As part of the Founder’s Day Weekend in historical downtown Lee, MA on September 19th and 20th, The Spectrum Playhouse will present the 3rd Annual “Lee Idol”, a fun and entertaining contest for singers, musicians and audience.
When the contest begins at 7pm, three local celebrity judges will hear all contestants and give feedback on their performances. On Saturday evening, the 3 finalists will be announced and after they have each performed 2 songs, the audience will be asked choose the final winner by secret ballot. There will also be a special performance by last year’s winner Tori.
The judges for this year’s Lee Idol will include Ralph Petillo, one of the Berkshire’s most familiar and well-loved performers. Ralph has appeared in many leading parts with the Berkshire Theater Group and directed several productions there as well. He was most recently seen in “Suessical” at the Colonial Theatre in the role of the Mayor. He has also directed many area student productions including last year’s “Pippin” at Lenox High. Ralph holds degrees in music and theatre from Hofstra University. His past credits include writing, directing and performing for Walt Disney Productions.
The second judge will be the talented vocalist (and photographer), Rebecca Leigh. Rebecca is a Berkshire native and graduate of the Hartt School of music. Local audiences will recognize Rebecca for her many leading roles with the Berkshire Theatre Group as well as her stylish renderings of jazz classics as lead vocalist with the Carlton Maaia Quintet.
And lastly, Spectrum Playhouse’s very own British judge “Simon” (yes, Simon!) Borratt.
Comedian Paul McNeill will be returning as the Master of Ceremonies for the event. Paul has performed standup comedy at the Comedy Underground in Seattle, worked as an improv comedy teacher for youth with Asperger’s Syndrome and performed with “It Might Be Funny” at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY. He was a part of the Phoenix Players Theatre in Geneva and hosted a music show and ran play-by-play for Sports events on the local NPR station. Since 2012, Paul has performed frequently with the Royal Berkshire Improv Troupe at several Berkshire County venues.Cutting Edge Video of Lee, MA, will be providing sound equipment and technical services as a sponsor for the event.
Singers are able to accompany themselves on their own instruments (acoustic only), bring their own CD or sing Karaoke style with selections that will be provided.
The winning act will receive a cash prize. The 2nd and 3rd place contestants will each receive a gift certificate donated by the Starving Artist Café and Creperie in Lee. On Friday evening, signups will begin at 5:00pm and continue through 6:30pm.
Tickets for either night are $5.00 and can be purchased at the door or in advance on www.eventbrite.com