Photo Flash: JUDY GARLAND LIVE! at Don't Tell Mama
By: Gabrielle Sierra Feb. 12, 2010
Tommy Femia, the 7-time Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs (MAC) Award-winning impersonator, continues his 20th season at the popular midtown club Don't Tell Mama, 343 West 46th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues), with his acclaimed portrayal of the legendary Judy Garland in "Judy Garland LIVE!" on Saturday, February 13 at 8:30 PM with special guest star Broadway, cabaret, and recording artist MAC and Bistro Award-winning vocalist Eric Michael Gillett. David Maiocco will serve as musical director. (Performances announced for February 27, March 13 and 27 have been cancelled while Mr. Femia takes on the role of Norma in a parody of Sunset Boulevard at the Abingdon Theatre on West 36th Street. "Judy Garland LIVE!" is now scheduled to return to Don't Tell Mama in April 2010.)
There is a $20.00 cover charge and a 2-drink minimum per person (cash only). The reservation number at Don't Tell Mama is 212-757-0788 (after 4:00 PM daily) or on the web at www.donttellmamanyc.com.
Tommy Femia made his Off Broadway debut in The New American at The Nat Horne Theatre, and toured the country, as Linus in You're A Good Man Charlie Brown. In Bucks County he appeared as Tallulah Bankhead in the musical Tallulah! and in New York City as Bette Davis in A Very Bette Christmas. He also starred in the hit Off Broadway production of the Drama Desk Award-winning Whoop-Dee-Doo! at the Actors' Playhouse, and starred as Judy Garland in the one-man show I Will Come Back at The Players Theatre. Television credits include: "The Facts of Life," "One Day at a Time," "The Montel Williams Show," CNBC's "Real Personal" with Bob Berkowitz, "The Jane Whitney Show" and he co-hosted a special edition of "Geraldo" with Geraldo Rivera. Since 1991 he has appeared in almost every New York City nightclub, and at The Blue Angel served as Emcee of the celebrated revue La Cage Aux Folles. Concert appearances include Merkin Hall, Battery Park City, Symphony Space, Theatre Three in Port Jefferson, The Cinegrill and The Gardenia Room in Los Angeles, The Plush Room in San Francisco, The Shubert Theater in New Haven, Earle Hall in London, The Rising Action Theater in Fort Lauderdale, and many clubs around the country, including first and foremost his "home-base" in New York City - Don't Tell Mama.
Guest star performers this season so far have included: Karen Mason, Eric Millegan, Mark Nadler, Zachary James (soon to be seen as Lurch in The Addams Family), Christine Pedi (as Liza Minnelli), Chuck Sweeney (as Miss Peggy Lee) and Village Voice columnist and author Michael Musto. Writing in his Voice New York News Blog on 12/23/09 Musto said: "Tommy Femia is the finest Judy Garland impersonator there is!" On 11/27/09 Mark Savitt of the cable TV show Hi! Drama called "Judy Garland LIVE!" - "Cabaret Heaven," and Stu Hamstra of Cabaret Hotline Onlline (10/22/09) said: "Mr. Femia's Garland impersonation is singularly and ultimately the best on the planet. The quirks, the gestures, the unique Garland mispronunciations, they are all here. Mr. Femia delivers a show that you simply will never forget - performance after performance."
This coming June will mark the second anniversary of Don't Tell Mama's restaurant in the front of the club. Open 7 days a week for dinner from 4:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. it also serves food on matinee days, Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, opening at 11:30 a.m. for lunch. (Credit cards are accepted in the dining room.) Some of Chef Bradley Anderson's specialties in his "seasonal new American cuisine" include: Pan Roasted Long Island Duck, Black & White Mac & Cheese (white cheddar, black truffle essence, and panko gremolata), and Crispy Skin Atlantic Salmon.
Photo credit: Jim Baldassare
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