Babes in Toyland....60 Years Later!
Variety night at the Arbors at Southfield Village

           The fourth annual variety night at the Arbors at Southfield Village, South Bend, Indiana, went off without a hitch.  Cast members, all residents, with an average age of 89, preformed flawlessly...well, ok, almost.  There was that flip where Helen was going to jump over Joe’s head, more about that later.  This year’s theme was “Babes in Toyland...60 years later.”
           Then the cast made an evening’s entertainment seem easy.  The overflow audience, consisting of friends, family, loved ones and well wishers, enjoyed every moment of the performance, even though many stood throughout the hour and a half.  Better than live television, the night reverberated with laughter, song and dance.  There were monkeys, comedians, singers, a kazoo choir, dancing Arborettes, and yes, that flip.  The audience was immediately drawn into the event when the cast sang “You Are My Sunshine” and joined in as one happy family.
            “While it may have seemed easy,” remarked Barbara Linarello, Director of Activities and the event coordinator, “the cast has been rehearsing for six months.”  One skit, taken from an Abbott and Costello routine, “Whose on First,” took so much rehearsal that a speech therapist was called upon to coach at least one of the players.  While speaking to a salesperson at a nearby medical equipment store, the woman remarked that the players were so dedicated that one, needing a new walker, asked the sales lady to hurry, because he had to get back to rehearsal.
            Such was the level of dedication, which showed in their outstanding performance, that as soon as the last song was sung, the audience jumped out of their seats to stand up and applaud.      

About that Flip___After much deliberation, the concerns of pulling off the flip without messing with Helen's tail or hair, gave pause....Helen and Joe decided a little more practice was called for.

Maybe next year!