Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts shines a little love on ELO
The Electric Light Orchestra is one of the favorite bands of Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts director Michael Simmons.
“I had my first ELO 45 when I was 4 or 5 years old,” he said. “I used to pick out records off the radio before I knew what they were. My grandma would buy them. I’ve always been into this band.”
Simmons hopes people feel the same way after they see this weekend’s show.
The HBAPA Music, Media and Entertainment Technology (MMET) Department is holding its annual fundraiser show this weekend at First Christian Church of Huntington Beach. This year, the group is tackling ELO with “The Jeff Lynne and the Electric Light Orchestra Story.”
The rockumentary concert debuted Friday night and there are two more performances Saturday, at 2 (with a preshow at 1) and 7 p.m. Guests are invited to arrive early to First Christian Church to bid on auction items and get raffle tickets.
The MMET Department has tackled the Beatles and the Beach Boys in its previous benefit concerts. The Electric Light Orchestra, by contrast, has been forgotten by some, though ELO was one of the biggest selling bands of the 1970s.
This show highlights Lynne’s more than five decades in music.
“We wanted to do something harder, more involved, more difficult,” MMET vocal director Nicole Kubis said. “We thought, after Beach Boys, where do we go? Our goal is to shine light on ELO but also other things that Jeff Lynne did in his life.”
There’s a Traveling Wilburys song in the show to represent the British-American super-group that Lynne was part of in the late 1980s, for example, as well as a Lynne solo. And the chronological show reaches all the way into the current decade, Simmons said. ELO’s most recent album came out in 2019.
Several cameras set up through the auditorium capture the action. From a performer perspective, the show also includes APA Orchestra students and a choir.
Sophia Mack, an HBAPA junior who goes to Huntington Beach High, sings lead vocals on “Xanadu.” That’s the title track, sung by Olivia Newton-John, of the 1980 musical film .
Before the show, Mack said her knowledge of ELO was close to zero.
“I had no idea what I was getting myself into,” she said with a laugh. “But, yeah, the songs have totally grown on me a lot. I didn’t love them at first — they’re kind of strange — but they’re so fun. I love how dynamic they are.”
Student director Quenten Franks, a senior at Huntington Beach High, only knew the song “Mr. Blue Sky” before the show. Now he said he’s a thousand times more into ELO.
“It’s special to see everyone come together for this one thing,” Franks said. “It’s so many moving pieces at one time. If pulled off well, it could create some kind of masterpiece.”
Simmons, Kubis and Danielle Collins (pop) are the three MMET concert directors.
Simmons said he inserted some deep cuts into the show, like “New World Rising,” adding that he wanted to give the kids a chance to challenge themselves.
At Thursday’s dress rehearsal, he liked what he heard.
“[Lynne’s] concerts always sound amazingly perfect,” he said. “It’s scary how good they sound, and we’re kind of right up there. I would think this is pretty interchangeable, as far as quality. I didn’t know that was going to happen, but I’m pretty happy.”
Tickets for Saturday’s MMET fundraiser shows are $25 for general admission and $45 for premium seats. They’re available at hbapa.org/see.
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