Julie and Mary and Ethel and Babs – A Tribute to the Great Ladie
Julie and Mary and Ethel and Babs – A Tribute to the Great Ladies of Broadway!
Spotlight Cabaret Series
With Laura Hodos
Musical Direction by Chris Leavy
November 19th, 2014
Winter Park Playhouse, Winter Park FL</strong>
Most cabaret acts struggle with the choice between obscure songs that have personal appeal or going for the big name, big hit material audiences applaud the loudest for. Tonight Ms. Hodos swings for the popular fence, choosing material from the biggest voices and biggest shows of the biggest hits of musical theatre. Her sample set settles on these four voices: Julie Andrews (Marry Poppins, Sound of Music), Mary Martin (Peter Pan), Ethel Merman (Annie Get Your Gun, Gypsy) and Barbara Streisand (Yentl, Funny Girl). It’s a tall order Hodos has placed for herself, but she of all local actors is up for it. After all, she IS a belter, and numbers like “Everything is Coming up Roses” and “Gonna Wash Than Man Right Out of My Hair” are slam dunks, but obscurities like the Morris Chair themed “My Honey’s Loving Arms” or “Moonshine Lullaby” are equally well received. Along the way we pick up some show business trivia – Sean Connery was in the chorus of “South Pacific” and Mary Martin felt “Television wasn’t my medium” leading to her current obscurity. When the evening was over, there was the mandatory encore this time sung with musical director Chris Leavy; they did a fine duet of “Just In Love” and then they packed us off into the harsh Orlando winter night. I had to walk a half block in sub 70’s temperatures, and nearly had to button my coat. That’s a good cabaret – A warm soaring high, followed by the cold crash of real life outside.
For more information on Winter Park Playhouse, please visit http://www.winterparkplayhouse.org
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