To Newtown with Love

"From Broadway with Love: A Benefit Concert For Sandy Hook" will take place at Waterbury's Palace Theatre on the 28th of January. Proceeds will go to United Way of Western Connecticut's Sandy Hook School Support Fund.

The Girl Who Had Everything

Former Winnetka native and Tony Award winner Christine Ebersole had a concert here in Chicago last Thursday, March 25. It was held at the Harris Theatre in Millennium Park and was part of the theatre's Broadway Series. It was so wonderful to get to hear Ms. Ebersole's crystal clear voice again. Dressed in simple yet elegant black, Ms. Ebersole was accompanied by a 4 piece band which consisted of bass, reeds, drums and piano but the showcase of this night was clearly her beautiful voice. In fact, it was as if she came with three different personas, a delicate soprano, a jazzy lounge singer and a brass and comic belter. Her singing was effortless that the notes seem to just flow out of her.

There was no songlist so I wasn't familiar with all the songs she had sang but it consisted mostly of songs from the American songbook and Broadway tunes. My favorites that night were her jazzy version of 42nd Street, Fascinating Rhythm, I've Got A Crush On You and On The Sunny Side of the Street. Little Edie did make an appearance but not to sing a song but as part of her banter. She recited Robert Frost's poem, The Road Not Taken in Little Edie fashion which cracked everyone up! She was hilarious !

The show was directed by Hairspray lyricist, Scott Wittman so some of the banter you could tell was scripted but Ms. Ebersole was so natural onstage that it was so casual and free flowing. I never realized what a very funny lady she is. For an encore, she did an homage to Ertha Kitt singing Mink Schmink complete with a spot-on Ertha Kitt impersonation, purrs included. It was amazing! As a tribute to the Windy City, the last song she sang was the amusing Give Me Chicago Anyday, a song which was written by Chicago singer and song writer, Susan Werner who incidentally I had spotted in the audience during intermission. Very cool!

It was my first time seeing a show at the new Harris Theatre. It's such a beautiful theatre built uniquely underneath Millennium Park that you have to walk downwards to the belly of the theatre to get to the main floor! The theatre possess great acoustics making the concert even more enjoyable. The sight lines from our seats at the rear of the main floor were also great that I never had to lean to the side to look over the person in front of me. I guess that's the benefit of a well planned newly constructed theatre. I would love to see another show there again.


Some photos I took that night:

The Harris Theatre on Randolph Street



Digital Posterboard outside the theatre

The art piece over the lobby of the theatre

check out the very "Next To Normal"-esque theatre lobby

Apparently Lang Lang is coming in April!

Hail to Thee, Blithe Spirit!

Angela Lansbury may play a medium in Noël Coward's Blithe Spirit, but she is definitely larger than life. She is Madame Arcati, who ends up summoning the spirit of author Charles Condomine's dear departed first wife Elvira during a seance at the home he shares with current wife, Ruth. I was thrilled to see a living legend perform live on stage. I never knew she was so good at physical comedy. The Angela dance is now embedded in my mind.

Rupert Everett (dashing and funny as ever) is writer Charles; Jayne Atkinson plays his domineering wife number two driven batty by beautiful ghost Christine Ebersole. (We get to hear her sing between scenes. According to Playbill, a CD of the songs will be released.) Susan Louise O' Connor plays the pivotal role of the bungling maid Edith. The stellar cast did a wonderful job with the play's distinctly British dry wit. The funny lines just kept coming. The set was beautiful. The production is enchanting. You will leave the theatre in high spirits.

What Christine Ebersole did for Love of Colbert

Click here to see Christine Ebersole say goodbye to the Bush administration on The Colbert Report's 500th show last 19 January 2009.

You can catch La Ebersole at Cafe Carlyle until 31 January 2009.

We are Family

Jon, Tom and Pinky had a road trip Q & A on a recent visit to Indy. One of the questions was, whose singing voice would you like to have? Via text message, I chose Little Edie herself, Christine Ebersole (and Shoshana Bean, just to cover all vocal ranges). Here is La Ebersole serenading a couple who fosters 11 children on the Today Show's Everyone has a Story series.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Oh Hi!! (too)

Yes! STAUNCH Little Edie is back! On Dec. 23, 2008 10 pm ET, PBS will broadcast a new documentary "Grey Gardens: From East Hampton to Broadway". It's by original Grey Gardens filmaker Albert Maysles. And like the original film this also has reached cult status in film festivals.

The documentary film follows the journey of the original Maysles' film into it's creative transformation to a very moving Broadway musical. So we get to re-connect with the Beales as well as the award winning people who portrayed them, Christine Ebersole and Mary-Louise Wilson. The broadcast is part of PBS' Independent Lens Series. To learn more about it and for schedule listings please click the link above.

(photo fr PBS.org)

Jerry Likes My Corn.....

What a quirky title for a song isn't it? It's from Grey Gardens.......Big Edie sings it in Act 2 and it perfectly paints the Mother-Daughter relationship of Big Edie and Little Edie....love and rivalry...

BUT how did the songs from this outstanding musical come about? Check out this article from the Houston Chronicle

On another note......another musical is walking the plank........The Pirate Queen by the creators of Les Mis and Miss Saigon is set to close on June 17, 2007........I saw it in Chicago in it's pre-broadway try-out but alas could not remember any songs.......

Da-da-da-da-Dum

I have to confess, I wasn't sure if I was going to like Grey Gardens. I just wanted to watch Christine Ebersole. It is an amazing performance and she deserves all the accolades that she is getting. She is funny, poignant, tragic. But the real surprise was the show itself. It is haunting and heartbreaking. Not a show for everyone, not the typical feel-good,toe-tapping musical. It should win Best Musical. But I'm afraid Spring Awakening will bag that prize. Now I went in to see Spring Awakening with high expectations and was disappointed. Sure it's provocative and different, because it's a show about sex and teenage angst. It had 19th century characters singing 21st century lyrics complete with hand-held microphones, a band instead of an orchestra. (was it just me or did the music drown out some of the numbers?)I wasn't moved by the show at all, except by the quieter moments, like Ilse's number. Both shows were about non-conformists, independent thinkers and originals. But I prefer mine with upside down skirts,leopard-print bathing suits and a sweater wrapped around her head.

Around The World......

Ok....here she is.....check out her perfect characterization of Little Edie TOTALLY conveyed in this 4 minute song

ADDENDUM: This quote is from an article from the Chicago Tribune about Grey Gardens:

"But aside from handing the remarkable actress Christine Ebersole what must surely be a Tony-winning showcase role, “Grey Gardens” should be remembered for one other great achievement. Perhaps better than any other musical in years, this show charts the fragility of happiness. Often we get but one chance for a tolerable life. If it — or he, or she — goes wrong, we can immediately fall far off the charts. “Grey Gardens” understands this, which is why Ebersole’s performance is not the only reason it demands seeing."

A Revolutionary Performance

Critics and audience alike have lauded Ms. Christine Ebersole's performance as Edith Bovier Beale/Little Edie Beale in GREY GARDENS as a "Tour De Force" and a legendary performance that will be talked about in years. As part of my Pre-Tony Broadway Marathon Weekend, I was fortunate enough to witness this. Before the weekend I was more excited about another show........A Chorus Line.......BUT after the marathon......I must say that my favorite show this season is Grey Gardens!

The show is based on the Maysles Brothers 1975 documentary of the same title BUT who knew that the creative team would be able to turn this into a funny, riveting and at the same time heart breaking musical! Ms. Ebersole has a crystal clear pure voice that fills the theatre and gives you goosebumps particularly during the songs Around the World and Another Winter in a Summer Town........that at the end of the musical you hear sobs from the audience.

She is nominated for a Tony this year.....and frankly during intermission Tom, Lani and I looked at each other and said......give her the Tony already!!!!!!

She's not only an amazing actress BUT also an extraordinary woman......as relayed in this NY Times interview.

She also discusses Little Edie Beale's fashion style in this NY TIMES video

ADDENDUM: Here's an interesting article on how Grey Gardens and Spring Awakening are redefining Broadway

Also, check out the sad fate of Little Edie HERE