“One: The Show” Enjoying Sustained Success
By Christina Knauss
What do the songs "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," "Copa Cabana," and "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" all have in common?
At first, you might say "Nothing at all."
But you'd be wrong, because you can hear them all during one performance of "One: The Show," the regular featured production at the Alabama Theatre in Barefoot Landing.
"One" is in the ninth year of its run at the theater, and it continues to be one of the most popular live entertainment attractions on the Grand Strand, offering a huge assortment of musical styles that are designed to appeal to all ages. It's also a completely family-friendly experience.
The show is anchored by emcee and vocalist Greg Rowles, who has been in entertainment for 30 years and is a popular personality along the Grand Strand because of his work at the Theatre and his work hosting segments for FOX-43 in Myrtle Beach. During the evening, he performs several songs, interacts with the audience and engages in some hilarious routines with featured comedian Grant Turner.
Turner, a Georgia native, returned for the 2009 season and performs as his character "Ricky Mokel." As "Ricky," he offers up a 15-minute comic introduction to the show and performs several routines throughout the night. "Ricky" has the accent of a backwoods bumpkin, but offers up hilarious observations on current events, life in a tourist town, and life in general. All of his material is clean and designed to get a laugh from everyone in the audience.
Targets for jokes during a recent show included U.S. 17, the six-lane highway that runs from end of the Strand to the other.
"It's like being inside a garden hose," he said. "But it's good for senior citizens because if they have a senior moment while on U.S. 17, they can just keep driving and eventually they'll come back to where they need to be!"
During a segment about what life must be like in Canada, "Ricky" muses he had never met a Canadian before starting work in Myrtle Beach.
"Then I come here ... and you can't swing a lounge chair without hitting one!" he said.
The sheer variety of music genres offered during the two-hour show is evident right from the beginning of the first act. The first four numbers, in order, include the rock/blues classic "Let the Good Times Roll" performed by the ensemble cast, Rowles' strong version of Travis Tritt's country hit "T-R-O-U-B-L-E," singer Tammy Cochran offering Sugarland's recent country hit "More Than This," and then a bluegrass number (Ricky Skaggs' "Brand New Strings") performed by members of the band.
The show features a group of the strongest dancers you'll see anywhere. They're able to perform country, jazz, contemporary and rock styles of dance equally well, and the crew shines brightest during a tap number performed at the beginning of the Broadway segment in the first act.
The dancers also offer up a show-stopping version of songs from the classic movie (and now Broadway musical) "Mary Poppins." The segment features chimney sweeps dancing to the memorable tune "Step In Time" and a fly-in by Mary.
The show's second act features a journey through decades of American pop music in an "American Bandstand" themed number, a tribute to America's great cities through song, and Cochran's moving performance of her single, "Angels in Waiting," dedicated to her two brothers who died young from cystic fibrosis.
"One" wraps up with a moving patriotic segment that includes a tribute to veterans in the audience.
Outstanding lighting, video and sound effects throughout the show compliment the show's talented cast. During the "Mary Poppins" segment, the backdrop makes you feel like you're looking at a cast dancing right on the rooftops of Victorian London.
The theater is also well known for its annual Christmas show, which begins Nov. 4 and runs through Jan. 2.
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