Caught the "Two Woman Show" with  Vicki Lawrence and Mama at the  Renfro  Valley Entertainment Complex, 50 miles  south of Lexington, Kentucky. Best known as Carol Burnett's look-alike gal pal from the   long-running   CBS   variety    show,   Vicki Lawrence  was   hilarious!  She  has  great comedic timing,  and   keeps   her   routine moving with lots  of  quips,  one-liners  and stories.  The  first  45  minutes  or  so,  she does the show as Vicki Lawrence. Talking about her days with Carol Burnett, including how she  got to  record "The Night the Lights Went  Out in Georgia" and,  of course,  singing  the 1973 #1 song! The second half of the show, Vicki came out as  Mama, and did a totally different act, which had the audience in stiches! Ms. Lawrence is definitely a  throw-back to  the  Bob Hope/Lucille Ball  kind of comedy  and stage presence, but the audience of all ages had a great time! You go Mama!

Just got back from  a three day trip  to Kentucky. Primarily went to see the ministry of Joyce Meyer in Louisville. This is my third conference with her, and teaching-wise the best! She  taught  on "Faith  vs. Fear". Thursday  night  she  gave  an overview of the conference  beginning on  the  three  things that  releases faith.  Prayer, speaking the word  of  God  and  actions  all release  our faith. Friday morning she emphasized the shield of faith and the importance  of keeping  your faith  full and  ready. Friday night, she  introduced  how  doubt  and  fear  always  war  against  faith. Also  how  we  as Christians have to truly understand the depth of love God has for us, in order for us to remain secure in our faith.

She wrapped up Saturday mornings teaching with "7 Fears to Avoid in your  Life." Fear of  trouble, rejection, never-changing, fear of change, fear you won't get what you want, fear of failure and fear of being hurt. As always Joyce was very upbeat, plain-spoken with much animation and humor through out the conference. Worship was "Fuzed Worship" whose guitar driven worship was genuine and easy to follow. Kudos to her video and  sound crew which  were  excellent  in every way! I was refreshed  and   renewed,  and   blessed  in  many  ways  during  the conference.

I must say  I had a  great time  today at the Mature Adults luncheon at the  Community  United  Methodist  Church  in  Circleville. It had been over 8 years since I have sung there, and it was a pleasure to be back! First of all, they have remodeled the basement area into a wonderful worship/meeting place. The sanctuary has been updated including  an  incredible  refurbishing  of  the  huge  pipe  organ! Combine  that  with  the amazing  stained glass  windows, and  the beautiful wood  of the seats  and balcony, one finds  a very inviting worship place!

The luncheon was terrific! Over 50 in attendance, and so appreciative of the music and song. My old  friend  from  Ashville,  Roger Southward  and his wonderful wife catered the meal. Fantastic!

One of  Broadway's  biggest all-time  draws came to the Ohio Theater this week  as part of Broadway  Across America's  2012  season, the classic  "West Side Story". Having  been made  into a  film which also scored  big, nearly  everyone  has seen at least  bits and  pieces of it, plus a  couple songs  are pretty  well-known  as well. While the show was  cutting  edge in  it's day, it's  rather  tame and  naive  to  today's standards (or  should  I  say, lack  of  standards!).  The  cast was top notch and handled the  acting and  singing  roles superbly. The song "Tonight" was  the  highlight  of the show, such a great song, sung in parts by the  entire  company.  The other  well-known  song,  "I  Feel Pretty" was classy as well. The production stuck to some Puerto Rican dialogue,   which   had   I    understood  it,  would've   added   to   the experience. Overall, the show was good, but it is in need of an update in my opinion.

Last  night  the  CJO finished  the  2011-12 season  with  a tribute  to  the  Legends  of  Soul. Overall  the concert  was excellent in the musical sense. However, the theme in  my opinion wasn't followed all that closely. The bands' medley of Michael Jackson hits were the highlight of the evening for me, but is MJ really soul? Pianist Bobby Floyds  daughter, Bobbi Townes, provided  some  great  vocals  on  several numbers, but she is more Beyonce than Aretha. For some reason  the  original  male  vocalist  scheduled  had  been cancelled and replaced  with the talented  and able  Chris Pierce. Again, more  pop than emotion-filled soul that was advertised.