Hats Off! Lloyd Webber's Tell Me On a Sunday Makes Chicago Debut Aug. 11-Sept. 7
By Kenneth Jones
11 Aug 2008
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Harmony France stars as Emma
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Bailiwick Repertory, in association with Blue Moon Studio Theater, presents the Chicago premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber's one-woman musical Tell Me On a Sunday, opening Aug. 11 after a preview Aug. 10.
Chicago theatre veteran Harmony France (Jerry Springer – The Opera) plays English hat designer Emma, who comes to New York City with dreams of romance and creative success, singing an hour's worth of songs by Lloyd Webber and lyricists Don Black and Richard Maltby Jr. France is artistic director of Blue Moon Studio Theater.
Performances continue to Sept. 7.
The score includes "Unexpected Song," "Take That Look Off Your Face" and the title song.
Originally produced as a record album starring English musical theatre star Marti Webb, "Tell Me On a Sunday" (with songs by Lloyd Webber and Don Black) was combined with Lloyd Webber's "Variations" to form Song and Dance, a two-act conceptual concert for the London theatre. Marti Webb and Wayne Sleep starred in the initial London mounting. Song and Dance, in a revised form (with additional lyrics by Richard Maltby Jr.), opened on Broadway in 1985 starring Bernadette Peters, who won a Tony Award for her performance. Betty Buckley succeeded Peters in the role on Broadway. Others who have sung the score include Lulu, Sarah Brightman, Liz Robertson, Gemma Craven and Alice Ripley, the latter at the Kennedy Center.
This Chicago Tell Me On a Sunday is essentially the re-titled Act One of the Maltby-tweaked Song and Dance, standing alone and running a little more than an hour.
Elisa Woodruff directs the independent Windy City production. Kate Garassino produces. Joshua Stephen Kartes, Jeff Award-winning musical director of Cabaret, is music director. The creative team includes stage manager Jay Kennedy, production coordinator Deanna Cox and costume designer Jeff Jones.
Lloyd Webber is the internationally renowned composer of the musicals Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, By Jeeves, Evita, Cats, Starlight Express, The Phantom of the Opera, Aspects of Love, Sunset Boulevard, Whistle Down the Wind, The Beautiful Game and The Woman in White.
Tickets are $20-$25. Regular performances are Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 8 PM, and Sunday at 7 PM.
For tickets call (773) 883-1090 or visit www.bailiwick.org.
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Tell Me On a Sunday surfaced in New York City this past spring at the Laurie Beechman Theatre. Maxine Linehan was Emma in that production (seen over eight consecutive Sundays) by Alloy Theatre Company.
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