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HUGE Big Band Show With Dinner & Dancing Viewed 798 times

By: Brenda Anthony

Published for Logan, Utah (Area-Info.net Apr. 25, 2012)

“IN THE MILLER MOOD” is a swinging musical show that captures the timeless sound and style of the big band era. This years show is set in the 1940's in the South Pacific at America's largest overseas military base, Clark Field. WWII is raging and the troops are anxious for the USO Show to arrive with a taste of home. Lush harmonies of the Stardust Singers, the excitement of the Stardust Dancers and the music of the Larry Smith Orchestra, provide a night packed with show-stopping music of the era including: In the Mood, Orange Colored Sky, Moonlight Serenade, String of Pearls, Sing Sing Sing, Praise The Lord and Pass The Ammunition, Don't Sit Under The Apple Tree With Anyone Else But Me, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, and many more. It's a powerful production that some guests have called the "best show on the planet!"

Carl & Nada Lechtenberg say, “People like us from many cities in Utah, and from California and Oregon, express gratitude for this lavish musical entertainment, the likes of which we seldom see even in “so called” entertainment cities! Celebrate America is a resounding success! We love LOGAN…and we salute the Celebrate America Show!”

Retired Colonel Von W. Freeman says, “ We enjoy them (the shows) enough to drive about 1200 miles each way to attend. We have always rated the shows above anything we have seen in Las Vegas…a fine piece of family entertainment, and being a veteran of three wars I fully appreciate your efforts to honor veterans. We will be there as long as you folks put on the shows.”

Many feel the highlight of the evening is the Military Tributes to Veterans and Current Military. Singer Aprilrae Anthony Critchfield, has performed with the show the past 11 years, says, “It’s hard to keep singing when we see men who served in World War Two stand up. We study history in school, but here they are, the men who are living history. Every part of you wants to cry with appreciation. I love the military tributes.”

Band leader, Larry Smith, holds the honor of being named the first ever “Jazz Master” for the state of Utah. Smith headed Jazz Studies at Utah State University for over 38 years and plays the saxophone, flute, clarinet and piano. He has played in groups who have accompanied Gladys Knight, Shirley Jones, Bob Hope, Buddy DeFranco, Maureen McGovern, the Lennon Sisters, and the Four Freshman. Smith and several band members played in the former USU Glenn Miller Show for over 25 years.

The show is just one part of this glamorous and exciting evening. Production Director, Brenda Anthony, says, “It’s really three events in one. First is the sumptuous Grand Buffet Dinner, by award winning Utah State University Catering, followed by the sensational Broadway-style show. After dinner and the show the evening concludes with favorite big band tunes performed by the band and Singers, the audience can dance or just enjoy listening. There’s really nothing else like it! While it’s easy to get lost in the music, the dancing or the humor, the show never lets you forget that its underlying purpose is to honor Veterans of all wars and people who have served our country. Its a tribute to, and celebration of, an Era in America when music brought the nation together.”

“In The Miller Mood” plays nightly from Sept 4-8, in the Evan Stevenson Ballroom on the Utah State University Campus in Logan, Utah. Tickets are available with or without dinner. Tuesday is for groups only. Tickets available at www.celebrateamericashow.com or at the Eccles Box Office 435-752-0026. For additional information: 435-753-1551.

 
 
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