The New York City-based Doo Wop Project played to a full house Saturday night at The Plaza Arts Center in Eatonton, treating nostalgic fans, young and old(er), to a wide array of songs from the 1940s to the present day.
Featuring five harmonizing vocalists who each took a turn as lead singers at various points of the show, the group also featured a saxophonist, drummer, and bass guitarist, led by piano player Lon Hoyt, an accomplished Broadway musical director who served in the same role for the DWP group.
“It takes about a month of rehearsals and learning the music and learning the choreography, and we add different things here and there all the time,” said Charl Brown, a Doo Wop Project member since 2013, about a year after the group was originally formed. Dominic Nolfi remains the only DWP founder still on the vocal roster.
The Doo Wop Project is in the midst of a more-than-50-date tour of the country this year. They were heading to Pennsylvania and Maryland after leaving Eatonton, where those in attendance were left literally dancing in the aisles. Brown said that’s among his favorite parts of each night’s show.
“Getting to see the smiles on people's faces and taking them down memory lane, that’s my favorite,” he said. “And then I get to go out into the audience and do the twist with people. So that's a lot of fun as well.
“We all really enjoy that part because we get to interact with the audience and that's what we're doing it for, to bring the music and some fun times back to their lives and some memories back to them as well. It’s a beautiful thing.”