Review

August 9th, 2007

A Diamond Is Forever!
by lyle e davis

There was plenty of great music Saturday night at the Kit Carson Park Amphitheatre. David J. Sherry presented Diamond is Forever, his tribute to Neil Diamond, and he truly captured the magic, the excitement, and charisma of Neil Diamond. His ‘Diamond Is Forever Band’ did a superb job of backing him and the backup singers, The Diamond Girls did as well.

Sherry adopted Neil Diamond’s persona throughout most of the show, detailing his history in show business . . . occasionally he’d step out of his Neil Diamond character and chat with the audience. The strong favorites of “Sweet Caroline,” “Solitary Man,” “Kentucky Women,” “I Am I Said,” “Play Me,” “September Morn,” and other Diamond hits, brought enthusiastic responses from the audience. Many would sing along . . . and when Sherry would journey into the front rows of the crowd and serenade the ladies . . . well, they ate it up.

Overall, it was a most enjoyable evening. Kudos to Jack Campbell, Executive Producer, for putting the Plays in the Park series together, as a fundraiser for Patio Playhouse, Off Broadway, and American Rose Theaters.

While the music was absolutely superb, the show needs to be tightened up. The opening songs, rather than uptempo major hits, were lesser known songs, the delays between acts were too long . . . and why Sherry took an intermission at five minutes before 10pm had us scratching our heads in confusion. We left at the intermission. As good as the music was . . . the show was too long.

While his backup singers, ‘The Diamond Girls’ do an excellent job . . . as backup singers, it’s when they put on the beautiful purple gowns and purple wigs and adopt the persona of the opening act for Sherry, “The Violettes,” that things change.

Had they opened with an uptempo classic, such as they later sang, and segued quickly from one hit to the next, the act may have played. As it was, they started their set with a funeral-dirge type acappella song that had the audience wondering what was happening. Two songs later they finally got down to business and began singing tribute songs to the classic women singers and songs of the 50’s and 60’s. Much better fare. There was too much needless patter between songs. An opening act should be up-tempo, tightly choreographed, a minimum of talk between songs, songs tightly segued, and then lead immediately, not with a fifteen-twenty minute break, into the headliner act. As it was, there were too many delays between sets and acts.

However, if Diamond is Forever comes back, and I hope it does, I’d pay to see the show again. I’d just like to see it tightened up a bit.