Foxy ladies are doing it for themselves.
That was part of the message Tuesday night at Savannah Center when Kathleen Kane, Petrina Amsden and Jules Larsen – also known as Foxxx – raised their performance level up to the torrid zone.
These three bold, brassy and blonde ladies displayed shimmering vocals, slinky dance moves and plenty of tough-chick attitude to prove that sisters can, indeed, do it for themselves. And brother, if you don’t like it, get out of the way because these foxes chase away the hounds.
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From blinding silver sequins, to flowing blonde hair and knee-high white vinyl boots, the trio came on stage and roared like a locomotive from the get-go..
The plot went something like this: Three women meet at a railroad station platform in Philadelphia waiting for a late train to New York City. They get together and start singing.
Foxxx took us on a wondrous musical journey from the 1940s to the present – from the Andrew Sisters’ “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” to Lady GaGa’s “Poker Face.” The audience also had a chance to savor the sounds of Dusty Springfield, Cher, Blondie, The Supremes, the Beatles, the Ronettes, Carole King, ABBA, Whitney Houston, Annie Lennox and a host of others.
If that wasn’t enough the trio combined for an emotional and uplifting acapella version of “America the Beautiful.”
Early in the show, Foxxx was in a more playful mood. Kane is from Philadelphia, while Jules and Petrina are sisters who grew up in England.
Those two added a bit of a sweet English accent to some of the songs and displayed plenty of American soul joining Kane for a romping version of “Love Train.”
The singers combined for a tribute to Shirley Bassey and Kane hit all the right high notes on “This Is My Life.” Later, Kane would stop the show and earn a standing ovation singing “I Will Always Love You.”
It’s a demanding number and Kane was up to the task. Foxxx likes to play their shows free and easy with jokes and laughs but these women have serious talent.
The ladies then had some fun with a guy in the audience. They slowed Little Eva’s rocking “Locomotion” dance into a slow and sensual romantic number. Villager Allan Reid was innocently sitting in his seat a few rows back from center stage when foxy Petrina suddenly came down and directed him up to the stage.
Before long, Reid was up there with Foxxx, playing a musical game of naughty but nice.
“I’m a retired nurse and I felt the symptoms of a heart attack on stage,” Reid said. “It’s a once in a lifetime thing to get up there and sing with Petrina, Jules and Kathleen. I don’t think I could live through a second trip up there.”
Petrina is well known in The Villages for her outgoing sense of humor and ability to make an audience feel special. She did all that while covering Pink’s “Get the Party Started.” Petrina offered some funk-laced rock wearing pink sunglasses and a black jacket playing the Pink role to the hilt.
Girl groups’ hits were a big part of the show. Video images of Ronnie Spector blazed away on a giant screen behind Foxxx as the group sang the all-time Ronette’s classic, “Be My Baby.”
The Supremes got the same treatment with Jules, looking like a youthful Marianne Faithfull, singing Diana Ross’ vocal on “Baby Love.” She also did justice to Dusty Springfield’s “Believe Me.”
The women combined for a heartfelt “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” and added some classy harmony to a cover of the Beatles’ “If I Fell.”
Sometimes the songs got caught in a generational crosswind. That’s what happened when Foxxx started wailing on Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” before turning it into an oldie called, “Denise.”
Broadway numbers were also included, with Kane belting out “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina.” A little cool jazz came up with “He’s a Tramp.”
The ladies then put on masks for the second half of the show and switched the sequin dresses from silver to red. They marched through the crowd, with a boisterous version of Lady GaGa’s “Poker Face” that made it feel like Halloween.
The show finished with the Foxxx anthem, “Sisters Doing It for Themselves.” As the song ended, Kane, Petrina and Jules danced and pranced through the crowd and bid farewell to their fans.
“They’re great,” said Villager Marilyn Corbin. “They sing and dance and know how to show people a good time.”
That’s what being a foxy lady is all about.