FRINGE WORLD is the ideal home for events that surprise, delight, engage, entertain, and more. A splendid example is the latest concert presented by Catherine Summers: Jukebox Raffle (You Pick The Hits).

The venue offers food and drink, with a list much shorter than that of songs on offer. How can they offer a list of 250+ songs? This display of versatility also includes different versions to choose from. Even with an interval, how does she manage to keep her voice, when one loses it just from talking loudly?

So many potential requests are already a challenge, and the picking process is not simple or easy. Drawing several raffle numbers at a time had multiple effects: first, more flexibility in the sequence and spacing of songs. For the audience, it heightened expectation and suspense, and lucky 'winners' could share their reasons for their choices.

Catherine mentioned a touching previous example, where the song was dear to a near departed. On the night, another touching association was the song “At Last” for a wedding. One ticket was handed to each audience member on arrival, yet a hopeful person listed lots of titles they wished to hear—without much luck, like my hope for Whatever Lola Wants, a title reflecting the 'ad lib' theme of the night.

Jazz songs and modern songs were listed in alphabetical order. The former (also in terms of vintage) ranged more widely across languages and artists, and while each evening program is different, some hits that were heard included The Girl from Ipanema (also sung in a believable Brazilian Portuguese) and La Vie en Rose. 

The modern category was generous in its inclusion of less recent names, like ABBA, the Beatles, and Frank Sinatra. Surely something for every taste, always performed with a passion and skill shared by the band members. Each of them had the chance to shine and get applause, along with roles such as drawing the raffle tickets and announcing their outcomes.

Another element of variety was the alternative position for Catherine, at times perched near a fountain, much closer to the audience. Yet she maintained contact and interaction with the musicians on the stage, with unobtrusive gestures and open communication.

This show goes well beyond the usual Fringe formula and is special, also in its informal and inclusive approach and atmosphere. Enjoy it!