The Purple Rose Theatre was alive last night with a Jeff Daniels tradition.  He plays his original songs on guitar. This year he invited his daughter, son Ben, and wife Kathleen on stage to participate.  Since many of the songs are written from real life events, their participation was very special.  Jeff said he wept openly when Ben Daniels declared he wanted to be a musician.  Ben’s song “Fake Your Smile,” performed as a duo with his dad Jeff, was quite good.

My favorite replay this year was “The RV Song.” A couple new ones to me were ”Happy Birthday to Kathleen” and “Tiny Shoes.”  Again, the personalization is hard to imagine but understanding the song’s birth is part of what makes the experience so special.  Apparently, the kids had friends over to change clothes for a prom and friend Billy Hayes’ shoes ended up in Jeff’s closet and then his suitcase.  So for a black tie awards affair on the red carpet in Spain, out came Billy’s size 9.5 shoes to be worn in concert with the tux they brought for the special occasion.  Jeff wears a size 12 shoe so he stuffed his poor feet into the tiny shoes and walked on stage to receive the award.

The proceeds from 11 Holiday performances are donated back to the Purple Rose. CD’s are available in the lobby at $20 non-autographed and $30.00 with autographs.  For tickets, call (734) 433-ROSE.

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