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Warner Singing Vinton's Praises
Taken from ctnow.com
Written by Owen Canfield

In the aftermath of Bobby Vinton's blockbuster performance at Torrington's Warner Theatre last Wednesday night, Barry Hughson said, "How I love a full house and a show like that ... the tremendous energy of it."

Here's how I felt after 90 nonstop minutes of matchless music and laughter: tired. He wore me out, Bobby Vinton did. But it was a good tired. A happy tired. The kind of tired that sends you home singing.

Vinton is over 60, but half of the gyrating young artists who dominate today's music couldn't stay with him for half an hour if they tried, and the other half wouldn't try. The old "Polish Prince" isn't old at all. Nothing like it. He's dynamite. He played the trumpet, saxophone, piano and clarinet, gamboled around the stage and then skipped into the audience, where he kissed some of the girls (but didn't make them cry) and danced with others. He just never stopped moving.

Hughson, executive director of the Warner, was so pleased you'd think he'd been elected mayor and won the lottery on the same day. "Vinton's versatility is amazing," said the old ballet dancer (he's not old either), "and his fans adore him. Did you know he donated part of his artist's fee back to the theater?"

Brad Davis, who has been Vinton's friend for 38 years, plugged the performer's Warner appearance on his morning radio show for weeks. Davis is a longtime supporter of the Warner and the arts in general. He was there to introduce Vinton to the packed house, which included Gov. John G. Rowland. The governor and his wife hosted a reception in the lobby after the show.

"It was good for the governor to see this full house and the enthusiasm of the people," Hughson said. "And to be updated on Phase II of the `Campaign to Restore the Warner Theatre' project."

Phase I of that public/private effort, costing $6.5 million, will be completed by November, helped immensely by large donations from O&G Industries, which came up with $500,000; Connecticut Light & Power, $200,000; and the Torrington Area Foundation for Public Giving, $250,000. The state and the federal government have also been generous.

Former state Rep. Brian Mattiello and Ken Merz are co-chairmen of the Phase II effort, which seeks to raise another $6 million. "People understand that we have to do this right," said Mattiello, reached at the state Office of Policy and Management in Hartford where he works. "We can't do less than we planned. While we're grounded in reality, we have set the bar high and we're pursuing this dream.

"And we've had one generous offer after another," Mattiello said.

It's exciting to watch what is happening in the center of town. Between the Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts and its next-door neighbor, the Warner, the area is becoming vibrant and lively. And never more so than Wednesday night, when Bobby Vinton made the old town rock and roll. And grin and cheer and feel good.

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