By Becca Marx
If you haven’t seen the two-hit wonder Hank & Rita recently, the duo is hitting the stages with their The Best of Hank & Rita: A Barroom Operetta. It’s the next of their many efforts to jump start their ailing musical career that peaked in the ’70’s. The road is the only home they’ve known since they hit the charts, and if you’ve read the rags in the grocery check out lane, it hasn’t been a smooth one. Who knows? It might be your last chance to see the married pair, who’ve had their ups and downs professionally, and personally.
I had the opportunity to experience the operetta, and a dull moment wasn’t to be had! Comedian Dan Vierck warmed up the sold out Bryant Lake Bowl Theater for the duo with his darkly frank humor. Hank and Rita, ever generous to their audience, lit the stage with their warmth. Their onstage banter was relaxed and charming, if not a tad recycled. Rita nodded sagely along as Hank waxed nostalgic while introducing their early hit “Without a Home”. The song’s message hit home, as Hank expressed his gratitude, for despite being without a permanent address, he’d found all that he’d needed in the music, the fans and Rita.
Everyone knows that touring years are like dog years, seven for every one. Maybe it’s time to unpack, get that mortgage, and settle down? How many comebacks/heartbreaks can a couple endure? There’s so much more that I want to tell you about Hank & Rita, but it’s best for you to see it unwind for yourself.
The Best of Hank & Rita, A Barroom Operetta, was written by musician, singer songwriter and journalist Joe Tougas. Tougas’s real life musical partner in The Frye: Ann Rosenquist Fee, plays the role of Rita. What a performance! Rosenquist Fee, who is the Executive Director of the Arts Center of Saint Peter, completely floored me with her captivating performance of Rita. Every movement, or non-movement in the case of her stiff bouffant, captured the aura of the Grand Ole Opry, circa 1970. Tougas paints a heartbreaking spectacle of a show, and his portrayal of Hank is achingly real. There’s no better measure in theater, than that of not only an emotional reaction, but a physical one. I experienced moments of pulse racing discomfort, as Tougas and Rosenquist Fee hit every note perfectly in their uncanny depiction of a couple’s onstage disintegration.
I spoke to Tougas after the show, and he related to me its inspiration. The Frye, the real life musical duo of Tougas and Rosenquist Fee, often find themselves mistaken as a romantic duo. Tougas, in retort to the marriage inquiry, sometimes answers cheekily: “We used to be.” It became a joke between the two, and went on to become the inspiration for “The Best of Hank & Rita: A Barroom Operetta”. Do not miss this incredible show! The Bryant Lake Bowl & Theater will host the operetta twice more: September 13th, and October 11th, get your tickets at:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1844989
You can purchase the soundtrack personally from The Frye at the show (I recommend it, much better for the artists), or purchase it here:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-best-of-hank-and-rita/id1025278919
You must be logged in to post a comment.