ME, MYSELF & BARBRA: The Music That Made Barbara, Barbra Comes to Madison

Jenna Pastuszek and Joshua Zecher-Ross willmake their Madison and Wisconsin debuts bringing the sold-out performance of ME, MYSELF & BARBRA: The Music that Made Barbara Barbra to Overture's Cabaret Series on Thursday, May 2 at 6:30 p.m.

About ME, MYSELF & BARBRA

Ever wonder what might happen if you stop waiting for permission and start believing in yourself? Just ask Barbra Streisand. At 21, Babs spent her evenings singing in NYC's hottest cabaret clubs dressed up in funky thrift store finds. At 21, acclaimed performer Jenna Pastuszek spent hers serving mini kosher hot dogs at bar mitzvahs sporting a patterned bow tie. Until she met Barbra, and everything changed. Learn how Barbra's self-confidence, power and unique panache inspired a young performer to get out of her own way and embrace her kooky self, weird last name and all.

Join creator/star Jenna Pastuszek and music director, Broadway's Joshua Zecher-Ross, in this intimate tribute to a trailblazing young Barbra. With “lavishly clever arrangements” and “witty, endearing personal stories,” the evening features music sung between 1959-1965 that turned her into the icon we know and love today.

After a wildly successful solo show debut tour of GET HAPPY!: An Evening Celebrating the World's Greatest Entertainer, Judy Garland in 2020 and 2021, Pastuszek and Zecher-Ross teamed up again in 2022 to create another tribute, this time to Barbra Streisand, now part of a series they're calling “The Original American Idols.” They debuted the show as part of Paper Mill Playhouse's Brookside Cabaret series and then brought a lavish and exciting six-piece band version of the concert to Manhattan's Green Room 42 in December 2022.

As an undergraduate history major at the University of Virginia, putting together both ME, MYSELF & BARBRA and GET HAPPY! have felt like full-circle moments for Pastuszek. “Whenever I sit down to research a performer I admire, I learn so much about myself. I may be singing songs and telling stories of women moving through the world 60 years ago, but so much of what they were facing then is, unfortunately, still present today. What a gift to be able to explore my own history with such a beautiful score behind me.”

As for the opportunity to bring this show to Madison, Pastuszek said, “My best friend went to UW, and I loved visiting her (and eating every cheese curd in sight). I can't wait to share Barbra's history, my history and some incredible music in a venue with such rich history. And with the unique opportunity to change it up and be intimately gathered together on stage with delicious food just screams Barbra. She'd be delighted.”

Barbra's long anticipated memoir, “My Name is Barbra,” was released in November, 2023. This will be Pastuszek's first time performing the show since reading the book. “For Barbra fans and people brand new to Barbra, this show will introduce you to facts (and songs!) about the beloved singer that you may not have previously known.”

Mark S. Hoebee, artistic director of Paper Mill Playhouse and the Brookside Cabaret series, said, “Jenna is an incredible singer with a facile voice perfectly suited to Me, Myself and Barbra.” He thought “the combination of some of Barbra Streisand's greatest hits with some hidden gems from her early years was so satisfying” and was “impressed with the research that Jenna brought forth to weave a lovely and very funny narrative through the songs.” Chris Alleman, artistic director of Theatre SilCo, said the show featured “a cleverly curated playlist with definite crowd pleasers but some lesser-known songs with really lovely arrangements.” He said Jenna “enraptured the audience with her sincerity while delivering laughter, fun facts and intricately woven personal anecdotes that really grounded her performance.” Matt Silva, artistic director of Delaware Theatre Company, called Jenna “a ray of sunshine” with “a powerhouse voice.”

Additional recent performances of ME, MYSELF & BARBRA include The Willow Theatre, 54 Below at Vitello's and the Zlock Performing Arts Center. Upcoming performances include the New Village Arts in California and Little Theatre of Manchester in Connecticut.

ABOUT THE TEAM

Jenna Pastuszek (she/her) is an acclaimed singer and actor who has graced stages and delighted audiences from Maine to Florida, from Cape May to Los Angeles, most recently seen in the North American premiere of “Elvis: A Musical Revolution” at The Walnut Street Theatre and singing the National Anthem at Dodger Stadium. You can hear her on Pandora Radio as the voice of Starbucks Café, Amazon, Pepsi, Crest and more. In addition to performing, Pastuszek is a highly sought-after voice teacher and performance coach, most recently on faculty at USC and UArts. She is the co-founder of Innovative Voice Studio, where she trains Broadway artists, and of Innovative Performance, where she coaches leaders across a variety of industries to use their voices to better express themselves. She is a proud Ukrainian and graduate of NYU Steinhardt and the University of Virginia. jennap.com. @thejennap

Joshua Zecher-Ross (he/him) (Music Supervisor, Arranger, Orchestrator) has worked on hundreds of productions and performances in New York and around North America as a music supervisor and director, conductor, pianist and arranger. Upcoming: “Queen of Versailles” (Emerson Colonial Theatre). Broadway: “Be More Chill” (conductor sub), “Once Upon a One More Time” (keyboard sub), “Some Like it Hot” (rehearsal pianist). Recently: “The Marvelous Wonderettes” (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), “A Christmas Carol” (Denver Center), “The Louder We Get” (Theatre Calgary). Other regional: Barrington Stage Company, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, George Street Playhouse, Sharon Playhouse and The Little Theatre on the Square (Sullivan, Illinois), where he also served as artistic director. Zecher-Ross is the composer of RESCUE RUE, a musical for young audiences, which recently had an off-Broadway run, and is the music director and arranger for several shows currently in development. Recent recordings: “Past Demons and Future Demons” by Ryan Scott Oliver, “Her Sound” by Ethan Carlson, “In the Light: A Faustian Tale” by Michael Mott. He is also an instructor and the head of music at the musical theater program at the NY Film Academy and has been a part of the Actor Therapy family since 2014. joshuazr.com.

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