Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Ethel Waters are celebrated in Ladies of Song, a new musical production from The New York State Theatre Institute (NYSTI), getting a Manhattan showcase March 21.

Featuring a script by Max Sparber and music composed by Harold Arlen, Cole Porter, George David Weiss and George Shearing, the one-woman musical stars Lynnie Godfrey of Eubie! fame.

NYSTI will present a one-hour showcase of Ladies of Song 5:30 PM March 21 at the Douglas Fairbanks Theatre on West 42nd Street. The showcase will feature excerpts from the full production that was mounted earlier this year at NYSTI in Troy, NY. Ladies, which pays homage to the late Fitzgerald, Vaughan and Waters, features stories and reminiscences about each woman as well as signature tunes. Godfrey, who received a Drama Desk nomination for her Broadway performance in Eubie!, also won the NAACP and Dramalogue awards and was featured in Norman Lear's "704 Hauser," the sequel to "All in the Family."

Ladies of Song boasts Ron Melrose as arranger orchestrator and Andrew Wilder as music director. Robert Bennett Steinhauer directs. Admission to the showcase is free, although there only a limited number of seats available. For those interested in attending, call (518) 274-3200.

Ladies of Song premiered at The New York State Theatre Institute in February. NYSTI, whose mission is to produce "professional theatre of the highest artistic standards for family and school audiences," is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary season. Their next production is the musical Magna Carta (April 19-May 1), which features music and lyrics by George David Weiss and Will Severin and a book by Ed Lange. For more information, go to www.nysti.org. —By Andrew Gans