Signature Theatre finished their smashing Sizzlin’ Summer Nights cabaret series on Saturday with two terrific cabarets. The first of these was a glorious salute to television theme songs, helmed by signature favorites, Maria Egler and Stephen Gregory Smith, and Music Director William Yanesh.
Featuring around 70 TV theme songs, the show was a nostalgic romp through television history. Starting with the Muppet Show theme, the Bugs Bunny overture, and The Jeffersons’ theme, “Movin’ on Up”, the cabaret got off to a rousing start. The highlights of the cabaret were the medleys that featured theme tunes from the golden age of television (I Love Lucy, Partridge Family, Addams Family, Beverly Hillbillies, Happy Days, Mary Tyler Moore, Three’s Company, to name a few). Both Stephen and Maria sounded great and had the perfect character voices to pull off such a variety of theme tunes. Maria had a blast with a slow sultry version of the Gilligan’s Island theme.
The cabaret featured some games, complete with game show themes, name that TV tune contests and commercial breaks saluting famous ditties from commercial television ads (e.g., Kit Kat candy bars). A salute to themes from Saturday morning cartoons followed, and then theme songs from the 80’s and 90’s (Facts of Life, Saved by the Bell, and The Nanny). Yanesh really showed off his piano playing chops during the quick-moving series of TV tunes, particularly with the Sex and the City theme song. The show finished with a sign off medley that included “I’m So Glad We Had This Time Together” from The Carol Burnett Show. And of course, no TV show theme cabaret would be complete without a rendition of “Thank You for Being a Friend” from The Golden Girls.
Let’s hope that Signature brings this fantastic and entertaining show directed by Walter Ware III back in future Signature cabaret series.
Running Time: 70 minutes, with no intermission.
Good Times: A TV Theme Song Cabaret is part of Signature Theatre’s Sizzlin Summer Nights cabaret series that played through Sunday, July 26 at Signature Theatre – 4200 Campbell Avenue, in Arlington, VA. For tickets to other performances at Signature, call (703) 820-9771, or purchase them online.
