Dean Martin Impersonator, Felix J. Deneau Jr. had a sold-out crowd singing along during Memorial Opera House’s presentation of Back to the Dean Martin Show on Saturday night. Benjamin F. Edwards & Co. Director of Investments, Cliff Bryan and his wife Laura, sponsored the night in full. As a result, all proceeds from the night went back to the Memorial Opera House Foundation.
“As a full-service financial firm, the community is all of our clients. So we are committed to serving our community,” said Bryan. “You can’t have a thriving, successful community without having an arts program.”
Kaye Frataccia, President of the Memorial Opera House Foundation Board, was ecstatic about the show and about how the proceeds were going to a great cause.
“The profit from tonight is going to help with scholarships for kids getting into theater, with royalties to pay for better shows, with so many things in the Opera House,” Frataccia said. “It's such an awesome asset in our community, I love this place.”
The audience laughed, cried, and sang through night as Deneau Jr. brought the sixties back to life. With jokes and classic songs like L-O-V-E, some members of the crowd could not help but to get up and dance. Love was surely in the air in this community.
“There’s good people and good music,” Memorial Opera House frequent, Mario Vasquez of Valparaiso, said. “We love the opera house, we love downtown, and we love Dean Martin. What more could you want?”
Bernice Mcardle, long-time volunteer with the Memorial Opera House Foundation, loved seeing such an overwhelming turn out for the night with a sold out crowd.
“I liked the passion and the interest and the mission of [the Memorial Opera House] to actually interact with the community,” Mcardle said. “What really struck me here, is how everybody knows everybody, and how it's like a big family.”
The evening showcased what a cultural center like the Memorial Opera House brings to a community.
“Everybody comes to the opera house and they're enjoying themselves,” Frataccia said. “The theater offers something for everyone.”
For Dean Martin and Rat Pack fans who could not catch Saturday’s show, the Memorial Opera House is hosting Tom Dreesen’s “An Evening of Laughter and Stories of Sinatra” on August 17th at 7:00 p.m. Be sure to get your tickets soon, as there is only a limited number left.For more information on Benjamin F. Edwards & Co. go to benjaminfedwards.com. To learn more about The Memorial Opera House or to purchase tickets for upcoming shows, go to www.memorialoperahouse.com.