'It's All About Harmony': 85th Annual Madison Beach Club Follies Set

Submitted by the Madison Beach Club

MADISON, CT — Musical harmony means different things to everyone. Smooth doo-wop harmonies of the 50’s. Folk-rock harmonies of the 60’s. Disco harmonies of the 70’s. And then, timeless harmonies such as Queen’s "Bohemian Rhapsody," a harmonic convergence unto itself.

That and more will be seen and heard at the 85th annual Madison Beach Club Follies on Friday, August 5. The Follies has been an enduring tradition at the Beach Club, a rite of passage for members age 14 and up. This year’s Follies theme is “Harmony.”

"Because of Covid, the war, and national politics, the state of our world has been thrown into disharmony," Follies chair and frequent stage presence Fred Lyle said. “This is our chance to work together, have a great time, and create lasting harmony.”

Lyle, a veteran TV show producer and MBC member, is lending his show-running talents to this year's production, with show director Matt Harrison.

“Getting the call to create a show around the wonderfully amorphous word, 'harmony' was amazing,” said Harrison, whose “real” career is as the musical director at Hamden Hall Country Day School.

“You want harmony? We’ll give you The Drifters’ Under The Boardwalk,’ Heart's Alone and the Beach Boys’ Sloop John B for starters. But then, you’ll hear some surprises.

The 42-member cast gets just three weeks to rehearse a 20-song-and dance set list. Teens who’d played basketball and tennis but had never rehearsed a dance step, suddenly find themselves learning some new moves.

“Being in the Follies, I had to learn dance steps, moves which could actually help me on the basketball court,” says 15-year-old Peter Uzgiris.

The Follies performance open to the public will be held on Friday, August 5 at 7:30pm. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Madison non-profits.

Tickets are $15 for children 12 and under and $25 for adults. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Club front desk, 128 Island Ave., or at the door the night of the performance, subject to availability.