Crowd Fills SPAC to Hear Belafonte on Opening Night

by Howard Healy, The Times Record, July 30, 1967

The program says simply “Belafonte in person.” There are no selections listed; no curtain time; only a few essential credits for guests artists and staff members.

And yet the Saratoga Performing Arts Center was filled to capacity on its opening night last night – and with several thousand more seated on the surrounding lawns.

Name Drew Him

Belafonte, of course, was the word, the name that drew them. For a good long time his name has been making sellouts in theaters and concert halls in this country and abroad.

He was up to his level last night at SPAC. His voice was mellow and smooth; his songs were folkish and delivered in an easy but deceptively polished way.

There were the moments, too, when he joked with the audience and it was done as smoothly as ever.

The one large difference, though, was Belafonte, the popular singer, starting a new trend at the prestigious Saratoga Center. He knew this, and he stated it in frank terms.

“If we are not up to snuff,” he told his audience, then we may prevent a lot of other artists from making tens of thousands of dollars.

“Up To Snuff”

I’ll admit I had my misgivings about the new approach at  SPAC. But Belafonte got it off to a good start. He was up to “snuff.”

Not all of the program was Belafonte, of course. Sharing a deservedly large billing on the program was Miriam Makeba and debut artist Esther Marrow.

Miss Makeba was as excellent as ever, and her repertoire, which is a mixture of African dialects and rhythms, as fascinating as ever.

She has in her own way as much performing individuality as Belafonte has, and they make an excellent team.

Gospels Her Best

Miss Marrow, who comes from Virginia, offered several types of songs, among them a gospel selection that showed her at her best. Miss Marrow has a voice of good potential but it seemed, from this viewpoint anyway, that a more original style is needed.

In all it was a good new look for SPAC, a look that will hopefully – very hopefully – set the standards for those who will follow.