ASOLO REP PRESENTS ELLA,
A NEW MUSICAL
CELEBRATING THE LIFE AND MUSIC
OF ELLA FITZGERALD
The play is a co-production with Arizona Theatre Company,
The Cleveland Playhouse and San Jose Rep.
Sarasota, FL (April 25, 2007) Asolo Repertory Theatre is thrilled to present ELLA, a new musical about Ella Fitzgerald starring the extraordinary Tina Fabrique. ELLA is a co-production with Arizona Theatre Company, The Cleveland Playhouse and San Jose Rep.
The play will run for a limited engagement from May 10 to June 10, 2007 on Asolo Rep’s mainstage in the elegant Mertz Theatre. Originally designed as an opera house, this theatre is a wonderful acoustical venue truly befitting this celebratory spotlight on the music and life of Ella - "The First Lady of Song."
The creative team for ELLA includes: book by Jeffrey Hatcher, conceived by Rob Ruggiero and Dyke Garrison, musical direction and arrangements by Danny Holgate, Scenic Design by Michael Schweikardt, Costume Design by Alejo Vietti, Lighting Design by John Lasiter, Sound Design by Michael Miceli, Wig Design by Charles Lapointe, and Production Stage Management by Bruno Ingram.
Ella Fitzgerald was the most popular female jazz singer in the United States for more than half a century. In her lifetime, she won 13 Grammy awards and sold over 40 million albums. Famed jazz musician Billy Strayhorn referred to Ella as “The Boss Lady.” She is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century. This year, in April, the world celebrates what would have been Ella’s 90th birthday.
The play's story is compelling and reveals some of the innermost aspects of this beloved singer’s life. It's 1966 and Ella Fitzgerald has invited a combo of her favorite musicians to jam with her. As the session unfolds, and Ella prepares for one of the most challenging concerts of her life, we get the inside story of this "nice girl," her loves, losses, and triumphs. With Tina Fabrique singing some of Ella's best loved songs, we experience her highs and lows as she breaks through to a celebration of music and life.
This show has received critical acclaim throughout the country. Tina Fabrique has wowed audiences and critics with her dynamic performance. The story, the music, the experience are not to be missed by anyone, especial those who love jazz.
Tickets are available by calling the Asolo Rep Box Office at 941.351.8000 or toll-free at 800.361.8388, or online at www.asolo.org. Ticket prices range from $18 to $53 depending on date, time and seat location. Group, student and child discounts are available.
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Asolo Repertory Theatre is funded in part by the Division of Cultural Affairs, Florida Department of State, the Florida Arts Council, the City and County of Sarasota and the Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax through the Board of County Commissioners, the Tourist Development Council and the Sarasota County Arts Council. Funding is also received through efforts of support groups including the Asolo Repertory Theatre Angel Association, the Asolo Repertory Theatre Guild, the Directors Emeritus and the generosity of individuals, corporations and foundations
ELLA
FACT SHEET
PRESENTED BY ASOLO REPERTORY THEATRE
Michael Donald Edwards, Producing Artistic Director
WHAT ELLA
Book by Jeffrey Hatcher
Conceived by Rob Ruggiero and Dyke Garrison
Musical Direction and Arrangements by Danny Holgate
Co-production with Arizona Theatre Company, Cleveland Play House and San JoseRepertory Theatre
WHERE Asolo Repertory Theatre
In the Harold E. and Esther M. Mertz Theatre
5555 N. Tamiami Trail - Sarasota, Florida 34243
WHO Directed by: Rob Ruggiero
Musical Director: Danny Holgate
Scenic Design: Michael Schweikardt
Costume Design: Alejo Vietti
Lighting Designer: John Lasiter
Sound Design: Michael Miceli
Wig Design: Charles Lapointe
Production Stage Manager: Bruno Ingram
CAST Ella Fitzgerald… Tina Fabrique
Norman Granz… Harold Dixon
Band Members… Clifton Kellem
Rodney Harper
Brian Sledge
Joliet F. Harris
PREVIEWS Thursday, May 10 at 8:00 PM
OPENING NIGHT Friday May 11 at 8 PM The opening night show is followed by Asolo Rep’s champagne reception, and “mingle with the stars” celebration. Members of the media are invited to photograph and interview the cast and creative team at the party.
TICKETS $18-$53 at the Box Office 941-351-8000 or 800-361-8388; Group Sales (10 or more) toll free 877-427-6567 Also online at www.asolo.org
SYNOPSIS Ella Fitzgerald, one of the most prominent female vocalists of the 20th century, was always known as the “Nice One” among her contemporaries. Sometimes this reputation worked against her, and she was often criticized for sounding too impersonal; it was said that she could not – or would not – bare her soul sufficiently to sing the blues. This play takes place on one night in 1966, when Ella gave a concert in Nice, France during which she revealed more about her past and her inner life to her audience than she ever had before. As the play unfolds we are able to put together the pieces of Ella’s life through her stories and her songs.
SHOW TIMES
05/10 8:00 PM Preview
05/11 8:00 PM ON
05/12 2:00 PM IN
05/12 8:00 PM
05/13 2:00 PM
05/15 8:00 PM
05/16 2:00 PM
05/16 8:00 PM
05/17 8:00 PM PT
05/18 8:00 PM
05/19 2:00 PM
05/19 8:00 PM
05/20 2:00 PM AD
05/22 8:00 PM
05/23 2:00 PM
05/23 8:00 PM
05/24 8:00 PM
05/25 8:00 PM
05/26 2:00 PM
05/26 8:00 PM
05/27 2:00 PM PT
05/29 8:00 PM
05/30 2:00 PM
05/30 8:00 PM AD
05/31 8:00 PM
06/01 8:00 PM
06/02 2:00 PM
06/02 8:00 PM
06/03 2:00 PM
06/05 8:00 PM
06/06 2:00 PM
06/06 8:00 PM
06/07 8:00 PM
06/08 8:00 PM
06/09 2:00 PM
06/09 8:00 PM
06/10 2:00 PM CLOSING
PLAYTALKS This is a free opportunity for the community to meet the actors of each play and participate in an animated and honest discussion about the production process. Tickets to show prior to the discussion are $18-$53. (In the Mertz Theatre) Thursday, May 17 after the 8 PM evening performance, at approximately 10 PM Sunday, May 27 after the 2 PM matinee performance, at approximately 4 PM
INSIGHTS A FREE hour-long discussion on select Saturday mornings that provides unique opportunities to look at the work done by members of the design team in order for a show to open. The discussion is FREE; you may purchase tickets to the 2:00 PM performance following the discussion for $18-$53; however, attendance of the show is not required.
Saturday, May 12 at 11 AM
AUDIO DESCRIBED: a service where specially trained audio describers provide elaborate audio imagery of the play action and setting to the visually impaired audience member through a headset system. Sunday, May 20, 2 PM & Wed, May 30, 8 PM
CORPORATE MEDIA SEASON PRESENTERS Comcast and The Sarasota Herald-Tribune
CORPORATE CO-PRESENTER Bright House and Chateau L’Hesperit Wines
CO-PRODUCERS Howard and Diana Armbrust; Gershom R. Cohn; Marcy Gilroy, Fifth-Third Bank; Diana Lager; Harris & Ann Silver
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Asolo Repertory Theatre is funded in part by the Division of Cultural Affairs, Florida Department of State, the Florida Arts Council, the City and County of Sarasota and the Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax through the Board of County Commissioners, the Tourist Development Council and the Sarasota County Arts Council. Funding is also received through efforts of support groups including the Asolo Repertory Theatre Angel Association, the Asolo Repertory Theatre Guild, the Directors Emeritus and the generosity of individuals, corporations and foundations.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PLAY
Ella is a dream come true for me. Three years ago I began developing this musical portrait of “The First Lady of Song.” I have always been a fan of jazz, and her amazing body of work seemed to cry out for a theater piece celebrating the life of this woman. Her story needed to be told. Everyone I know “loves Ella Fitzgerald,” yet most do not know much about her life and her history. They just know her as the great singer she was. Our journey has afforded me the great privilege of taking a closer look at this brilliant musician, and really getting to know the sweet woman we all remember as “the nice one” – her past, her struggles, her dreams, her desires, her connection with her music and her audience – her real “story” so to speak. One thing quickly became clear: Ella Fitzgerald’s music was her gift to the world and (like most great artists) she defined herself through her work. Also (like most artists) she struggled with her sense of self and her ability to balance her life and her talent. Ella shared many of the same personal battles as so many of us, including her own, painfully familiar, search for love. Yet she sparkled and triumphed, and remained a huge defining force in the music world for decades. I found it fascinating (as I hope you will) to see and know more about the Ella behind closed doors – the Ella we never could see on concert stages and on television – and to experience the musical voice of truly one of the greatest singers of all time. I think it’s about time we celebrated the life of one of “the good ones.” Her life and her music are truly food for the soul. Enjoy.
- DIRECTOR’S NOTES May 2006
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
ROB RUGGIERO DIRECTOR (Ella) Rob is a freelance professional director and the Associate Artistic Director of TheaterWorks in Hartford, CT where, over the course of 13 years, he has directed many successful productions. He made his Off-Broadway debut directing All Under Heaven, his second collaboration with Valerie Harper, which also toured nationally, including critically acclaimed runs in Florida and Los Angeles. Mr. Ruggiero’s body of work includes both plays and musicals, and his productions have been seen in numerous regional theaters around the country, including: The Pittsburgh Public Theater, Barrington Stage Company, Great Lakes Theater Festival, The MUNY, and The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, where last October his popular revival of Take Me Out kicked off their “Off Ramp” series. This production received nine Kevin Kline Award nominations, for which it recently won three including one for “Best Director of a Play,” and will be remounted at TheaterWorks this fall. After finishing its run here in Florida, Ella will be seen in a number of other regional theaters around the country throughout the next year. An online portfolio of Mr. Ruggiero’s work can be viewed at www.robruggiero.com.
CO-CONCEIVER
JEFFREY HATCHER (Playwright) has authored the book for the Broadway musical, Never Gonna Dance. Off-Broadway, he has had several plays produced, including Three Viewings and A Picasso (Manhattan Theatre Club); Scotland Road and The Turn of the Screw (Primary Stages); Tuesdays with Morrie with Mitch Albom (Minetta Lane Theatre); Murder by Poe and The Turn of the Screw (The Acting Company); Neddy (The American Place Theatre); and Fellow Travelers (Manhattan Punchline). His plays—among them, Compleat Female Stage Beauty, Murderers, Mercy of a Storm, Smash, To Fool the Eye, and Work Song (with Eric Simonson) – have been seen at such theatres as The Cleveland Play House, Arizona Theatre Company, Yale Repertory Theatre, The Old Globe, South Coast Repertory, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Intiman Theatre, Florida Stage, The Empty Space, California Theatre Center, Madison Repertory Theatre, Illusion Theater, Denver Center Theatre Company, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, The Repertory Theater of St. Louis, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Coconut Grove Playhouse, Asolo Repertory Theatre, City Theatre, Studio Arena Theatre and dozens more in the U.S. and abroad. Mr. Hatcher wrote the screenplays for Stage Beauty and Casanova, as well as authoring episodes of the Peter Falk series Columbo. He is a member and/or alumnus of The Playwrights’ Center, The Dramatists Guild of America, Writers Guild of America and New Dramatists.
DYKE GARRISON (Co-Conceiver) wrote his first produced play, They Also Serve, as a Shubert Playwright Fellow at Occidental College. He went on to write a number of shorter pieces which have been seen at the One Act Theatre, The Marsh, and The Guild Theatre, among others. His full-length works include Meadow in the Sky, The Finish Line, Shall We Dance and Dead Languages. His musical, What’s On Tonight?, was produced on San Francisco’s own Broadway and his one-man show for Ken Dixon, All Present, appeared at Theatre Rhinoceros. His one-woman show about Pearl S. Buck, All Under Heaven, written for and with Valerie Harper, premiered at Ms. Buck’s alma mater, Randolph Macon, and went on to productions in New York, Los Angeles and Florida. Mr. Garrison has studied playwriting with Sam Shepard and Oskar Eustis. He is a member of the Playwrights Lab of San Francisco and former President of the Board of Directors for the Playwrights Foundation.
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