70s  and  80s  icon,  Natalie  Cole  graced  the  stage  of  Mershon Auditorium in Columbus last night. Dressed in an orange jump suit, Ms. Cole without fanfare, simply walked to the mike and began a 90 minute set of great jazz and pop standards. Included in the mix was "Stardust",  "Our Love Is Here to Stay",  a  Sinatra  tune,  one  from Sammy Davis Jr.  and  several  others  of the  period  including her father's "Get Your Kicks on Route 66". Natalie also sang a tribute to great friends and artists who have passed on, including songs made popular by Whitney, MJ, Etta James, Donna Summer and a couple more. Throw in 3 Spanish songs from  her upcoming album,  and 3  hits, "This Will Be An Everlasting Love', "Miss You Like Crazy" and "Unforgettable"  sung with her dad,  Nat King Cole,  on  the  screen behind her, and you have an evening of terrific memories and song!

Last night, "War Horse" opened its' one week run  at the Ohio Theater as part of the "Broadway Across America" series.  Based on the novel and movie, "War Horse" depicts  the story of a horse named Joey, the love of his teenage caretaker, and  the frightening  times of World War One. The story is a poignant tale told across England and France. The production  is  amazingly  sparse,  except for  the  magnificent  puppet horses! It takes 3 individuals to maneuver these amazing beasts! After a short while, you actually begin to think these horses are  real! Funny what the brain does...at least my brain, anyway! The story  is  well told and moves along at a good pace! At 2  hours 15  minutes, it  could get long, but doesn't.  The audience,  like  me,  were  enamored  with  the movements  of the  horses.  Truly,  the puppets  were  the  star  of the show. There is  some  singing  through out,  but  I wouldn't  call  this a musical per se.  Definitely beats "The 39 Steps" the last non-musical I went too (and slept through)!  Check out "War Horse" playing  through Sunday.

Last Sunday night, I had the pleasure of attending a friends  gathering  for Diane Green. Diane and I started  singing  Gospel Music  around  the  same time at the same church. So, needless to say, we go  waaaaaaaaay  back!!  We  have  done  many concerts  together  over  the years,  and  recently recorded "We've Been Lovin' Jesus (Too Long to Stop  Now)"   for   my  "Change  the  World"  CD.  Diane and her  husband David, moved to Florida last year and her trips back to Ohio are few, so it was indeed great to see her again!