Review: Freda Payne and her 'Band' of Gold Marvel in ELLA: FIRST LADY OF SONG at The Madison Theatre At Molloy College

The Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, NV is the oldest, still operating resort on the Vegas Strip with a very storied history. On December 26, 1946, infamous mobster Bugsy Siegel opened his passion project, which ultimately led to his own demise six months later. In 1963, The Flamingo housed the first ever residency for Mr. Vegas himself, Wayne Newton. In 1971, history would be made once more when the legendary Ella Fitzgerald graced the stage at the Flamingo. Her opener was the drummer Maurice Hines, Sr. and his legendary sons Maurice, Jr. and Gregory (Hines, Hines & Dad). During that residency, Maurice Hines, Jr. found the inspiration for Ella, First Lady of Song, currently running at The Madison Theater at Molloy College.

The show takes place in 1966, when Ella Fitzgerald is recording her legendary live album in France at the Côte d'Azur with Duke Ellington & His Orchestra. As the recording progresses, the audience is shown Ella's rise to fame as the ultimate songstress up until the Côte d'Azur concert.

The set is simple, subtle and perfect. Michael Clark sets the ambiance of the piece by having the stage echo an old-fashioned jazz club (i.e. The Cotton Club). The stage is occasionally adorned by two tables, one that symbolizes Ella's home life and one that symbolizes her life as a star. A big fad of the theater right now is the use of projections on stage; some are used correctly (i.e. Dear Evan Hansen) and some not (i.e. the 2009 revival of Guys and Dolls). This production uses projections perfectly. Michael Clark and Ed McCarthy brilliantly use projections to serve as a time machine. They helped transport the audience to the Apollo Theater, outside the front doors of Ciro's, and the Côte d'Azur.

Taking on the role of Ella Fitzgerald is the brilliant Freda Payne. While touring in a Broadway show together, Maurice Hines overheard Ms. Payne warming up her vocals via "scatting". Hines said, "Freda, you sound just like Ella!"; I completely understand what he means. Freda Payne embodies Ella Fitzgerald and is truly mesmerizing. I swear if you closed your eyes, you would think Ella has risen from the grave. P-Valley star Harriett D. Foy portrays Ella's cousin/personal assistant Georgiana Hale. Foy plays her role to perfection providing a perfect mix of sympathy and efficiency. The cast is rounded out by the wonderful Debra Walton as Young Ella Fitzgerald/Frances and Roger Gilbert Crane as Norman Granz/Joe DaSilva/Apollo McRalph Cooper.

While Ms. Payne was truly the living embodiment of a star, the other star of this production most definitely is her "band" of gold; I couldn't resist. This production's orchestra serves double duty as they are also a part of the ensemble. Lee Summers brilliant direction allows this to happen seamlessly. They are a six-piece band that definitely brings down the house. The band is led by piano player Dionne Hendricks, who also tackles the role of Duke Ellington; he's a true doppelgänger and is insanely talented. Greg Buford, on drums, also takes on the role of Chick Webb, the man who gave Ella her big break. On upright bass is Gerald Lindsay who also portrays Ella's sleazy second husband Ray Brown. The band is rounded out with the sensational Bobby LeVell on reeds, Willie Applewhite on trombone, and Patrick Adams on trumpet.

The costumes and wigs by Zinda Williams and Wendy Evans are perfect and authentic; they allow the cast to disappear into their roles. The only flaw of this production is that the book needs a little work. The production falters when out of the blue, it has cast members randomly break into song. At the end of Act I, Ella Fitzgerald is at home and randomly breaks into song with her sister, Frances, and cousin, Georgiana, and sing "Any Place I Hang My Hat is Home." At the top of Act II, record producer and Verve founder Norman Granz sings "I Found a New Baby" regarding his recent discovery of Ella Fitzgerald. The whole show features Ella Fitzgerald singing songs that were pertinent to her career at various stages of her life; it doesn't make sense to have these other characters randomly burst into song especially since that wasn't the precedent set at the beginning of the show. Every song Freda Payne sings is GOLD; the show needs to stick to this. The show should be a straight-forward bio-musical where the songs are sung by the star; like The Four Seasons and Jersey Boys, the Temptations and Ain't Too Proud; and/or Billie Holliday and Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill. You shouldn't have cast members breaking into song for one number only. You either spread it out or don't do it at all.

While there is this one tiny flaw, the book does have many strong points. Lee Summers found a successful way to tell Ella Fitzgerald's story without replicating Billie Holliday's story via Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill. The show does work and the book could be further ameliorated with added aspects of Ella's life that I was intrigued to learn about including, her relationship with her son, Ray Brown, Jr. and how she began collaborating on many successful albums with Louis Armstrong (a great role for a trumpet player to inhibit). Lee Summers incorporation of the band being used as ensemble members was as brilliant as John Doyle using his Sweeney Todd ensemble as the pit orchestra. I was also moved by Lee's brilliant timely direction of Ms. Payne's performance of Hoagy Carmichael and Ned Washington's "The Nearness of You". At this point in the show, Ella reveals to her younger sister, Frances, how she had a botched abortion when she was younger resulting in her inability to have children. The devastation of this scene is further exemplified as Ms. Payne provides new nuance to the song's meaning. As she sings the song, she holds a towel in her arms that replicates a baby swaddled in a blanket. As she sings the last stanza of the song, the bundle dissipates and the baby is forever gone. The last stanza goes:

"When you're in my arms
And I feel you so close to me
All my wildest dreams come true
I need no soft light to enchant me
If you'll only grant me
The right to hold you ever-so-tight
And to feel in the night
The nearness of you"

Ms. Payne's prowess made this the most moving, memorable acting performance I have seen all season. This devastating scene was further exemplified by the recent overturn of Roe V. Wade; thanks a lot, Supreme Court!

Ella: First Lady of Song was one of the best productions I have seen all year, which in part is due to the amazing performance of Freda Payne and her "band" of gold. Upon the show's conclusion, a quote by Frank Sinatra is projected on stage. Sinatra once said, "There's Ella, then there's the rest of us." Ladies and gentleman, after this performance, I can easily substitute Ella's name for Ms. Payne's.

Ella: First Lady of Song can be seen at The Madison Theater at Molly College thru September 10.

You can purchase tickets here: https://madisontheatreny.org/event/ella-first-lady-of-song/

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