The legendary Ladies of Summer continue their captivating hold on Hartford Stage audiences with the swinging sound of the First Lady of Song, Ella Fitzgerald, in ELLA, starring Broadway veteran Tina Fabrique. The toe-tapping musical begins performances at the Tony Award-winning theatre July 8. Dubbed "The First Lady of Song," Ella Fitzgerald was the most popular female jazz singer in the United States for more than half a century. In her lifetime, she won 13 Grammy awards and sold over 40 million albums.
In the play, it's 1966 in Nice, France, and singer Ella Fitzgerald is preparing for one of the most important concerts of her career. As she and her fellow musicians finish with rehearsal the afternoon of the concert, her manager, Norman, has an unusual request: he'd like Ella to cut one of the usual numbers in order to add room for some "patter" with the audience. With this daunting task before her, she begins to reminisce, uncovering a past the public never knew on a musical journey through her life. All of Ella's most famous hits, including "A Tisket, A Tasket," "How High the Moon," "That Old Black Magic" and "They Can't Take that Away from Me" are performed with a live four-piece jazz combo.
Returning to the Hartford Stage after performances in Crowns, Constant Star, and Spunk, soulful songstress
Tina Fabrique brings unparalleled experience to the role of Ella Fitzgerald. A veteran of the stage, Fabrique has performed on Broadway in
Dessa Rose, Ragtime, Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk, Truly Blessed, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, The Gospel at Colonus, and Harlem Song. Her experience performing in national tours includes roles The Wiz, Bubbling Brown Sugar, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Once on This Island,
South Pacific and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Fabrique has been seen by television audiences on Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Today Show, All My Children and One Life to Live.
Other company members include Harold Dixon, playing Norman Granz in his Hartford Stage debut, and band members Clifton Kellem (Bass), Rodney Harper (Drums), Thaddeus Wilson (Trumpet), and George Caldwell (Piano/Conductor)
Rob Ruggiero (Director/Conceiver) came up with the concept for Ella while serving as Associate Artistic Director at TheaterWorks in 2005. As a key member of TheaterWorks' Artistic Partnership since 1992, Ruggiero has worked on a number of shows, including recent hits Rabbit Hole and The Little Dog Laughed. He conceived and directed Make Me A Song: The Music of
William Finn, which enjoyed critical acclaim, a successful off-Broadway run last season, and a London production earlier this year. Last season he directed a highly successful revival of 1776 for Goodspeed Musicals, where later this year he will direct a production of Big River. Ruggiero is the recipient of three Connecticut Critics Circle Awards for directing (most recently for his work on 1776), and two
Kevin Kline Awards.
Jeffrey Hatcher is the author of Ella. He wrote the book for Broadway's Never Gonna Dance; his plays, including Three Viewings, The Turn of the Screw, and Tuesdays with Morrie (with Mitch Albom) are performed regularly at regional theatres around the country, and he frequently writes for television. Dyke Garrison co-conceived Ella with Rob Ruggiero. His plays include Meadow in the Sky, The Finish Line, Shall We Dance and Dead Languages. His one-woman show about Pearl S. Buck, All Under Heaven, was written for and with
Valerie Harper. Danny Holgate is the Musical Director and Arranger for Ella. His Broadway credits include Musical Director and Arranger for Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope and Bubbling Brown Sugar; Musical Supervision and Arrangements for Eubie! and Rainbow Jones; Dance Arranger for Odyssey and It's Nice to Be Civilized.
The production team for Ella includes Michael Schweikardt (Set Designer), Alejo Vietti (Costume Designer), John Lasiter (Lighting Designer), Michael Miceli (Sound Designer) and Charles LaPointe (Wig Designer). Schweikardt and LaPointe are making their Hartford Stage debuts. Vietti has numerous Hartford Stage credits including Our Town, Nightingale, and Bad Dates, Lasiter designed the moving lights in
A Christmas Carol, and Miceli is the Audio Supervisor at Hartford Stage and was Sound Designer for Mahalia, The Devil's Music, and Crowns, among others.
Tickets for Ella are $28 to $55. A limited number of $10 "Ten Spot" tickets are also available for all performances, making Hartford Stage among the most affordable entertainment options in Connecticut. Discounts are available for groups of ten or more by calling 860-520-7244. What a Rush! half-price tickets to Ella may be purchased, subject to availability, beginning two hours before each performance in person at the box office only. Patrons must request What a Rush! tickets at the time of purchase to receive this discount. Tickets for children and students are $10 off the full price when purchased in advance. Students of Capital Community College may purchase one $10 ticket to Ella upon presentation of their student ID at the Hartford Stage box office. All discount programs are subject to availability and cannot combined with other discount offers. Hartford Stage has wheelchair accessible seating, assistive listening devices and other amenities. For more information, please call the Hartford Stage box office. Hartford Stage is located at 50 Church Street in downtown Hartford with parking located in the MAT Garage, directly adjacent to the theatre.
Photos by by Ben Strothmann.
