It surely matters to the Evanston organization Family Matters that the Woman’s Club of Evanston has entitled its 65th annual benefit show “It’s a Matter of Taste.”
The neighborhood program happens to be the beneficiary of this year’s charity performance.
“Our titles are always tongue-in-cheek and they often refer back to the beneficiary,” said Jessica Trent, who is performing in her sixth annual WCE benefit show this year, in addition to being the show’s producer.
Family Matters has been growing since 1987, since a group of families in the north of Howard area got together to create an after-school program and promote positive change in the neighborhood plagued by gangs and high dropout rates. The organization provides classes for young kids, teens and families, teaching leadership and job skills and empowerment for teen girls. Over its 28 years, 100 percent of the program’s seniors have graduated from high school and 93 percent have gone on to college within a year.
“We felt Family Matters is doing really important work,” Trent said. “And that it shows how one organization, even if it’s focused on a smaller, specific section of the community, can really make a difference.”
Apparently, Family Matters has imparted some comedy song and dance skills as well, because members of the organization contributed to “It’s a Matter of Taste” and a couple of people connected with it are performing in the show. Steve McClain is the husband of I. Ashaki McClain, director of the Teen Girls Program, and Nia Gray is a Family Matters alum.
The benefit show is a 90-minute entertainment composed entirely of parody songs.Some years, Trent said, a few sketches and maybe even a bit of a plot finds its way into the program. But “It’s a Matter of Taste” is all parody songs, all the time, without any sort of theme to prevent the creators’ muses from wandering free of constraint.
The musing, by the way, has been going on since last June, when Trent assembled her creative team and began accepting song ideas, then refining and shaping them into an all-singing, all-dancing show, complete with a live band.
Numbers include a reworking of the song “Mr. Sandman,” which. Trent said, has been reset in a Build-A-Bear workshop, “with the difference that we’re asking them to build us a man instead of a bear.” Others include a reworking of Snoop Dogg’s “Gin & Juice” to describe an evening at the Olive Garden restaurant, re-titled “O.G.”
There’s a twist on “Do You Want to Build a Snowman” from the film “Frozen,” rewritten as “Do You Want To Take A Selfie?” Plus a new version of Tiffany’s ’80s hit “I Think We’re Alone Now,” now called “Special Delivery” and dedicated to Amazon.com’s use of drone technology.
The show ranges all over the place, but the tone always stays the same, Trent said. “Our goal is to be light, entertaining and lots of fun. We’re trying to give people 90 minutes of smiles and raise money for a good cause.”
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That formula, in Trent’s opinion, explains why the WCE benefit show is still going strong in its 65th year.
“It’s different from sponsoring a dinner and auction,” she said. “It’s a different kind of fun evening out. During this time of year when there’s not much going on, it’s nice to have something like this for entertainment. And you have the added satisfaction of knowing the price of your ticket is going to support a great cause.”
“It’s fun for us, of course,” she added. “But the real reason we do it is the opportunity to support something worthwhile. Not just the people who write the songs and perform in the show, but the membership at large who buy tickets and encourage the community to buy tickets and support local charities.
“We’re able to see the result of our efforts when we give the donation to a beneficiary. We can see how it helps and that’s always rewarding.”
‘It’s a Matter of Taste’
What: The Woman’s Club of Evanston’s 65th annual benefit show
Where: WCE clubhouse, 1702 Chicago Ave., Evanston
When: 8 p.m. March 3-5 and March 10-12
Tickets: $35, or $40 for premium tickets, sold in groups of six
Call: (847) 475-3800 or see wcofe.org