AN EVENING WITH JUDY GARLAND

The Boston Pops, under the direction of Maestro Doug Katsaros brought a mostly older audience to 50 years ago. We who remembered the emotion, talent, and constant suffering endured by this performer, were spellbound to watch her image projected through modern technology on a video screen while singing to the accompaniment of one of the best Pops orchestras of today, The Boston Pops.

Meeting a lady in the ladies room before the performance started we both commented on having no idea what we were to experience. I said (thinking someone would be impersonating her or something like that since I never read reviews), "I wonder if we will be listening to a dead lady sing." We did indeed, after we were first introduced to her beloved son, Joe. He represented himself and his sister at the Judy Garland three day festival and they have a site to promote the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids Michigan.

We were treated to some of the kinder views, such as a picture of Judy in her London home in 1961 with her three children (she died there 8 years later).
The choices of film shown were wonderful, biographic and kind to
the later failing Judy, very ill, and living on the pills the studios had made necessary to her existence. What the movie studios did to her life was inexcusable
then and certainly would not be allowed today.

Heard was the Judy Garland who felt every word she sang and made the listener experience the meaning of lyrics ( novelty in
today's world of pop music).

We were treated to familiar songs beyond Over the Rainbow, The Man That Got Away, After You've Gone, By Myself, A Cottage for Sale, and several medleys which would have been familiar to all of her fans. If you are so unfortunate not to have known her
when she was alive and entertaining us all...listen to and watch this video of GET HAPPY

Thanks to YouTube and people who have retained the performances of such talented people, those who have left the performance world but leave us a legacy of music from the heart and gift of talent beyond the ordinary. From Horowitz to Miles Davis, from Mel Torme to Ella Fitzgerald, we can only wish there was video in stereo to let us hold onto the so many who have gone from us. What a wonderful way for the two Luft children to honor their mother's memory. Thanks to the wisdom of the Boston Pops Orchestra for seeing their way out of the box for just a minute for their audience's deep appreciation.