Playing at the Dallas Summer Musicals (May 15^th – May 27^th) is one of Broadway’s hottest musical, and this touring show does them proud!

Set in the 1950s, this musical blends rhythm and blues with rock and roll.  With an original score, Memphis transforms you back to the seedy clubs in Tennessee.  The fictional story is about a good old boy named  Huey Calhoun, who not only has a love for R&B music but also for a young black singer, Felicia Farrell.  During these times in our history, any mixed-race relationship was looked down upon; however, that doesn’t stop these two from being together.  As time moves forward, Huey becomes the top DJ in the Memphis market, and Felicia’s career begins to take flight.  Both face struggles and challenges from not only their own ambition but also from the objections from their loved ones and the outside world because of their relationship.

This show will have you tapping your toes and wanting to sing and dance along with the amazing music.  Often with any musical, one character is stronger than the other, but not in Memphis.  I have to believe that due to the powerful score, any singer in this show would have to have golden pipes…and in this production they all do!

Do not let this show go by without seeing it.  It is not to be missed!

For tickets go to www.dallassummermusicals.org

The Colleyville Area Chapter of National Charity League honored 24 graduating seniors at its recent senior presentaiton. Photo courtesy Mike Lewis Photography.

The National Charity League Inc., Colleyville Area Chapter, (www.nclcolleyville.org) recently honored 24 graduating seniors at the chapter’s annual senior presentation, a banquet held at the Embassy Suites in Grapevine.

Wearing long black evening gowns, the honorees were escorted by their parents and recognized for their six-year commitment to the organization. National Charity League, a mother-daughter organization founded in the 1920s that now boasts more than 165 chapters in 17 states, is dedicated to community service, leadership development and cultural activities.

Serving as emcees for the evening were Jill Janicki and Kelly Fulghum. Linda Bradley chaired the event., and Julie Glenn is the club’s president.

Graduating seniors included Blaire Flora, Sarah Bohannon, Ashley Cummings, Kiersten Braasch, Maddie House, Abby Speight, Brooke Hollmann, Sarah Mueller, Sydney Braasch, Katie Borkowski, Mackenzie Rosenjack,Kate O’Neal.

Also presented were Lauren Jepson, Rachel Bradford,Sarah Sattler, Charlotte Parker, Courtney Burchfield, Abby Hagen, Phoebe Light, Stephanie Embry, Nicole Glavan, Heather Baird, Nicole Bueno and Tanna Aljoe.

Yeoman Warders guard the Tower of London, including the English crown jewels.

DALLAS _ England’s Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee will be making its mark on the U.S., including a stop in north Texas.

Yeoman Warder Peter McGowran, otherwise known as one of England’s iconic “Beefeaters,” will make an appearance April 30 at the Old Red Courthouse, 1000 Houston St. The uniformed Beefeaters traditionally secure the Tower of London, and McGowran will entertain audiences with the tower’s history.

Presented by Historic Royal Palaces, the event will include a three-course dinner. McGowran’s presentation will feature stories of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII and Princess Diana, according to tour organizers. This tour comes on the eve of the Jubilee weekend itself when the Tower of London will be center stage, as the backdrop to the June 3^rd Jubilee River Pageant.

McGowran’s appearance is supported by the British American Commerce Association and in association with Dallas businessman and Director of Historic Royal Palaces Inc (USA), David Huntley and the British Emporium. The event includes a 7 p.m. reception preceding the 7:30 p.m. three-course dinner. Tickets are $50 in advance and $65 at the door. To register, contact Becci Himes at 832-351-3940. More information is available through Chris Martin at chris.martin@hrp.org.uk

It’s Fashion Show weekend in north central Texas, with two women’s clubs hosting back-to-back events.

Both the Colleyville Woman’s Club and the Greater Keller Women’s Club will both sponsor luncheon style shows, with proceeds helping local charities.

“Lunch with the Girlz,” the Colleyville Woman’s Club’s 27th annual luncheon, is set for Friday at the Hurst Conference Center. Doors open at 9:30 for the silent auction, and the luncheon will begin at 11:30 a.m. Four Dallas designers–Elizabeth Anyaa, Nha Khanh, Shemara Couture and Geoffrey Henning–will showcase their designs.

Tickets for this event cost $85, and more information is available at www.c-w-c.org.

Then Saturday, the Greater Keller Women’s Club will present “Puttin’ on the Glitz,” a luncheon event benefiting the club’s foundation which awards grants and scholarships to local charities. Dillard’s will provide the fashions, and the day includes auctions and a raffle. Doors open at 10 a.m., with the luncheon set for noon.

Tickets for the Saturday fundraiser cost $70. Visit www.gkwc.org for more details.

Million Dollar Quartet

Goodness, gracious. I’m sure there were great balls of fire that one December night in 1956 when Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis ended up together in a Memphis recording studio. Maybe even a whole lot of shakin’ goin’ on.

 It’s the stuff legends are made of…and maybe even a Broadway musical.

“Million Dollar Quartet,” the current Dallas Summer Musicals (www.dallassummermusicals.org)  show at The Music Hall at Fair Park, tells that story. It’s the story of the off-center Jerry Lee Lewis, the heart throb Elvis, the brooding Johnny Cash and the competitive Carl Perkins and what led each to that night.

The plot, wrapped in history, is far from complicated in this juke-box musical. The show’s packed with song after song, performed by such entertaining actor-singers that the plot doesn’t matter all that much.

The performances in the national tour are fantastic. Martin Kaye as Lewis cavorts upon the piano, Cody Slaughter as Elvis gyrates with the microphone,  Lee Ferris as Perkins commands the electric guitar and Derek Keeling as Cash lends his bass vocals to “Folsom Prison Blues.” Zooming through without an intermission, the show includes such legendary hits as “Blue Suede Shoes,” “I Walk the Line” and “Hound Dog.” The spotlight shines on each one individually, but the foursome also gets a chance to  harmonize on “Down by the Riverside” and a more tranquil “Peace in the Valley.”

Picking a favorite would be difficult in this fun show, made for dancing in and out of your seats. Slick your hair back and grab a cold pop, then rock ‘n roll over to see this show before its run ends Sunday. Could be you’ll like the whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on.

Karla K. Morton

FORT WORTH _ Karla K. Morton, 2010 Texas poet laureate, will headline Cuisine for Healing’ s third annual Survivors in Style: An Evening of Fashion, Food and Wine. The event is set for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. April 26 at Cenderea Center, 3600 Benbrook Highway.

Cuisine for Healing, a non-profit organization dedicated to making nutritious, delicious food readily available to cancer patients and others combating disease, will be the beneficiary of the evening featuring Morton. A lifelong poet, as well as a wife and mother of two, she was diagnosed with breast cancer in May, 2008.  She is the author of Redefining Beauty.

The cocktail hour benefit event will feature a fashion show celebrating the lives of local women who have survived cancer. The evening will also feature complimentary wine and champagne, appetizers and raffle prize drawings.

The program has prepared, packaged and delivered more than 13,000 Cuisine for Healing-certified meals to cancer patients in need since the program began a little over two years ago, according to Sue Austin, Cuisine for Healing board president. Founded by Wendy Wilkie in 2006 as she battled cancer, Cuisine for Healing is a non-profit organization dedicated to making nutritious food readily available to people combating disease, while providing education about the power of healthy food.

At least two cheers, if not three, are in order for the star of “Bring It On: The Musical,” the current Dallas Summer Musicals (www.dallassummermusicals.org).

The star of this musical built upon modern-day cheerleading is the choreography. Dance number after cheerleading routine after dance number is so much fun to watch that you might just wish for pom-pons to wave.

Behind it the high-spririted musical is Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler whose creativity really is something to cheer about. The cast, which features some regular Broadway types but also a squad full of experienced, competitive cheerleaders, executes the choreography well enough to earn top honors at any cheer camp.

This musical, boasting no big-name stars and featuring a very predictable storyline, looks at competitive high school cheerleading. Tryouts, backstage jitters, jealousy, practice–it’s all there, except no self-respecting cheerleader would ever pair her uniform with high heels.

But it serves as a short-cut to the stereotypes found in most high schools. There’s the blonde cheerleading captain, her best friend, the back-stabbing wannabe, the gay guy, the high school stud. Sprinkle them through two rival high schools and focus on the cheerleading, and you’ve got the basis for this show. If you’ve ever been in the modern-day cheerleading world where “Herkie” Herkimer from Dallas is the patron saint of this sport and competition is a given, you’ll know how close some of the show comes to real life. If you weren’t in the world of stunts and tryouts and ponytails, you can still enjoy the show.

The songs by Tom Kitt, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Amanda Green aren’t even listed in the show’s program. They’re nice enough, but it serves to emphasize what really is the star of this show: the movements, explosive and aerobatic.

Bring It On: The Musical will be presented by Dallas Summer Musicals through Feb. 26 at the Music Hall at Fair Park. It’ll make you want to do a toe-touch.

FORT WORTH _ Tickets are still available for Empty Bowls Fort Worth and its 10-year anniversary celebration Feb. 17 for patrons to delight their artistic fancies and tickle their taste buds at an event that attracts more than 1,500 guests. 

Empty Bowls Fort Worth is open  from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Texas Hall, inside the Amon G. Carter Exhibit Hall at Will Rogers Memorial Center, 3401 W. Lancaster.

General admission tickets are $45. and individual sponsor tickets allowing early entry to the event are $125. Tickets may be purchased by credit card either online at www.tafb.org/register-emptybowls.html or by calling Tarrant Area Food Bank at 817-332-9177, ext. 110. Checks for tickets may be mailed to: Empty Bowls, Tarrant Area Food Bank, 2600 Cullen St., Fort Worth, TX 76107.

With admission to Empty Bowls, individuals may select a handmade bowl by area artists. Then patrons fill those bowls, sampling soup created by some of Fort Worth’s top chefs, including pork hatch chili by Tim Love, cream of jalapeno soup by Jerrett Joslin and vocka gazpacho with smoked shrimp by Jon Bonnell. 

New this year will be bowls and platters, signed by 13 celebrities, that will be offered in a live auction. Among the celebrities participating are LeAnn Rimes, Lyle Lovett and Betty Lynn Buckley. Live music will entertain guests, and attendees also will get to watch art demonstrations. 

The event benefits Tarrant Area Food Bank, which serves 13 counties. Tarrant Area Food Bank is a primary source of donated food for more than 300 major hunger-relief programs including pantries, soup kitchens, senior centers and emergency shelters.

For more information on Tarrant Area Food Bank, visit www.tafb.org.

Mid-Cities Alumnae Panhellenic will hold its annual sorority recruitment forum from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Compass Christian Church’s Compass Center, 4201 Pool Road, Grapevine.

All area senior girls and their mothers are invited to attend “It’s All Greek,” a free informational session. Co-chairs Kathy Dorris and Stephanie House have designed the event to provide answers to those graduates considering joining a national sorority, one of the 26 belonging to the National Panhellenic Conference (npcwomen.org).

Highlights of the afternoon will include a recruitment style show with models from area universities and a question-and-answer session. Refreshments will be served.

For additional information, contact House at sshouse@verizon.net or kathy@dorrislaw.com.