Tony and Emmy Award winner Lillias White will headline Ella Fitzgerald: A Centennial Celebration, a September 24 concert in San Francisco saluting the 100th anniversary of the birth of the late jazz singer.
The concert will take place at the Venetian Room at the Fairmont Hotel, which holds special meaning for Fitzgerald fans, since Fitzgerald, dubbed “The First Lady of Song” during her lifetime (1917–1996), performed there often during its heyday and regularly celebrated her birthday there.
White won her Tony for her performance in the 1997 musical The Life, and has appeared in Fela! (Tony nomination), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and the original Broadway production of Once on This Island, among other shows. She recently was featured in the Netflix series The Get Down.
Also performing with White in Ella Fitzgerald: A Centennial Celebration will be nine-time Grammy winner Janis Siegel (Manhattan Transfer), Grammy-nominated soul and singer Freda Payne (“Band of Gold”), and Bay Area jazz singers Sony Holland and Amada King.
Fitzgerald’s centenary has prompted numerous tribute concerts around the U.S. including ones by Broadway divas Ann Hampton Callaway and Audra McDonald.
Among other acts of interest to Broadway fans coming to the Venetian Room:
October 8: Ann Hampton Callaway and Amanda McBroom
October 29: Brian Stokes Mitchell
November 20: Aladdin stars Adam Jacobs and Arielle Jacobs
December 10: Jane Lynch
February 11, 2018: Will Roland of Dear Evan Hansen
March 11: Liz Callaway
Tickets, which cost $85, can be ordered at Bayareacabaret.org or by calling (415) 927-4636.
Lillias White, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Liz Callaway have been special guest performers on Playbill’s Broadway on the High Seas cruises. Cabins are available for Broadway on the Danube River with Michael Feinstein for November 3–13, 2017, also featuring Rachel Bay Jones, Julia Murney, Christopher Fitzgerald, Marc Kudisch, Christopher Sieber, Brandon Uranowitz, and Seth Rudetsky, as well as other exciting talent to be announced.
Tickets are also now on sale for Playbill’s Broadway on the High Seas July 2018 cruise to Iceland, accompanied by Judy Kuhn, Christine Ebersole, Rob McClure, Jarrod Spector, Carmen Cusack, and Sierra Boggess. Visit PlaybillTravel.com for booking and information.
LOVE THEATRE? CHECK OUT THE NEW ARRIVALS AT THE PLAYBILL STORE!
