Published in the February 24, 2017 edition
MELROSE VETERANS MEMORIAL MIDDLE SCHOOL student Eva Lou Hoops, a hula hoop virtuoso who performs in the Circus Smirkus Big Top Tour, will be performing at Stars Over Melrose on Saturday, Feb. 25. (Courtesy Photo)
MELROSE — Stars Over Melrose, a family-friendly variety show, will take place on Saturday, February 25 at Memorial Hall. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m.
The event is organized by the Rotary Club of Melrose, the local branch of a world-wide, non-sectarian organization that strives to do good in the local, national, and international communities.
The producer for Stars is Tom Rosa, a Melrose resident and Rotary member whose credits include special events planning for the Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps and producing and directing for many stage, film, and TV presentations.
The master of ceremonies will be Julie Nolan, the popular stand-up comedienne and host of The Julie Nolan Show, on MMTV. Joining Nolan for her opening number will be four dancers from Center Stage Dance Studio’s Emerald Ensemble, Kiara Awunti, Amanda Cavicchi, Gianna Filaretos and Emily Nguyen, who will be performing a gala dance number choreographed by the school’s guest choreographer, Nick Silverio.
A new twist for this year’s Stars is the presentation of three singing groups: Blue of a Kind, the popular men’s a capella group; and both the Honors Chorus and Raider Tones A Capella Club, from Melrose High School.
Some of the Stars performers that are well-known to Melrose audiences include singer Brendan Carroll; Jean Dancewicz, who will appear with Christine Corbett as The Uptown Girls; and Rebecca Zama, a singer, songwriter, recording artist and poet, who has appeared at Ryles, Symphony Hall and the Hard Rock Café.
Also performing will be Ainsley Donaldson, channeling one of her favorite performers, Ruth Brown, queen of R&B; Mark Morgan, director of music at Hancock Church in Lexington and director of the New England Light Opera; Joe Mulholland, who has delighted jazz audiences at venues throughout the Boston area and beyond; and Amanda Rosa, who appeared in numerous productions at MHS and Stoneham Theatre.
Another beloved familiar face will be Joel Peterson, who will again demonstrate his prodigious tap dancing talent. Also dancing will be Gianna Filaretos, of Center Stage Dance Center in Melrose and a veteran of Melrose Youth Ballet’s “The Nutcracker.” Her dance was choreographed by Christina Leonard-Kristan.
Two newcomers to the Stars stage will be Carol Dixon, director of music at Trinity Church in Melrose, who will play the historic but seldom-heard Slayton Organ. Dixon will then switch to piano and accompany Beth Grzegorzewski, a professional opera singer, who is the soloist at the First Congregational Church in Melrose.
Stars will also include several very talented young performers: Caleb Barnes, a 10-year-old whose mastery of the piano defies belief; Jesse DeLaurier, a singer and guitarist and seventh grade student at Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School; and Sam Chetkin, who wowed audiences with his skillful portrayal of Gavroche in last year’s MHS presentation of “Les Miserables.” Stars over Melrose will also feature Frances Garrett, a 17-year-old singer songwriter who will accompany herself on ukulele.
Also featured will be Eva Lou Hoops, a hula hoop virtuoso and student at MMVMS, who performs in the Circus Smirkus Big Top Tour during the summer. The sixth grader holds the worlds’ record for hula hooping on her nose.
Melrose Rotary raises money to support many activities, both at home and far away. Locally, Rotary created the Melrose Skate Board Park on Tremont Street. Melrose Rotary helps Rotary International’s top philanthropic goal, a program to eradicate polio worldwide.
Tickets for Stars are available online at www.starsovermelrose.com or in person, for check or cash, at Miter Biter Frame Company, 479 Main St., Melrose. They will also be available at the door on the night of the performance.
The cost is $30 for reserved table seats, $25 for adult in gallery seats, and $20 for seniors and students.
