David Cassidy on the Web
We were there: Dallas Summer Musicals' gala
May 3, 2010
By Michael Granberry
http://artsblog.dallasnews.com
Hard to believe, but Dallas Summer Musicals has been in business for 70 years. In honor of that achievement and, of course, to raise funds, DSM hosted its annual lavish gala Saturday night at Fair Park Music Hall. Technically, the event was not open to the public, though anyone willing to contribute at least $500 was given a ticket. A silent and live auction raised more than $50,000 to benefit DSM's children charities and community outreach programs. But the real fun was getting to watch stars from DSM's past seven decades perform. The incomparable Ben Vereen sang, as did Tom Wopat, who once shared the DSM stage with Marilu Henner in Annie Get Your Gun. Cathy Rigby, dressed as Peter Pan, appeared with her daughter, and Sutton Foster showed off her resilient soprano voice. My favorite moments were listening to 78-year-old Mitzi Gaynor (who still looks terrific, by the way) tell a story about dancing with the Duke of Windsor (she's also a terrific storyteller) and hearing David Cassidy fight off tears while reading a letter from his mother, Evelyn Ward, to Dallas Summer Musicals executive Charles R. Meeker Jr. -- a letter she wrote in 1950, weeks after her son was born.
Jay Johnson, who shared a Tony award for his play The Two and Only with its co-producers, DSM and its president and managing director, Michael A. Jenkins, demonstrated his remarkable talent as a ventriloquist. There were moving testimonials by the family members of Meeker, who ran DSM from 1944 to 1961, and Tom Hughes, whose tenure lasted from 1962 to 1993. The commemorative book published for the anniversary is, all by itself, quite a document. It lists the Who's Who of past performers Ginger Rogers, Anthony Quinn, John Raitt (Bonnie Raitt's father), Carol Burnett, David Carradine, Rock Hudson, Joel Grey and Ann-Margret. The Who's Who in the crowd Saturday night included Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Mayor Tom Leppert and new police chief David Brown.
