Lavan will perform Glitter and Be Gay: A Tribute to Barbara Cook at the El Portal Theatre/Circle Theatre in North Hollywood, CA May 2-31. Clifford Bell will direct the evening, which will include such Cook standards as “Ice Cream,” “Till There Was You,” “Glitter and Be Gay,” “I Love a Piano,” “Simple Song,” “He Was Too Good to Me,” “If Love Were All” and “Sweet Georgia Brown.” Tom Shell will serve as accompanist and musical director. Lavan, who has performed throughout the U.S. in operas, concerts and musical theatre, has this to say about the legendary Cook: “Barbara Cook is my hero. To me, she embodies the ideas of courage, elegance and absolute fun! Whether it is a tear or a twinkle in her voice, she never lets you get away from a song without feeling something. She never compromises the musical integrity of a song to do that. In fact, she uses her vocal mastery to find the soul of a song. I can think of no other singer who is able to combine emotional and technical artistry so fully. Barbara Cook has the ability to open herself to an audience so they can see her emotional experience, and, at the same time, leaves space for them to have their own. She is the consummate communicator. She has the extraordinary gift of being able to bring us to our own true share humanity.”
Cheered for her beautiful, crystal-clear soprano voice, Barbara Cook has starred on Broadway in Flahooley, Candide, The Gay Life, The Music Man and She Loves Me. She received a Best Featured Actress in a Musical Tony Award for her performance as Marian in The Music Man. Cook is also an internationally renowned concert artist whose numerous recordings are available on CD, including "Oscar Winners: The Lyrics of Oscar Hammerstein II," "Dorothy Fields: Close As Pages in a Book," "Live from London" and "All I Ask of You."
The El Portal Theatre/Circle Theatre is located in North Hollywood, CA at 5269 Lankershim Boulevard at Weddington Street. There is a $20 cover charge for the concert, and show time is 8 PM. For reservations, call (866) 562-8425. For further information about Victoria Lavan, visit www.victorialavan.com.
