For his birthday this week, I gifted my husband with tickets to a live musical performance of In The Mood, a choreographed rendition of music from the 1930-1940 era. Judging from the snowy hair covering the heads of those around us, I could see this music still held memories for many.
This is the nineteenth tour of this show, having started in 1993 when World USO chose In The Mood as the official entertainment for the fiftieth commemoration of World War II . Since its initial run, the show has visited forty-eight states, Canada and Europe. Performances have included performing arts centers, state fairs, arenas, corporate events and even an inaugural ball.
The show’s creator, producer and artistic director Bud Forrest has captured the flavor of the era with choreography and songs that take the listener back in time to a pre-war world. Mr. Forrest is a Juilliard trained pianist and he has accompanied other shows, including the Singing Sergeants, the official chorus of the United States Air Force. Combining his talent with the String of Pearls orchestra and the In the Mood Singers and Dancers for this show, Mr. Forrest’s genius in artistry paints a musical picture of this era.
As the program progressed, I could envision my own mother and father. Caught up in the reality of being drafted and the uncertainty of love in a war-torn world, they recited their vows before a justice of the peace in order that my father could leave for his stint with the army the next day. As the dancers jitterbugged across the stage, and the singers, dressed in military uniforms, performed “I’ll Never Smile Again” and “O Danny Boy” I could feel the tears on my mother’s cheeks as she waved her new husband off to war.
I’m glad God gave us the gift of music, for melodies and tunes reach our hearts in ways nothing else can. In Psalm 150:3-4 (NKJV) we are encouraged to praise God “with the sound of the trumpet, Praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes.” Music means a lot to all of us, especially to a loving heavenly Father.
For more information on the tour, visit www.InTheMoodLive.com