Lennon Sisters a Delight at Welk Theatre in Escondido

The Lennon Sisters Concert Tour 2011
Lawrence Welk Resort Theatre
Escondido

For those of us who watched The Lawrence Welk Show every Saturday night from December 1955 through 1967, The Lennon Sisters were the darlings of the airwaves. Here was a quartet of singers - Dianne, Peggy, Kathy and Janet - emanating sweetness and beautifully balanced harmony, who catapulted to stardom mainly through these weekly TV appearances. They did have success with a recording of "Tonite You Belong To Me", but it was primarily TV and Mr. Welk, as they still so politely refer to him, who gave them their big break. Now, 55 years later, Dianne and Peggy have retired, leaving Kathy and Janet and their younger sister Mimi, who joined them in the late 90s, as a trio. They look terrific and sound better than ever.

What made the Lennons so popular with the public was their pure, wholesome image. They were from an Irish/Mexican/German/Scot family of 11 siblings, whose father and uncles had been known in Venice, California as The Lennon Brothers, setting quite high performance standards for the girls to follow. When Welk put them on his already popular show, he also included 2 year-old Mimi and her brothers on holiday shows, so the whole family became widely publicized, also through appearances with Perry Como, Garry Moore, Jimmy Durante and in magazine cover spreads such as Look, Life and Time. They were your average clean-living family that all America could look up to and truly admire - and they did. And the reason still shows today, as the ladies bring a warmth and genuine affection to their fans through the fine work they do onstage. The songs they sing range from 40s pop standards to 60s rock hits to religious tunes. They also show video clips of their original Welk shows and their TV show with Durante. Janet and Kathy were very close growing up and loved ragdolls. They now make and sell an entire community of them to foster friendship among young children. There is a video segment with Janet's grandchildren and the dolls, to which Janet and Kathy sing along. There is also a fun question/answer segment in Act II of the show where the gals get a chance to tell warm, funny anecdotes about their family, Mr. Welk and their philosophy of good living.

Song highlights include: "Somewhere"; "Mississippi Mud"; the 60s medley of "Tell Him", "Wishin' and Hopin'" and "Anyone Whoever Had a Heart"; "In This Very Room", a gorgeous spiritual song about the love of Jesus; a glowing medley in honor of Rosemary Clooney: "Hey There", "Come On A' My House", "Tenderly" and "Sisters"; and "Very Very Very Best Pal" about their comraderie with their dolls closes Act I. Act II joyfully opens with "This Joint Is Jumpin'", family treasures "Danny Boy" and "Glocca Morra", the McGuire Sisters' ever-rollicking and fun-loving "Sugartime", "Cape Cod", a salute to the big band era with a wonderful arrangement of "What's New" sung dynamically by Kathy, and the patriotic finale that includes "Glory Glory Halleluia" and the heartwarming "May You Always".

This is a tremendous show for seniors who really do appreciate the great music of the past and for anyone looking for a stroll down memory lane. The Lennon Sisters are still inspirational, terrifically talented, sweet ... and sheer heaven to listen to. No phoniness to be found among these ladies who have truly managed to stay humble, honest and genuinely happy, which instantly transcends the footlights.

Don't miss them through this Sunday February 6 in Escondido and after on their tour across country. This is their first time in Escondido, but they are regulars at the Champagne Theatre in Branson, Missouri.

All tuneful CDs of The Lennon Sisters are on sale, as well as their autobiography, paperdolls and ragdolls. You can also get them by ordering from their website:
http://www.lennonsisters.com/home.html

 

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