MSO's 'Halloween Pops' haunts Saenger

There's a rumor that ghosts once haunted Saenger Theatre, and on Saturday night it came true. The Mobile Symphony Orchestra presented their "Halloween Pops" concert, and patrons came dressed as ghouls and spirits -- orchestra included. Theatrics were expected and offered to the audience upon entrance to the theatre. The grand chandelier was bathed in pink light, and cobwebs covered the stage. As each piece played scenes from the film projected behind the orchestra and smoke plumed from a downstage cauldron. Audience members were even picked as winners of a costume contest. MSO conductor Scott Speck wore many costumes for the evening, emerging first as the phantom from the musical and film "The Phantom of the Opera" and later appearing as Superman and as Harry Potter. The majority of the music on the concert program was less spooky and more film related. Speck seems to be a lover of all things John Williams, and as expected, the concert program was covered in his work, including his suites from "Jurassic Park," "Superman" and "Harry Potter." The true test for the orchestra was William's "Harry Potter Symphonic Suite." A few years ago, the MSO tackled the work, but the speedy string passages made for a garbled rendition. The big question: Could they deliver? The answer: unfortunately not. The violin section was again letting those fast portions keep them behind, and in their earlier portions, the horns were lethargic and sloppy. Right after skimming through the melodic theme from the Quidditch match, the MSO recovered just in time for a ghoul to be vanquished by a dressed-up Dumbledore. However, the rest of the program was ease and entertainment. The first half of Saint-Saens' quirky, playful "Fossils" from the ballet "Carnival of the Animals" was followed by Greig's "Peer Gynt: In the Hall of the Mountain King." To introduce an excerpt from Tchaikovsky's ballet "Swan Lake," Speck addressed its odd placement on a Halloween program by noting its presence in an old "Dracula" film. The first half closed with Waxman's "Creation of the Female Monster" from "The Bride of Frankenstein." After intermission, Speck returned dressed as Superman, and the orchestra launched into Williams' "Superman March." The remaining second half took audiences through movie-land horror with music from "Psycho," "Spiderman" and "The Addams Family."