Looking to be entertained? ‘Stay Tuned’

When television became America’s entertainment central in the 1950s and ‘60s, its rise was fueled by the popularity of the variety show, a combination of music, comedy and – yes – commercials.

Five By Design, a Minneapolis-based vocal quintet, will revisit the glories of the TV variety shows in the Spokane Symphony’s final SuperPops concert of the season at the Opera House on Saturday.

The group’s newest show, “Stay Tuned,” will make its debut here, showcasing the music, the comedy and even the commercials of 50 years ago.

Many of the big stars of the ‘50s and ‘60s hosted variety shows, including such singers as Dinah Shore, Perry Como, Judy Garland and Dean Martin and comedians such as Sid Caesar – as well as people like Ed Sullivan and Arthur Godfrey who were stars because they hosted variety shows.

“We started working on ‘Stay Tuned’ last summer,” says Five By Design’s baritone, Michael Swedberg.

“We write our shows as a group, and we looked at a lot of footage of those shows to catch their flavor,” Swedberg says. “That was a lot of fun.

“Each of us had his or her own favorite songs to put in the pot, and everybody got a chance to argue for their choices. Then we selected the music and start talking about the form we want to have for the show. After that, we started writing the script and rehearsing.”

“Stay Tuned” has about 20 songs plus some orchestral pieces.

“We even have a montage of commercial jingles we’ve made into a medley,” says Swedberg. “And at one point, Kurt and I even play a piano duet.”

Five By Design began when three high school buddies from Washburn, Wisc. – Swedberg and the Niska brothers, Kurt and Terrence – got together again in college at the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire.

In 1984, they began singing with Lorie Carpenter-Niska as Hot Jazz, brought together by Alton Accola, who now travels with the group as its announcer.

“We were doing mainly Manhattan Transfer songs at summer festivals, clubs, and in restaurants,” Swedberg said in an interview during a rehearsal break.

“We changed the name in 1994, around the time when we started performing with symphony orchestras. But we still had our day jobs as music teachers or waiting tables and so on. In 1997 we went full time as a group.”

Alto singer Sheridan Zuther is the group’s newest member, joining a year and a half ago.

“Cathy Scott, a college friend, had been singing with the group, but she decided she wanted to start a family, and suggested I audition,” Zuther says. “In fact, Cathy just had a baby boy last Thursday.”

Five By Design does as many as 60 shows a year and spends up to 200 days on the road. They travel by van with the singers, their announcer, a lighting director and a sound man.

Saturday’s performance marks the third time the group has appeared with the Spokane Symphony. They came in 2001 to perform their flagship production, “Radio Days,” a musical celebration of the golden age of radio, and returned in 2002 with “Club Swing,” which followed the rise and fall of the big bands of the 1930s and ‘40s.