The life-giving importance of water, its precarious nature, and the global necessity to maintain the resource is a pretty serious matter. But for the press preview of its upcoming "Water: H2O = Life" exhibit (the show opens on Saturday), the American Museum of Natural History loosened up the evening with some lighthearted, water-themed entertainment.
In addition to piped-in music, with songs like "Under the Boardwalk" playing as guests ascended the museum's steps, the real gem was Miss Gloria Parker, who performed in the Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda. Parker, who appeared in Woody Allen's Broadway Danny Rose in 1984, played an assortment of songs on 28 glasses of various sizes and shapes, filled to different levels with water. She deftly utilized them to perform songs like "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head," "Laura's Theme" from Dr. Zhivago, as well as a few holiday songs. (Parker can also sound out requests on her collection of crystal, including contemporary pop songs.)The sounds of Parker aside, the exhibition is worth checking out, too. The show has a plethora of hands-on displays and even features an entryway made of water—well, water in another state, that is: a FogScreen (which we first saw at Wired's NextFest last fall) with projections of the words for water in many languages.
In addition to piped-in music, with songs like "Under the Boardwalk" playing as guests ascended the museum's steps, the real gem was Miss Gloria Parker, who performed in the Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda. Parker, who appeared in Woody Allen's Broadway Danny Rose in 1984, played an assortment of songs on 28 glasses of various sizes and shapes, filled to different levels with water. She deftly utilized them to perform songs like "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head," "Laura's Theme" from Dr. Zhivago, as well as a few holiday songs. (Parker can also sound out requests on her collection of crystal, including contemporary pop songs.)The sounds of Parker aside, the exhibition is worth checking out, too. The show has a plethora of hands-on displays and even features an entryway made of water—well, water in another state, that is: a FogScreen (which we first saw at Wired's NextFest last fall) with projections of the words for water in many languages.
Miss Gloria Parker performed on her musical glasses at the \"Water\" exhibit preview.
Photo: BizBash
Miss Gloria Parker performed on her musical glasses at the museum's "Water" exhibit preview.
Photo: BizBash
Entry into the exhibit is through a FogScreen.
Photo: D. Finnin/American Museum of Natural History
