Published March 09, 2009 10:38 pm -
Five By Design heats up the night with Club Swing
Special to the Gazete
TIFTON — Five talented vocalists named Five By Design will give a steamy portrayal of the rise and fall of the big band era from 1935-1955 in their production of Club Swing. The setting is the fictional Hotel Crosby, “where the music is hot, the drinks are cool and the legend lives forever.” Club Swing will be performed Sunday, at the Turner County Civic Center in Ashburn at 3 p.m. as a part of the South Georgia Arts Alliance’s Art and Entertainment Series.
Single performance tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students under the age of 18. ABAC students are admitted free with a valid ID. Students can purchase an Arts and Entertainment Series subscription for $15 which will include this concert plus the final performances of the series. Tickets can be purchased by calling the ABAC Arts Connection at 391-4820 or online at www.southgaarts.com. Cash, check and credit card options are available. Tickets are available at the door the day of the performance based on availability.
Club Swing is the only magnificent club left standing which features the big band sound and the swing dancing. The wrecking ball is poised to strike the club down. Can the Club Swing be saved? In this moment, a review of the glory days of the club is taken via songs including Duke Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean A Thing (If it Ain’t Got that Swing)” to Johnny Mercer’s “In the Cool, Cool of the Evening” to Louis Prima’s “Sing, Sing, Sing.”
The musical quintet known as Five By Design takes the audience through this time period with warm vocals, vintage fashions and a bit of theatrical panache. Five by Design is a favorite of symphonies and performing arts centers, logging over 60 appearances a year. The Minnesota-based group includes Lorie Carpenter-Niska, Sheridan Zuther, Kurt Niska, Michael Swedberg and Terrence Niska. Four of the five members have been singing together since 1986. The group’s familial ties include brothers Terrence and Kurt Niska, the husband-wife duet of Kurt and Lisa Niska and childhood collaborator, Michael Swedberg.
This is not the first trip to South Georgia for Five by Design. In 2001, the group presented their tribute to the golden age of radio with Radio Days, commemorating the 50th anniversary of World War II.
Five by Design will discuss their inspiration for this show in an informance at 2:30 p.m.
This is an interactive talk by the cast about the production.