A fundraiser for Leadership Shawano County has grabbed a lot of attention from the community, so much so that additional tickets are being printed up to accommodate more people.
Let Me Be Frank Productions is presenting its tribute to the icons of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s Oct. 26 at The Gathering, 2600 E. Richmond St., in Shawano. The program features the music of stars such as Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond, Cher, Patsy Cline, Connie Francis, Brenda Lee, Barbara Streisand, Buddy Holly, Tom Jones, Dusty Springfield and Janis Joplin.
Frank Hermans, the troupe’s leader, said the show looks at the funnier side of celebrities. It doesn’t poke fun at them, but shows them in a softer light than many remember.
“We’ve been doing this for many years, and I started doing Elvis in 2006 in an Elvis contest down in Branson, Mo.,” Hermans said. “I figured I could do this on the side, and I got a couple of my friends in my theater troupe involved.”
The humor is mixed in with classic songs and memories about the entertainers of yesteryear, Hermans said. He likes to make people laugh via the gyrating dance moves that helped make Elvis famous.
“I always do it too early or too late in the gyration, and it’s kind of funny,” Hermans said. “I get it at the end of the song.”
It is the first show Let Me Be Frank has done in Shawano in many years. Hermans and his group had previously performed at Shawano Community High School six years ago for charity events sponsored by The Shawano Leader, and Hermans has performed for private events at The Gathering.
“It’s kind of like a hometown; it’s only 30 miles away,” he said.
The tribute show is performed 60 times a year across Wisconsin. It is one of multiple performances that Let Me Be Frank does, mostly with musical themes.
Wendy Crawford, executive director for Leadership Shawano County, said she was surprised at how much attention the fundraiser received and how quickly tickets were scooped up.
“Up front, I sold 200 tickets, and there were more people that wanted to come,” Crawford said. “It’s a dinner show, so I wanted to make sure the seating was preferred for everybody who was coming.”
Leadership Shawano County, which coaches and assists local residents with becoming better leaders, has been looking for a signature fundraiser rather than multiple smaller events.
“This has been a conversation I’ve been having with my steering committee for as long as I’ve been with Leadership Shawano County,” Crawford said, noting she started in 2005. “The reality is 40 percent of our costs are not covered by tuition.”
Crawford said she wanted to keep the tuition low in order to work with as many people as possible. Let Me Be Frank seemed to be a good fit, she said, with tickets going for $40 a person.
“I had heard about them, and I know they’re a fun group. (Hermans) has quite a following,” Crawford said.
The event was advertised through the Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce network and word of mouth, along with Let Me Be Frank’s website. As of last week, the show was sold out, and Crawford had to request additional tables to bring more people in.
“Frank’s shows really sell themselves,” Crawford said. “People know about it, and he provides a fun show.”
Hermans heard about the first wave of tickets selling out after wrapping up his latest show “My Big Fat Pulaski Wedding” last weekend from a Shawano couple that attended the show.
“It’s not the same show all the time,” Hermans said. “We do different songs, and we incorporate different things. Whatever is happening in the audience, we have the flexibility as performers to change things depending on what’s working.”
Categories
