Musical Legends Tribute
February 24 – March 13, 2011
RAVE REVIEWS FOR EACH "MUSICAL LEGEND"!
What the critics have said about these shows:
Roz White in PEARL BAILEY...BY REQUEST
"A fine salute to the beautiful/glamorous/sophisticated side of Bailey’s life. As White launches into some of Bailey’s most famous songs — “Personality,” “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” and “St. Louis Blues,” for instance — she delivers a near-perfect Bailey sound." - Barbara Mackay, Washington Examiner
Gretchen Reinhagen in SPECIAL KAYE: A TRIBUTE TO THE INCOMPARABLE KAYE BALLARD
"I don't use this word often or casually, but Gretchen Reinhagen's show about Kaye Ballard is a triumph. It's everything a tribute show should be: loving, illuminating, informed and informative, with the icon's style captured to result in appreciation of the tributer and tributee." - Rob Lester, Cabaret Scenes
Cleve Douglass in NAT 'KING' COLE: UNFORGETTABLE SMOOTH GROOVES
"Cleve ... seems to be Nat 'King' Cole reincarnate with a voice as silky as the lapels of his tuxedo."
- New York Times
"He is one of the best male jazz singers on the scene today!" - New York Daily News
Janice Hall in GRAND ILLUSIONS: THE MUSIC OF MARLENE DIETRICH
WINNER OF THE BISTRO AWARD for GRAND ILLUSIONS: THE MUSIC OF MARLENE DIETRICH
"A glorious hour ... When the show was over, I stayed in my seat a few moments, moved. I realized that I was responding to three forces, all working together: the enduring power of Dietrich, the strength of Hall's performance, and the brilliance of this show and all of its elements. Can one ask more of a tribute?" - Roy Sander, Bistro Awards.com
MUSICAL LEGENDS is four 70 minute tributes, performed in rep over the course of two weeks, February 24 – March 13, 2011 They are:
Grand Illusions: The Music of Marlene Dietrich, starring Janice Hall, directed byPeter Napolitano with musical direction by Paul Trueblood and featuring Ritt Henn on bass.
Paying tribute to the life and legend of Marlene Dietrich, one of the true icons of the twentieth century, internationally renowned singer Janice Hall brings her acclaimed 2010 Metropolitan Room show to Urban Stages. Rather than impersonating Dietrich, Hall reinterprets many of the famous songs Marlene sang throughout her career by composers such as Friedrich Hollaender, Cole Porter, Lerner and Loewe, Fats Waller, Robert Stolz, Charles Trenet, and Pete Seeger, bringing to them the beauty and distinctive quality of her own voice as well as her considerable dramatic gifts.Peter Haas of Cabaret Scenes wrote: “Many performers have “done” Marlene Dietrich, but none has offered her songs more richly, more movingly and with lovelier singing than …petite and elegant Janice Hall.”
Special Kaye: A Tribute To The Incomparable Kaye Ballard, starring Gretchen Reinhagen, directed byBarry Kleinbort with musical direction by David Gaines and featuringTom Hubbard on bass and Donna Kelly on percussion.
The ever ebullient Gretchen Reinhagen will star in Special Kaye: A Tribute to the Incomparable Kaye Ballard, which honors the vast library of musical material performed by, recorded by, or written specifically for Ms. Ballard, a star of stage, screen and TV for more than five decades, and still going strong. Winner of the 2009 Cabaret “Triple Crown,” (Nightlife, Bistro and MAC Awards), The Village Voicewrote “Reinhagen has the kind of strong, confident presentation that fits this tribute to the ever-hilarious Kaye Ballard.” Cabaret Hotline Online hailed it as the “MUST SEE, 5-STAR, show of the year.”
Pearl Bailey…By Request, starring Roz White with Gary Vincent, directed by Tom Jones with musical direction by William A. Knowles and featuring Mike Mitchell on piano.
In her tribute to Pearl Bailey, award-winning singer/actor Roz White has chosen many of Bailey's 16 Most Requested Songs, which she recorded for Columbia Records at the height of her career (including "St. Louis Blues," "Baby, It's Cold Outside," and "The Hucklebuck") and built an evening of marvelous music and memorable stories entitled Pearl Bailey…By Request. Originating at the Arc Theatre in Washington, D.C., the show has been produced by Metrostage in Alexandria, VA and The Milwaukee Rep Theatre. “Bailey's infectious sultry tones are underscored by her remarkable wit in an evening of memorable swing, jazz and Broadway show tunes.” The Daily Page
Nat ‘King’ Cole: Unforgettable Smooth Grooves, starring Cleve Douglass, directed by Lee Summerswith musical direction by Tony Romano on guitar and featuring Steve LaSpina on bass,and Matt Kane on percussion.
One of the jazz world’s brightest lights, many liken Cleve Douglass’ voice to the late Nat "King" Cole. The New York Times said “Cleve… seems to be Nat King Cole reincarnate with a voice as silky as the lapels of his tuxedo.” Nat ‘King’ Cole: Unforgettable Smooth Grooves is Cleve Douglass’s tribute to some of Cole’s most memorable songs, using Douglass’ updated original arrangements. This is Nat as you have never heard him before.
