Don Messick: The Live Performance

 As I mentioned in last week's "Top Ten Hanna-Barbera Voice Actors" list, Don Messick is my personal favorite of the actors I included. So why not follow that up with a look at one of Messick's most obscure performances? This was something I learned of a while ago, and have been meaning to share it here. In early 1996, Don Messick participated in a live take on the classic Peter and the Wolf musical. Given this was the same year Messick retired from the industry, this may very well be one of his last voice-over performances, as well as one of his final public appearances. The January 5th edition of the Lompoc Record promoted the event, which you can read below. 

Interestingly enough, this was not the only time Messick was involved in a take on this particular musical. It was also done in 1993, which you can read about in this post from Yowp's blog. Also interesting is that they specifically mention it as a one-time performance. Clearly, that didn't exactly stick. 

Peter and the Wolf multimedia concert on stage at Lobero

    SANTA BARBARA—It's a day for the young and young-at-heart Sunday as the West Coast Symphony, under the direction of Christopher Story, presents a lively multi-media staging of Sergei Prokofiev's classic musical tale, "Peter and the Wolf."    
    The show takes place in the Lobero Theatre, 33 East Canon Perdido, at 3 p.m.
    Prokofiev combined narration with orchestration to vividly tell the exciting story. In the tale, a young Russian boy lives with his grandfather at the edge of a deep, dark forest. The audience hears, through word and instrument, Peter's adventure as he attempts to capture a wolf from the forest and deliver him to a zoo.
    International "voice-over" star Don Messick is the narrator. He has been the voice of many popular Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters since the 1950s. Over the years, Messick has received many awards for his vocal contributions to the animation industry. 

    In "Peter and the Wolf," he enlists his famous cartoon alter-egos, Boo-Boo Bear, Scooby Doo, Papa Smurf, Ranger Smith and others in the narration.
    Cartoon slides by artist Jamie Pfeifer add delightful visuals to the performance. 
    To open the program, storyteller Michael Katz spins one of his fabulous tales, with sound effects by the orchestra.
    He is the storytelling radio show, "Katz Pajamas," on KCBS. He is also the artistic director of the Flying Leap Storytelling Festival held annually in Solvang.
    A master storyteller, Katz finds exciting ways to pull his audiences into the multicultural folktales and personal adventure stories that he tells.
    Clowns from "Clown Town" add to the merriment of the afternoon.
    The program is sponsored by the Lobero and Cielo Foundations. Tickets are $20 general; $15, seniors and students; and $10, children and handicapped persons. To order, call the theater at 963-0761. Visa, American Express, and MasterCard are accepted.