Smart Girls Sing Dorothy Fields at The Encore May 8, 20, 25

Cabaret vocalist Sonya Ledanski celebrates the centenary of one of Broadway and Hollywood's smartest and sassiest lyricists in SMART GIRLS SING DOROTHY FIELDS. She'll be joined on stage by musical director Sheldon Forrest with stage direction provided by Michael Dale. Performances are 7:00 PM on May 8 and May 20, and 9:30 PM on May 25 at The Encore, (266 West 47th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue) $15 cover charge + $15 food & drink. ($5 cover charge for MAC and Cabaret Hotline Members) Reservations: (212) 221-3960.

With a career spanning over 50 years writing the words for a diverse group of composers such as Jimmy McHugh, Jerome Kern, Sigmond Romberg and Cy Coleman, Dorothy Fields, with her talents for making poetry out of street slang and for creating strong female characters for the Broadway stage, is a major contributor to the American Songbook. Her first hit song was "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" and her last was, appropriately, "It's Not Where You Start (It's Where You Finish)". In between came standards like "On the Sunny Side of the Street", "The Way You Look Tonight", "I'm in the Mood for Love" and "If My Friends Could See Me Now". SMART GIRLS SING DOROTHY FIELDS will include many of her classics, plus some lesser known treats such as songs cut from the scores of "Sweet Charity" and "Seesaw" and a novelty number written by a 19-year-old Richard Rodgers.

With a background covering both vocal jazz and musical theatre, Sonya Ledanski fuses the two in an evening that combines sharp, syncopated arrangements with attention to character and Field's lyrical humor. In her last New York appearance, "Tales of Scampi and Other Pretty Things: the Lesser-Known Cole Porter (also teamed with Sheldon Forrest and Michael Dale), John Hoglund of Back Stage remarked, "…[Ledanski's] campy acting and musical-comedy skills earn the show a gold star. Too, Porter's exuberance brings out the spunkier side of a singer who's aura of ingénue meets "broad" suggests a young Michele Lee."

Her previous New York Cabaret outings, tributes to Peggy Lee and Nina Simone, played to enthusiastic houses at Helen's, Danny's Skylight Room, The Duplex, Don't Tell Mama and Mama Rose's.

As with her other performances, musical direction will be provided by Sheldon Forrest, the popular piano bar entertainer whose cabaret credits include performances with Maude Maggart, The Kitchenettes (Lua Hadar & Linda Kosut), and Jan Corey (widow of Tiny Tim).

The show is written and directed by Michael Dale, Chief Theatre Critic of BroadwayWorld.com and author of the popular dry2olives.com theatre web site.

For more information on Sonya Ledanski in SMART GIRLS SING DOROTHY FIELDS visit sonyaledanski.com.