Kids Raise Celebration to a Choir Level

Put a cute, talented kid in a family-oriented variety program and there’s a good chance that the precious child will end up stealing the show. Put four choirs’ worth of adorable children in such a setting and the other performers might as well resign themselves to second-fiddle status from the start.

Milton Berle, Sid Caesar and master of ceremonies Monty Hall all appeared at the Hanukkah concert at the Orange County Performing Arts Center on Sunday afternoon. The three veteran performers combined for well over a century-and-a-half’s worth of show business experience.

But it was the four children’s choirs that provided the bulk of the most memorable and heart-warming moments of the three-hour-plus program, presented for the second consecutive year by the Orange County Jewish Community. Each choir--which consisted of youngsters from two or three Orange County Jewish temples or organizations--sang lovely songs expressing the spirit of hope and good will that surrounds the Jewish Festival of Lights.

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Yes, a few numbers fell a bit short in terms of technical execution. But for the most part, Hanukkah songs such as the spirited “The Ballad of Mrs. Macabeus” and the wonderfully engaging “Light of Hope” had the capacity audience feeling buoyant and proud. As each group of children was introduced by the name of their respective temple or organization, hearty cheers erupted from large pockets of supporters in the crowd. Before introducing the groups making up the third choir, the personable Hall joked, “It’s time to cheer for your favorite team again.”

Yet the prevailing mood during this lengthy segment, which kicked off the show, was one of unity and not competition.

Unfortunately, Berle’s headlining performance took some of the luster off of the concert’s overall warm glow. His segment was somewhat disjointed, and at times he seemed confused. At one point, Uncle Miltie, 88, even forgot the punch line to a joke. But it should have been rewarding enough just to be in the presence of such a comedic and television legend.

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Berle erred grossly by making his act far too sexual for such a family event. His jokes, comments and double-entendres must have left some parents and kids squirming in discomfort. He should have left some of this material in Vegas.

Berle did rebound a bit toward the end of his set. He unleashed a few top-shelf zingers during a string of Henny Youngman-type one-liners that he read from cards.

A Hanukkah song he co-wrote was then performed by three young female singers. This placed him in a more appropriate context. But mostly, it was a disappointment to see Berle come across as a somewhat vain and leering old man.

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Comedy giant Sid Caesar was brilliant, but for only about five minutes. He executed an imaginative routine in which he passionately rambled on in faux French, German, Italian and Japanese. In the process he mixed Hanukkah-related words with names such as De Gaulle, Nietzsche, Michelangelo and Toyota. When the short skit was done, the star of the classic ‘50s TV show “Your Show of Shows” bid adieu and was gone far too soon.

The Hanukkah concert also featured performances by singer-songwriter Debbie Friedman, the Jewish Community Center Orchestra, 13-year-old cello prodigy Paul Wiancko and a number of adult vocalists. Though all delivered quality performances--particularly Friedman and her three-woman backing band--none managed to capture the essence of Hanukkah quite like the children’s choirs.