on Broadway, the girl was given the name Emma. In the Players program, I noticed Beirne was listed as Emma, although the name is never mentioned during the performance.
I had seen the very versatile Beirne many times, but never in a singing role. I must admit I was stunned. Beirne, wearing a huge, realistic red wig of flowing curls and non-descript, mixed attire, demonstrated a terrific voice as she went through the twenty-four songs that tell the story of Emma's attempts at finding love in America, interspersed with letters home to her "mummie," all in a perfect British accent. She has shown a gift for various accents in other performances which left me wondering which was real. I finally had the pleasure of a brief conversation with her a few years ago and discovered her natural speech is standard American English.
Moving about scenic designer Shelly Barish's multiple-level set with lots of windows, staircases and balconies, her lusty voice going through the twenty-four songs with few breaks, Beirne was backed up by an excellent orchestra conducted by Jenny Kim-Godfrey who also played the flute, all combining to produce some of the finest music I've heard in summer theater in years. I was sorry to see the the show end. At curtain call, the nearly full-house showed their appreciation with a standing ovation.
The show featured a number of real old-timers, including Model T and Model A Fords, a classic 1941 Cadillac, a Buick from the '30s and other models from the first half of the 20th Century, some in all-original condition. These cars, unfortunately, seem to be disappearing from "antique" shows in recent years. You're more likely to find shows dominated by models made after 2000 and lots of customs and street rods.
Melmark New England, serving individuals with developmental disabilities, has generously offered to host this show for several years. You can view my coverage of the event at this link:
https://www.linwoodstreet.com/beanpotsummer23/
But a light drizzle began around noon, so I decided to leave immediately. I was satisfied I already had a good collection of photos, and wouldn't be missing much. So I left after my shortest day ever at the Vermont Automobile Enthusiast's annual show, their 66th.
For the past few years, this show, one of the nation's oldest, has seen a recycling of mostly the same cars year after year. But this year, there was a noticeable improvement in variety, with more cars I hadn't seen before. I hope that's a sign of a better mix in future years. Even the annual fashion show, where participants must dress in the same period as their vehicles, drew six contestants, much better than last year's two.
I didn't get caught in the storms. The rain ended as I headed south toward home. I haven't heard how it ended up in Waterbury. They had another full day of the show ahead of them. I hope they were able to complete it.
You can view my seventy-five photos of cars, including the fashion show, at this link:
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The Stable also brought out a number of its own cars for viewing, but that leads to my only criticism. The Stable's cars were crowded into limited space under a tent with poor lighting for photography. It's possible their intent was to give the advantage to the invited cars. The barn housing the Stable's racing cars was open for visitors, but there again in poor light.
My criticism aside, I was not disappointed. The visitors' cars alone made the show worthwhile. My photos can be seen at this link:
If Heritage Day returns in future years, I certainly recommend it. Besides the car show, there was a flea market and craft fair and, of course, food. You can see my photo coverage of the event at this link:
I added a few photos at the end that I took earlier in the morning at a cars and coffee show at the Tupelo Music Hall in Derry, New Hampshire. All proceeds from this event go to the Great New England Toy Run benefiting Toys for Tots held in December.
Both shows can be seen at this link:
