In April a host of performers saluted the life and works of Billie Holiday at a tribute concert at Carnegie Hall. That evening will be reprised this summer at the Hollywood Bowl on July 17.
Alan Cumming, Lea DeLaria and Tom Wopat are among the Broadway stars who will sing the songs associated with the late Holiday, and they will be joined by Oleta Adams, Dianne Reeves and Jimmy Scott. Terence Blanchard and his jazz ensemble will also be featured at the Bowl evening.
Billie Holiday was born in April 1915 and became one of the first and greatest jazz singers of all time. In the 1930's "Lady Day" became a sensation at New York's jazz club, The Apollo, and some of her signature tunes include "Fine and Mellow," "God Bless the Child," "Good Morning Heartache" and her biggest hit, "Lover Man." Her addiction to heroin and opium as well as excessive drinking sparked a rapid decline in health, and the multitalented but troubled Holiday died tragically in July 1959.
Alan Cumming made his Broadway debut in the Roundabout Theatre Company's production of Cabaret — a role he created at London's Donmar Warehouse — and received a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He was last on The Great White Way opposite Jennifer Ehle and Dominic West in a revival of Noël Coward's Design for Living. The Scottish actor who trained at the Royal Scottish Academy also has numerous London theatrical credits including a starring role in the Royal National Theatre's production of Accidental Death of an Anarchist for which he won an Olivier Award. In the past few years Cumming has also appeared in several high-profile Hollywood films including Tom Cruise's Eyes Wide Shut, director Julie Taymor's feature-film debut Titus, the blockbuster Spy Kids and the Spice Girls flick, Spice World.
Lea DeLaria received an Obie and a Theater World Award for her work in the Public Theater's revival of On the Town. She also starred in the Broadway revival of The Rocky Horror Show and the City Center Encores! presentation of Li'l Abner. Her other theatrical credits include Chicago, The Boys From Syracuse, The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told and As You Like It. An acclaimed stand-up comic, DeLaria is also an accomplished jazz singer, and her first solo recording, "Play It Cool," is available on Warner Bros. Records. Tom Wopat received a Tony nomination for his role as Frank Butler opposite Bernadette Peters in the Broadway revival of Annie Get Your Gun. His other theatrical credits include I Love My Wife, Carousel, City of Angels and Guys and Dolls. Perhaps best known for his seven season run on "The Dukes of Hazzard," Wopat has also released several albums with CBS and Capitol Records.
The Billie Holiday Tribute will begin at 8 PM at the Hollywood Bowl, which is located at 2301 N. Highland Avenue in Hollywood, CA. Call (323) 850-2000 for tickets; for more information go to www.hollywoodbowl.org.
—By Andrew Gans
