The Best of Diva came to The Lakeside Theater on July 1, 2, 4, and 5. Each performance was very nearly sold out to audiences excited for live entertainment again since the last time divas took the stage nearly three years ago. And the divas (and assorted hevas) did not disappoint.
The evenings’ entertainment was hosted by Adrian Heatley, playing Dolly Parton in all her glory, with her big hair, big voice, and big boots. 
The stage was unadorned but kept festively lit to set the mood, with the performers’ voices more than amply filling the theater with old-time classics, rock ‘n’ roll, country, newer pop, and standards. The performers were be-boppin, movin’ and groovin’, twisting and shouting, and the audiences were right there with them. A good time was had by all.
Erin Smith was the show’s director and she had a cadre of her high school singers along to provide their youthful exuberance, amping it up to the nth degree. Two of Pam Ellis’s dancers, Averie Flewelling and Angelica Chavaree-Woodward, added an air of grace and sublime beauty to a few of the numbers, most notably Jim Croce’s “Time in a Bottle,” The Angels’ “My Boyfriend’s Back,” and Kenny Loggins’s “Footloose.”
The Rangeley Friends of the Arts hosted the event with every dollar contributing to make their mission a reality, bringing the arts to life. If you weren’t able to make it and would like to see it, go to the RFA’s YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/user/RangeleyRFA/videos, and watch it at your convenience. There are also many, many other videos for your entertainment on this channel. Hit Subscribe. Live a little.
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