Sun 11/13 @ 7PM
Cleveland vocalist Joan Ellison has sung all kinds of music, with a special interest in musical theater tunes and Great American Songbook selections form the first half of the 20th century. And she has a special SPECIAL interest in the music of Judy Garland whose music she has performed in many formats.
One of those is a cabaret-style evening called Get Happy! Judy Garland 1944-54, which she recently performed at Michael Feinstein’s New York City supper club Feinstein’s/54 Below. It explores the music Garland’s popularized, starting with the 1944 release of one of her biggest films, Meet Me in St. Louis. It popularized tunes like “The Trolley Song” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” which remained standards in her repertoire for the rest of her life. Her 1948 musical with Fred Astaire, Easter Parade, was another huge hit. (After that, alas, a series of breakdowns and issues with alcohol and drugs caused her to be dismissed from a number of high-profile roles).
Ellison will perform Get Happy at Nighttown, accompanied by pianist Jason Aquila as she sings songs associated with those popular ’40s films, as well as her 1954 comeback in A Star Is Born. Expect to hear iconic songs such as “The Boy Next Door,” “Get Happy” and “Last Night When We Were Young.” And yes, you’ll hear “Over the Rainbow” even though it’s from 1939’s The Wizard of Oz, and technically outside the timeframe. Fifteen-year-old musician/actress Adriana opens. Admission is $20.