Sunday, Oct. 07, 2007

Gallo Center shows exceed expectations

After I saw six shows in as many days during the grand-opening week of the Gallo Center for the Arts, friends kept asking me if I was burned out.

Surely I was sick of all things arts and never again wanted to look at the new downtown Modesto venue.

No way. I'd been waiting for this place to open for years and wasn't about to miss a minute of it. Even on the days I wasn't working during the opening festivities, I headed to the arts center to check things out.

I can honestly say I enjoyed every show, not just for the performances, which were great, but for the audiences, who were just as thrilled as I was to be there. Best of all, I saw all ethnic groups and ages represented, not just the upper-class older white crowd some thought would be the only people in attendance. And audience members came from all over the county, not just Modesto.

Despite ticketing problems, everything ran smoothly overall. The arts center staff successfully managed simultaneous performances in the 1,252-seat Rogers Theater and the 444-seat Foster Theater, with everyone mixing easily in the lobby before and after the shows.

According to Dave Pier, the center's executive director, the week was a financial success in part because of corporate sponsors who underwrote the programs.

"My impression is we were pretty close to budget targets on the expense and income side," he said, without giving specifics. "We were conservative in our income projections."

Here are some of the highlights from the opening week, which began Sept. 27 and ended Tuesday:

CLASSIEST PERFORMER: At age 81, Tony Bennett remains as cool as ever and a consummate professional. While you'd think it would be tiring to sing the same songs over and over, Bennett looked as if he was having the time of his life at his sold-out performance in the Rogers Theater.

He enchanted the audience by singing favorites such as "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" and "The Best Is Yet to Come," cracking jokes and sharing stories about old-time performers including Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra.

MOST ENTHUSIASTIC CROWD: Mexican-American band Los Tigres del Norte, known for its tiger-theme costumes and peppy, accordion-driven polka music, got the most love from an audience all week. A mostly Latino crowd of 1,100, some in evening wear and some in cowboy hats and jeans, cheered, whistled and sang along to the Spanish songs throughout the loud, raucous Rogers Theater show. Women lined up to kiss band members, and couples danced in the aisles. Afterward, dozens of people rushed the stage to get the band to autograph their programs.

BEST MUSCLES: It was a tossup between performers in Cirque-Works' "Birdhouse Factory" and the Joffrey Ballet. About 1,800 people watched the circus performers twist their bodies into pretzels during five performances in the Foster Theater over the weekend. About 900 people in the Rogers Theater marveled at the toned ballet dancers as they leapt high in the air, spun around at lightning speeds and carried each other across the stage.

GLITZIEST NIGHT: Modesto has rarely, if ever, seen such a glamorous crowd as the one that turned out for the grand-opening gala performance by the Modesto Symphony Orchestra and Broadway diva Patti LuPone.

Most everyone at the red-carpet event was dressed to the nines, with many in ball gowns or tuxedos. The lobby looked lovely with its white roses and soft lighting. One woman commented that she felt as if she were at the Emmy Awards.

SHOW MUST GO ON AWARD: LuPone managed to put on an entertaining show despite feeling under the weather and visiting an ear, nose and throat specialist earlier in the day.