No one had heard of Michael Jackson by 1954, and Elvis Presley had recorded only a couple of demos by that year, and little did many people know something called Rock & Roll would change the American music scene forever.
But it was that year when a gentleman named Mr. Anthony R. Picchi debuted a type of musical show at then-St. John Central High School in Bellaire that would leave a lasting impression on students for years to come.
Picchi called it the “Killarney Irish Follies,” and it opened with “The Star Spangled Banner. After that, the production included a mixture of vocal and instrumental performances of classic Irish songs like “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling,” “Danny Boy,” “The Wearing of the Green,” and “My Wild Irish Rose.”
Soon after, the format was changed to an altered minstrel format, and over the years the Follies has evolved from that format to a themed combination minstrel/variety show. It features an interlocutor, a chorus, soloists, dancers and endmen – the fun-makers who constantly try to disrupt the show with their jokes and skits.
The music has evolved, too. While keeping its mainstay songs mainly from Broadway musicals, rock, pop and country were added over the years, this year the Follies will celebrate its heritage by singing songs of yesteryear. The event will include songs like “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling,” “Surfin USA,” “Proud Mary,” and “Tutti Frutti.”
“We have really tried to capture the essence of what Mr. Picchi did when he was doing this show, and I think the kids have really done a great job with it,” said show director Brent Kimball. “We have tried to pay homage to him with many different things, from having an actual backdrop that seniors Lauren Moran and Abby Young have set up, to some of our song choices being things that have been done while he was here.
“It’s an honor to keep this institution of a show going for this long, and I hope to keep it going for many years to come.”
The performance takes place May 3rd and 4th at 6:30 p.m. in the St. John Central Academy gymnasium on Guernsey Street in downtown Bellaire, Ohio.
