CHENNAI: Starting with the 1940s and taking a musical journey through time to the 1970s, the Rooplyn Music Circle came back after a two-year hiatus in a program to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Lady Andal Venkatasubba Rao School. The dynamic audience and talented singers came together to celebrate the music of a bygone era.The lineup included songs by artists like Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Connie Francis, Ella Fitzgerald and Perry Como to Neil Diamond, The Carpenters, Elton John, The Beatles and Elvis Presley.The singers clapped and sang along with co-performers Arjun Thomas, Sujan Daniels, Anand Madhavan, Sunitha Chaudhry, Poppy, Pooja and Nilu.The band comprised of Mathew Littlewood on the piano and saxophone, Natasha Pinto on the keyboards, Praveen David on the bass and Rahul Gopal on the drums. On the lead and rhythm guitar Ganesh, better known as Nash, also sang a few songs, including Misery by the Beatles, California Dreamin by The Mama’s and the Papa’s, and Year 2525 by Zager and Evans.Arjun Thomas started things off on a soulful note, with Al Martino’s Spanish Eyes. His strong vocals lent power to Creedence Clearwater Revival’s version of Heard it Through the Grapevine, and Elton John’s Saturday Night’s Alright. Sujan Daniel’s represented the Rat Pack, with Dean Martin’s Memories are Made of This. He also sang Engelbert Humperdinck’s Lonely as a Man Without Love.Poppy’s powerful rendition of the Gloria Gaynor classic, I Will Survive had the audience asking for more, and her saucy stage presence for the James Bond number, Big Spender, showed them a ‘good time indeed.’ The first Paul Anka piece done by Rooplyn Music Circle was given by Anand Madhavan, who sang Love’s a Lonely Song. Sudha, a long time member of Rooplyn, gave an Iyer version of Ella Fitzgerald’s Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off, with references to amma, appa, dosa and aapam.Sharanya rendered Connie Francis’ Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool and Sweet Sweet Smile by The Carpenters. Pooja, an alumnus of Lady Andal, sang Dolly Parton’s Jolene. Sunitha’s rendition of Virginia Bruce’s Under my Skin drew a lot of applause for its unique melodic beauty.The packed audience in the balcony enjoyed every moment of the show, with whistles, applause and loud shouts after every performance. Goodnatured ribbing and interaction between the audience and the stage kept the show lively and interesting throughout the evening. With each song, one hear things like, “I haven’t heard that song in 30 years.” Nilu, emcee for the show, also performed a few numbers, including the closing number, Johnny Wakelin’s In Zaire.
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