Mark Wayne and Lorna Lambey were an Orlando Lounge act legends. Sadly Mark passed away last spring. I’ve often wondered what act could possibly follow their brand of Vegas style kitsch. The urban legend was that Mark and Lorna’s act inspired a Saturday Night Live bit where two teachers perform for students. Part of me hoped Lorna would continue to perform although I knew that wasn’t likely. I had to return to get another sketch.
When I got to the Red Fox Lounge in the Mount Vernon Inn (110 South Orange Avenue Winter Park, ) the room wasn’t as packed as the last time I had been there. The sixties era room sported prints of horse riders on the hunt. Bathed in blue light, Patty and Michael were performing behind a poster sized caricatures of themselves. I found it odd that Patty and Michael’s business card and website didn’t once mention their last names. Perhaps this first name branding makes them seem as big as Sonny and Chere. I liked their covers of Norah Jones songs but they couldn’t match Norah’s silky voice. They played a wide selection of covers but the music never had the energy or conviction to get people dancing or singing along. The music was kitschy and sweet but an empty caricature of the energetic originals. There is another act performing on alternating evenings and perhaps one day I’ll return.
