At close to 91 years old, Broadway legend Carol Channing has been performing for nearly three quarters of a century - and has no intentions of slowing down. The actress and singer will host A Carol Channing CHRISTMAS on Wednesday at the Agua Caliente Resort & Casino in Rancho Mirage, California.
"We're going to have Carol enter the stage, dressed all in white and riding in a white convertible," David Green, the executive director of The Dr. Carol Channing and Harry Kullijian Foundation For The Arts, told MyDesert.com.
"Wouldn't it wonderful if it was a Duesenberg?" Channing replied. "I think I'd like that!"
The 90-minute, high-energy song and dance production features Channing along with long-time friend, famed impersonator Rich Little. In addition to holiday songs, old and new, Channing will perform some of the songs she originated on the Broadway stage including Before The Parade Passes By, Hello Dolly and her own “Battle Hymn of the Republic”, Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend. She will also be joined by three of Broadway's shining stars - Tony-nominated Jonelle Allen (Two Gentlemen of Verona), Eric Kunze (Miss Saigon and Damn Yankees) and Nicole Parker (Wicked and star of Fox Television's MAD-TV).
And that's not all Channing has up her sleeve: a documentary, "Carol Channing: Larger Than Life," opens nationwide on January 20.
"[Filmmaker Dori Berinstein] saw me on Broadway and from then on, she wanted to meet me," Channing says.
As described in press notes, "Berinstein captures the magic and vivacity of the 90-year-old icon and throws it at the screen like roses at the stage during curtain call. You'll have a grin on your face and a tear in your eye, evidence that the original Dolly Levi is still glowin', still crowin', and still goin' strong."
For more information on A Carol Channing CHRISTMAS, click here.
