Ella Passes the Microphone to Judy Garland in Palm Beach
By: Beau Higgins Oct. 11, 2005
Florida Stage, Florida's award-winning regional theatre dedicated to
new and developing works, has announced that the musical Ella: Off
the Record, previously announced for production in March and April
2006, has been rescheduled to play at Florida Stage throughout
Summer 2006. The March and April slot will, instead, feature Beyond
the Rainbow, a tribute to the life and music of Judy Garland.
acclaimed playwright Jeffrey Hatcher (Mercy of a Storm, A Picasso,
Tuesdays with Morrie, Stage Beauty) has been commissioned to write
the book to tell her story. The move to summer will provide
additional time for play development. "The development of new work
is the most exciting process in theatre as an art form," stated
Louis Tyrrell, Florida Stage's Producing Director. "Ella: Off the
Record will thrill audiences for generations to come, and the
creative team deserves all of the nurturing time needed to fully
honor the music and memory of Ella Fitzgerald."Beginning on March 17, Judy Garland's 1961 Carnegie Hall concert
will provide the backdrop for Beyond the Rainbow, William Randall
Beard's original musical based on the legendary star's fascinating
and all-too-brief life. Garland, born in Minnesota as Frances Gumm,
is played in the piece by two actresses, one who represents her
performance persona at her electrifying comeback concert at age 43,
and the other who portrays her complex younger self from age 4 to
age 30. Beyond the Rainbow originated at the Great American History
Theatre in Minnesota, the first developmental home of last Summer's
hit musical Sisters of Swing. Among the 25 songs to be accompanied
by Beyond the Rainbow's hopping four-piece band are such classics
as "Get Happy," "Come Rain or Come Shine," "Swanee," "Stormy
Weather," "The Man That Got Away," and the quintessential Garland
standard, "Over the Rainbow."
SHOWTIMES FOR BEYOND THE RAINBOW: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday,
Saturday evenings at 8 p.m.; Sunday evenings at 7 p.m.;and
Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday evenings $45Learn more about Florida Stage...MORE ABOUT... BEYOND THE RAINBOW
WRITTEN BY: William Randall Beard; DIRECTOR: Ron Peluso; MUSICAL
DIRECTOR: Jimmy Martin; EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Kay and Jim Morrissey;
CO- PRODUCERS: Gladys Greenbaum Meyers and Robin Ellen Meyers;
CORPORATE PRODUCER: Northern Trust
For reservations call: (561) 585-3433 Out of Palm Beach County call
(800) 514-3837Website: http://www.floridastage.org
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