News4U Online

The variety show Evansville sees each year to support the benevolent endevours of the Evansville ARC returns to The Centre. Mardi Gras is the theme of this year’s Show, and in addition to the many local celebrities involved in the performances is the familiar face of Jeff Lyons, Chief Meteorologist at Channel 14 WFIE. Not only does Jeff host the show, he’s responsibile for much of the pre-planning, writing and conceptualization of the skits. Recently he took time to give us some insider info on this wonderful event.

N4U:Please talk about the event some - what are people in for, what is its purpose?

JL:The Really Big Show is a fundraiser for Evansville ARC that is also designed to raise awareness of how Evansville ARC serves people with disabilities in our community.  When we first came up with the idea back in 2002, we wanted a unique event that would raise money and also showcase the hidden talents of local leaders or other “notables” in the community. It’s a one-of-a-kind variety show where you might see the mayor dancing alongside a bank president in one act, followed by a magician or juggler or accordion player or rock band in the next act and then the sheriff or fire chief singing after that. We always try to keep it fresh and attract new, surprising acts each year.

How did you become involved in The Really Big Show?

I was serving on the ARC Foundation board and was friends with Theo Boots, the development director at that time. We had known each other since high school, and she was determined to present a variety show as a special event and fundraiser for Evansville ARC. She assembled a good group of people with expertise in producing and presenting stage shows..she also tapped into other “creative types” who were interested in putting on a variety show. We met for nearly a year before the first show went on stage in 2003. I coined the title “Really Big Show” at the first meeting. Actually, I stole it from Ed Sullivan, who hosted the long-running Ed Sullivan variety show on TV from the late 1940’s until 1971. We actually patterned the first two shows after the Ed Sullivan Show, and I got to play the part of Ed Sullivan.

Can you sort of walk us through the development process for the event?

It takes us about six to eight months to put the show together, but we are thinking about it all the time. We have a core group of very energetic people who have worked together on the Really Big Show since the beginning. We always try to bring new people into the mix each year to freshen up the ideas and introduce new creative challenges. I host a cookout in late spring where we invite a variety of people to come and pitch ideas back and forth.  We collect all the ideas and concepts and then see which might work best for the staging and also for the type of acts we might have. 

            The next challenge is to find the talent. Sometimes, performers seek us out, but usually we find out about them through word of mouth. It can be challenging to find people with hidden talents because they’re hidden!

            The third step is the writing. The theme must be integrated into the show, as well as ARC’s mission and our sponsor’s acknowledgements or “commercials.” This is something that is unique to the Really Big Show. In addition to talent acts, we have a group of players who act in short sketches for our commercial sponsors. These skits have proven to be very popular, so there is a lot of pressure to make them entertaining and clever. This is where the theme can be used. For example, in this year’s show, we have a Mardi Gras theme, so our commercials have New Orleans and southern characters.  People like Emeril, Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie and even Rhett and Scarlett from Gone With The Wind. 

How have you seen it change over the years?

Our goal is to have the show move quickly and change quickly, so there is never a chance for something to fall flat. In the beginning, we had to beg people to be on, since it was a virtually unknown event. Now, we often have to turn acts away because we can only have so many on stage in an evening. People look forward to the show and are curious about what we’ll do next. Our clients at Evansville ARC are more involved now than ever. 

Illustrate what it's like backstage during the performance. Take us back there, if you will.

We have a terrific stage manager, Lisa Collins, who has been with us since the very first show. She’s EXTREMELY organized, so she knows when to cue all the entrances, lights, etc. People are usually nervous backstage and are eager to get out there and perform. It’s a thrill once the curtain goes up and the show is going on. There is no turning back; you can only go forward; kinda like Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.

            Sometimes we have a little drama backstage. Pat Coslett had a goat and goose backstage one year that did what goats and geese like to do all over the place. Another time, magician Don Baggett had Gina Moore enclosed in some kind of magic device and she started to freak out from claustrophobia. Brad Ellsworth had nearly all the words to his song written on his hands the first year he sang “New York, New York.”

            Everybody is pulling for the acts on stage. It’s just a great feeling to see everybody have that much fun, even though most are scared to death at that moment. You can practically feel the electricity in the air when a performer really nails it out there.

The Really Big Show • February 13 at 7 p.m. • The Centre

Show tickets are available at The Centre and Roberts Stadium box offices, all Ticketmaster locations, or charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000. $20 for adults; $10 for kids 12 and under.

*For the unabridged version of our interview with Lyons, click here!

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