Route 66 got a hefty dose of music and humor Tuesday night as the Coleman Theatre Beautiful in Miami, Okla., hosted Trout Fishing in America.
Trout, for the uninitiated, is a two-man folk band made up of guitarist Ezra Idlet and bass player Keith Grimwood. The pair, who look about like Mutt and Jeff (Idlet is 6-foot-9; Grimwood is 5-5), perform their own unique brand of folk-comedy.
Between sets and after the show Tuesday, Idlet and Grimwood hung out in front of the Coleman’s Mighty Wurlitzer organ, signing autographs for their fans.
During the show, the pair took requests; played “Simon Says” with the audience; and encouraged everybody to sing along with such Trout favorites as “Mine” (a passionate tango about childhood greed), “Eighteen Wheels on a Big Rig” (a counting song in which Idlet and Grimwood counted forwards, backwards, by twos, and in Roman numerals; one good-natured heckler suggested they add binary to their repertoire), and the tongue-twisting “All I Want Is a Proper Cup of Coffee.”
One young fan danced along with every song, stood on tiptoe to peek over the edge of the stage at Idlet, and audibly thanked the band for performing her request, “Teddy Bears’ Picnic,” earning a “You’re welcome” from Idlet.
Trout last came to the Coleman seven years ago, when renovations to the venerable old movie palace had just begun. Ron and I first toured the building three years ago, when the Hampton Inns Save-A-Landmark Caravan came to Miami. My primary memory of that day involves standing with my head in the pipe room, listening to the overture from The Phantom of the Opera” being played on the Coleman’s Mighty Wurlitzer organ. A crew of volunteers was busy touching up the ornate gilt friezes, and I don’t recall the new carpet being down yet. The chandelier was still undergoing restoration. The building’s potential was obvious, but it had a long way to go. Tuesday evening, we sat in red-velvet-upholstered seats and marveled at the restoration work, which is about 75 percent complete.
Work is ongoing in the balcony, and organizers are still seeking donations to complete the restoration of the 1929 building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Click here to join Friends of the Coleman, a nonprofit group supporting the effort to restore the Coleman.