First Show Of 2010

After a forced relaxation of nearly one month we perform our first show of 2010 on Friday the 15th. We will introduce and test run our "Salute the Vaudeville and Eddie Foy & the Seven Little Foy". Over the past year a ton of research on the Foys including Internet research, Foy's Autobiography (very rare and hard to find), and the Foy Biography (also rare and hard to find), as well as researching their early music and obtaining original sheet music and even an old Vitaophone video of the Young Foys performing was found. Chasing down music original to the Foys was tough work but we found some in mp3 format on line, others we had to have musicians recreate from the sheet music and one piece, "Greatest Father of the All" the first song in our routine, written by Bryan Foy and William Jerome, had to be recreated by James (my son). He wrote it by ear and had a Friend play it on the piano keeping that old 1900s feel.

Then of course there is the costumes. We took old photos of the Foys in 1913 and found or made patterns that best reproduced the costumes. We then hired a seamstress, Jane Miller, and had her make the costumes up. Finding the right shoes has been a task and we are still in the process there but for now everyone is in patten leather black.

Next each of the kids had to learn to tap dance. And though they are still new to it, and it shows, it's all good, because that was the charm of the Foys...they weren't great dancers either. As they matured a few got pretty darn good. Victor Jr. will even be doing his Foy Counter part, Irving's, Cossack dance. Miles will attempt his rendition of Eddie Foy Jr's Rubber man dance.

We've kept the humor and even added the idioms and language of the era. Cynthia will tell a joke Madeline Foy used to perform in the form of a gruesome version of Little Red Riding Hood. Victor will do an old Eddie Jr mind reading joke. Jim will play the guitar in the form of Richard Foy's mandolin playing for the "Bye Bye Baby" closing song.

Finally since Foy was famous for his drag (entirely different to today's drag) I will appear as Eddie did with his kids in that 1913 publicity picture. Eddie was in his 50s when he undertook this venture with his kids and I am in my 40s. He was famous for his physical, acrobatic dancing. I think the age disparity helps put me as a lousy dancer in line with him as an old dancer thus equalling us out a little bit.

We will video the show for educational purposes but will not post it unless it is in some way outstanding.