I Recently Performed for Family Honor’s 25th Anniversary Banquet…

I recently performed a comedy set for Family Honor, an organization that specializes in chastity education for families.  They were having their 25th anniversary banquet.

It was a special evening.  After a week of surprise ice storms and earthquakes (it was in Greenville, South Carolina), it was still gratifying to see a room that was full of support from families of all ages, supporting a lay-driven apostolate whose goal is to instruct teenagers about the precious gift of chastity.  This is a hard teaching, especially in light of the current world that we live in.

I had tailored my performance so to address the themes of love and chastity (it was on Valentine’s Day weekend).  My comedy can be tailored to be flexible, to address all sorts of audiences, from rowdy junior high schoolers to a banquet hall of adults.  I even knew I had a humdinger of an ending: I had written a parody song based on GREASE’S “Summer Nights” called “LOVE THAT SOMEONE RIGHT.”  I tailored it so that it could be a singalong.  Here are the lyrics:

LOVE THAT SOMEONE RIGHT
Parody of “Summer Nights” from Grease

Save your lovin’ so lovin’ can last
Save your lovin’; don’t hurry so fast
Ev’ry night, just offer it up
‘Til the day, when you tie the knot
To be chaste, it’s a wonderful way
Helping us love that someone right.

Wella-Wella-Wella-Hmmph…
Tell us more – tell us more –
    who is there to take out?
Tell us more – tell us more –
    Give us men with some clout!
Uh-huh; Doo-doo; Uh-huh; Doo-doo;
    Uh-huh; Doo-doo-doo…

World’s against this, no, we’re not naïve,
Music, movies, against these beliefs
Just be prepared to turn T.V. off
Don’t waste time; don’t face impure thoughts
To be pure, of this we’re assured
It helps us, love that someone right.

Wella-Wella-Wella-Hmmph…
Tell us more – tell us more –
    sounds so full of romance.
Tell us more – tell us more –
    must we take her to dance?
Down-dooby-doo Dooby-doo Down-dooby-dooby-dooby-…

This decision, means no S.T.Ds,
No distractions from teen pregnancies
You’ll be free to learn of yourselves
Learn the facts, what sex really sells
To be free, of this we agree
It helps us, love that someone right.

Wo,wo,wo..
Tell us more – tell us more –
    Must we pay for her food?
Tell us more – tell us more –
    We just love to be woo’d
Shoo-bop bop, shoo bop bop, Shoo-bop bop,     shoo bop bop,
Shoo-bop bop, shoo bop bop, Yeah!…

There is pleasure, in holding his hand,
Get to know her, is to be a man
Then one day, when she gets that ring
It will be good… you know what I mean!
Once complete, in matrimony
Newfound love, leads to newborn life…

Wo,wo,wo..
Tell us more – Tell us more –
    Joys we can’t comprehend
Tell us more – tell us more –
    Can the joys ever end?

But the future is not play pretend
And soon enough, those heights you’ll ascend.
‘Till that time, till we make our vows…
Wonder what, will keep us devout?
To abstain’s against the grain…
But I want…  to love someone right!
(Tell us more – tell us more – much more!)

The response to this song, in particular, was most enthusiastic. Here are some snippets to a follow up email that I received from the coordinator of the event:

“Hi Nick, 
Thank you for being a part of our 25th Anniversary Celebration.  It was great to meet you and to see in person the unique gift you have regarding music and song parodies.  You did help make our banquet a special event.

I think your opening and closing songs were the strongest part of your performance, and they were cleverly done.

Also, I think – based on the feedback that we’ve gotten – the audience probably would have liked more ‘sing along’ opportunities to songs or melodies that were well known.  Your strength is maintaining a high energy performance that keeps the audience engaged.

May our Lord bless you and your family and this very special ministry that you have.”

She also provided some other constructive criticism, which I had asked for.  I grow a little each time I do a performance, and I will never come to a point where I won’t stop growing.  It is most vital for me to stretch my comedy skills in such a matter that reaches the audience I had played for.

In the meantime, check out the resources that Family Honor has, to service your high school community.  They have been at this for a quarter-century, long before it was “cool” to teach Theology of the Body.  They have online courses and live demonstrations.

LASTLY… I also am grateful to have talked (even for a few minutes) with Fr. Dwight Longenecker, one of my favorite bloggers.  I encourage you to check out his blog, Standing on My Head, along with his books.  Even though our interaction was brief, it was witty and insightful.  He is the real deal.