Keith Lockhart Anxious to Return To Bethel Woods

By Jeanne Sager
BETHEL — August 10, 2007 — “You drive out through beautiful countryside to the middle of nowhere,” said Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart.
“And suddenly, there’s this brand spankin’ new concert venue.”
It isn’t easy to impress the man who has headed up the world-famous Pops for 13 years, but Bethel Woods did it.
When the Pops came to town to close out the performing arts center’s inaugural season, Lockhart was right at home.
This for a man who has directed the Boston Pops Orchestra and Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra at Carnegie Hall and Radio City, at Boston’s Symphony Hall and Tanglewood.
He took the first orchestra to the Super Bowl and lead the Pops on countless Fourth of July celebrations on national television.
Raised in Poughkeepsie, Lockhart was at least passingly familiar with the Catskills, and he wasn’t sure what to expect.
He was pleasantly surprised.
“The facility was very accommodating for an orchestra,” he said, referring to both the size of the stage and the acoustics.
“It’s great that a place is built with those things in mind,” Lockhart continued. “It’s not just a rock venue.”
The Pops are being welcomed back to Bethel on Sunday, Aug. 19, for a Tribute to Oscar and Tony.
One of nine cities on the Pops’ summer tour, Bethel will play host to Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley, two of today’s hottest Broadway stars.
Mazzie has been starring as the Lady of the Lake in “Monty Python’s Spamalot” since last fall.
The Tony nominee is married to her co-star on tour, Danieley, who is taking a break from his role as Aaron Fox in “Curtains” to join the Pops on tour.
Although Lockhart joked that the setting would seem to call for the playing of songs by “Country Joe and the Fish,” the Pops will nevertheless be bringing a concert in support of its newest album.
The songs of “Mary Poppins,” “Chicago,” “The Sound of Music,” and “My Fair Lady,” among others, will represent a half of a century of classics from film and stage.
Audiences should be prepared to sing along, Lockhart said, and share the glory of music-making at Bethel Woods.
Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. for the 7 p.m. show. For information and tickets, visit www.bethelwoodslive.org.