2004 Previous Latest News
Archived for Maureen McGovern
Archived for Maureen McGovern
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2004 Previous Latest News Archived for Maureen McGovern |
December • 2004 |
| Sleigh Bells Ring, Are You Listening? Dame Edna, Philip Bosco, Judy Kaye, Kevin Cahoon, and Maureen McGovern share their memories of holiday seasons past. After a 14-year absence, Maureen McGovern returns to Broadway -- where she appeared in The Pirates of Penzance, Nine, and 3 Penny Opera -- as Marmee to four daughters, most notably Sutton Foster as Jo, in Little Women. The musical is now in previews at the Virginia, where it will open on January 23. "Marmee is a role that touches my heart very deeply," says McGovern. "Having lost my father this year and my mother many years ago, what I love most about the show is the strength and bond of the family. I love Marmee's strength, compassion, and vulnerability." Her favorite holiday memory, she says, "was getting my first guitar at age 14. It was a Sears catalogue guitar that my dad picked out for me." McGovern has a show on Christmas Day, "and I'm delighted to be working on Broadway. I'm not going to celebrate until January 24, the day after we open." Her wish for the theatrical community "is a great and fruitful season." Read more: Theater Mania |
Youngstown Vindicator Star's revival story inspires graduates
MAUREEN McGOVERN WAS BLESSED with a golden voice, but also hampered by a lack of assertiveness, the Boardman native told graduates in Youngstown on Sunday. McGovern rocketed to fame at age 23 with "The Morning After," her Academy Award-winning hit song from "The Poseidon Adventure" in 1972. But she described a series of miscues and bad advice that threatened to make her a washed-up, one-hit wonder by the time she was 25. "Early in my career, I let a lot of people make my decisions for me. Whoever spoke the loudest could shut me up," said McGovern, who delivered the fall 2004 commencement address to 650 Youngstown State University graduates at Beeghly Center. "I had to learn that by not making a choice, I was making a choice." McGovern, who graduated from Boardman High School, shared the stage with another Boardman High alumna named McGovern. Her second cousin once removed, Mollie McGovern, was the featured student speaker. The producer of "WFMJ Today," Mollie McGovern earned a master of business administration. "If I had to offer any advice today, it would be to remember your roots, whether you're from here or some place else," Mollie McGovern told fellow graduates. She then shared a piece of her heritage, reading a poem from Michael McGovern, a 19th-century steelworker who immigrated to Youngstown from Ireland. He is Mollie McGovern's great-great-grandfather, and the great-grandfather of Maureen McGovern. The singer McGovern said she made a conscious decision in third grade to pursue a music career. She recalled her fascination as a small child with her father's barbershop quartet. "I would go around and sing all of the parts right along with them," she said. "That was my first lesson in harmony. ... When I was singing, nothing else mattered." McGovern's road to stardom was far from smooth, however. She said dyslexia made it difficult to read music. In fifth grade, she said, her piano teacher bluntly told her, "You're just wasting your parents' money." McGovern persevered. She told the graduates that people who succeed are not the smartest or most talented, but those who do not give up. Big break McGovern caught her big break when a Cleveland producer discovered her and got her a recording deal with 20th Century Records. "The Morning After," which was played while YSU officials conferred an honorary doctor of music on her, was the first song she recorded. But the attention from the song, which captured an Academy Award, proved short-lived. McGovern said her manager convinced her to sign a contract that allowed him to take up to 40 percent of her earnings. The contract also paid McGovern's band a weekly salary, whether she was performing or not. As a result of poor choices, McGovern said, she ended up performing at the Trolley Bar Lounge in Green Tree, Pa., only months after "The Morning After" was released. By the end of the year she was flat broke and dumped by her record label, McGovern said. She moved to Los Angeles and took a job as a secretary under an assumed name, fearing her music days was over. McGovern began to resurrect her career in 1979, though, performing "Can You Read My Mind," from the "Superman" movie. The song was a hit, and although the album failed, she branched out into other outlets. She did radio advertisements, wrote children's music and began acting. Her movie roles include "Airplane!" and "Towering Inferno." She replaced Linda Ronstadt in the "Pirates of Penzance" on Broadway. "I didn't know enough to be as frightened as I should have been," she said. McGovern finds steady work these days. She stars in "Little Women, The Musical," which opens next month on Broadway and has recorded a new version of "The Morning After." This evening at 8, she will perform at Stambaugh Auditorium to benefit the university's Dana School of Music and the Neil Kennedy Recovery Clinic. The graduates all received free tickets to the concert. McGovern told the graduates that it's never too late to fulfill their dreams but encouraged them to be smart. Get a mentor and form short- and long-term plans, she said. "Early in my career, I had the goal, but I didn't have the plan," she said. |
Holiday Pops Television Broadcast |
Maureen McGovern to Receive Honorary Doctor of Music DegreeYoungstown State University will confer an Honorary Doctor of Music Degree on Maureen McGovern, whose singing career includes two Academy Award-winning Gold records and major roles in several Broadway productions. Ms. McGovern will receive her Honorary Degree and give the commencement address at the 2:00 p.m. commencement ceremony on December 12. December 13, a concert at Stambaugh Auditorium featuring Maureen will be presented with proceeds going to the Dana School of Music and the Neil Kennedy Recovery Clinic. Read more: YSU NEWS |
Sing Out, Sisters! Little Women, the Musical, Begins Broadway Previews Dec. 7 By Kenneth Jones |
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The cast of Little Women, led by Maureen McGovern and Sutton Foster (center) |
Liz Smith
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Broadway Talks Series Spotlights Democracy, La Cage, Jewtopia and Little Women By Andrew Gans Read article:PLAYBILL |
| Little Women's Foster and McGovern Among Stars Set for 2005 Nightlife Awards
By Andrew Gans READ ARTICLE: PLAYBILL |
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November ? • 2004
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Little Women Rehearsal Video |
PLAYBILL ON OPENING NIGHT: WhoopiBy Harry
Haun
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11/17/2004 Peeking in on Little Women RehearsalsDirector Susan H. Schulman and the cast of Little Women offered an open rehearsal for the press on November 17. The cast, headlined by Tony winner Sutton Foster and Maureen McGovern, performed four songs, displaying the range and depth of the new musical by Jason Howland, Allan Knee and Mindi Dickstein. After the sneak peek, the cast and creative team posed for photos and chatted with reporters about their new take on the classic book by Louisa May Alcott. |
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| Dame Edna and Brooke Shields to Light Holiday Tree Dec. 8
By Andrew Gans Dame Edna Everage and Brooke Shields, both back on The Great White Way, will light the 2004 Broadway Holiday Tree Dec. 8. The ceremony, which begins at 5:15 PM in Father Duffy Square, will
kick off with a performance from Little Women's Maureen McGovern and
will close with Avenue Q cast members, who will be joined by students
from The Professional Performing Arts School. In addition to the lighting
of the tree, the ceremony will also include the presentation of a $5,000
gift to a not-for-profit organization in the theatre district. |
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Maureen
McGovern recently
visited the Virginia
Theatre
as the show was loaded onto the stage. |
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Maureen
under the marquee at the Virginia Theatre.
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Maureen
with producers
Chase Mishkin and Randall Wreghitt |
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The literary classic that depicts a tight-knit family in wartime finally gets a chance to sing.
 In
today's publishing industry, books are lucky if they last a year.
Louisa May Alcott's Little Women was published in 1868 and
has never been out of print since, still selling thousands of copies
every year. Now, after six generations of woman--both big and little--have
grown up on this heartfelt classic, Little Women arrives on the
Great White Way.
Little Women tells of the March sisters--Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy--comingof age in Civil War New England. Rising star Sutton Foster, who won the 2002 Tony Award for Thoroughly Modern Millie, will take on the role of talented tomboy Jo, who dreams of becoming a writer and finds unexpected love. This family-friendly new musical will start at the Virginia Theatre on Broadway on December 2, just in time for the holidays. The official opening is set for January 23, 2005. |
October • 2004 |
March Up! Little
Women Box Office
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Little Women stars Danny Gurwin and Sutton Foster.
The box office at the Virginia Theatre will open Oct. 25 for Little Women ticket sales.
Phone sales for the new Broadway musical based on the beloved novel began Aug. 21. Performances begin Dec. 7 toward a Jan. 23, 2005, opening at the Virginia, the recent home to Little Shop of Horrors. For ticket information, call Tele-Charge at (212) 239-6200.
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The Broadway-bound new American musical based on the classic novel, opened its pages in a North Carolina tryout Oct. 13, presented by Theatre Previews at Duke University in Durham.
Sutton Foster plays Jo March, one of four New England sisters yearning and coming of age under the wing of their mother, Marmee, played by Maureen McGovern.
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VARIETY
(On-Line) Posted: Tue., Oct. 19, 2004, Friend and publicist of Mercer, Smith is the executive director of the Mabel Mercer Foundation, which aims to perpetuate the popular American song through the art of cabaret. Once again he has gathered the creme de la creme of Gotham niteries for this weeklong all-star homage. ... |
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Actresses relate to roles in 'Little Women' By Susan
Broili : The Herald-Sun DURHAM -- The bunny bedroom slippers won't make it onto the Broadway stage, but for Sutton Foster, who plays Jo in the new production, "Little Women: the Musical," the pink, fuzzy shoes provide comfort in her Reynolds Theater dressing room at Duke University as she spends long hours in rehearsal. Cast and crew arrived at Duke on Sept. 7 to prepare for previews here. The show opened Wednesday and runs through Oct. 31 before heading to New York, where it previews on Dec. 7, with the official Broadway opening on Jan. 23. Foster, 29, and Maureen McGovern, 55, who plays Marmee, mother to Jo and the other three March girls, took a little time before their afternoon rehearsal last week to talk about the musical based on the 1869 novel by Louisa May Alcott. While here, Foster said she hopes to use her one day off a week to visit relatives in North Carolina. Her mother grew up in Whiteville, her father in Winston-Salem. Foster grew up in Georgia. The actress said she felt drawn to the character of Jo. "She's a tall, lanky tomboy who wants to do things women have never done before. She didn't want to marry. She wanted to be a writer, make her own money and make her own way in the world," Foster said. "I'm trying to be an individual, my own woman. I've never been a frilly girl. I was always the one getting dirty and skinning my knees," Foster said. Alcott based the character of Jo on herself, Foster said. The author never married. She grew up in a bohemian household and her family was friends with Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau in Concord. "She's [Jo/Alcott] this incredible role model for me," Foster said. That model points toward leading a fulfilling life by following your dreams and passions, she added. In the song "Astonishing," just as she's about to leave Concord for New York to pursue her dream as a writer, Jo sings of wanting to dazzle instead of just getting by in life. The actress believes she has found her passion but it has not always been easy. "It can be very challenging and difficult, hard emotionally. There are so many ups and downs of being an actor," Foster said. Her first big career break occurred when she got the starring role of Millie in the Broadway musical, "Thoroughly Modern Millie," after starting out as an understudy for the lead role. Foster won a 2002 Tony Award for her performance. In a dressing room next door to Sutton's, McGovern had made herself at home by putting up her sign with the words, "A hundred million welcomes" in Gaelic. She's Irish-American. She admires Marmee, the character she plays. "She's a strong, independent woman ahead of her time [the Victorian era]. She encourages her daughters to live their life to the fullest," McGovern said. "I call it a three-hanky musical. It's incredibly touching and yet very funny at times," McGovern said. She has two solo songs. In "Days of Plenty," Marmee voices courage, hope and belief in the future even though her daughter, Beth, has just died. McGovern believes that audiences will relate to finding a means to go on in the face of loss. Her own father died "this past summer" and McGovern started her "Works of Heart Foundation for Music and Healing" in honor of him and to help patients and caregivers. "We're basically water and vibrations, energy. We as humans take in music in a profound way," McGovern said. She has just released her foundation's first CD, "Works of Heart," on which she sings 12 songs of comfort, including a newly recorded 30th anniversary version of "The Morning After," her first big hit recorded for the movie "The Poseidon Adventure." Her song won an Academy Award, topped the charts and went gold. But the hit proved a mixed blessing because she became typed as the "disaster theme queen." She broke out of that mold in 1986 with her self-produced "Another Woman in Love." "I wanted to have some record of what was in my heart," McGovern said. "You have to believe in yourself far more than anybody else could." She's known she was going to be a singer since the third grade in Youngstown, Ohio. Before she could talk, McGovern would wake up in the middle of the night singing "Goodnight, Irene," and other tunes she had heard on the radio during the day. She made her Broadway debut in 1981 as Mabel in "The Pirates of Penzance." Other credits include playing Polly Peachum opposite Sting in "The Three Penny Opera." In her other "Little Women" solo, "Here Alone," Marmee tries to compose a letter to her husband, a chaplain with the Union Army, and not worry him with how difficult she finds life at home without him. The song is especially timely as women raise families on their own while their husbands are serving in Iraq, the actress added. "It's a very fragile time just as during the Civil War. ? The strengths and bonds of family see you through," McGovern said. Because of a conversation about this with McGovern, the production is giving 60 tickets to families in the area who have someone serving in the National Guard in Iraq, said Zannie Voss, producing director of Theater Previews at Duke, which is co-producing the musical with Randall L. Wreghitt, Ken Gentry and Dani Davis. Families with members hospitalized at Duke Medical Center also will receive tickets. Duke student interns are helping with this project, Voss added. Other students are interning in producing, directing, stage managing as well as all technical aspects of the "Little Women" show, Voss said. Former students who interned with these Broadway-bound productions at Duke have gone on to work in theater, including two involved with "Little Women": Davis, a producer, and David Richards, general manager, Voss said. Theater Previews at Duke grew out of the university's Broadway Preview series, which premiered new works for the American theater from 1986 to 1993. The series began with Emanuel Azenberg's Broadway production of Eugene O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey into Night" starring Jack Lemmon and Kevin Spacey. "Little Women" director Susan H. Schulman said that over the years she had turned down three scripts based on Alcott's novel because none had the strong, passionate point of view needed to carry a musical. But she signed onto this current project because it took the point of view of Jo. The libretto is by Allan Knee, music by Jason Howland and lyrics by Mindi Dickstein. Jo really strives to be an individual and not be pressured by societal expectations. "Women especially fight that still today," Schulman said. "I'd like the audience to feel empowered, that the individual can survive ? that dreams can come true ? You can make things happen." This show has the depth and universality needed to make it a good musical, the director said. "Musicals become silly when people sing about mundane things. You can't sing about a cup of tea but you can sing about poisoning a cup of tea," Schulman said. --- WHAT: "Little Women: The Musical," a Broadway-bound production, based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott WHERE: Reynolds Theater in The Bryan Center on Duke University's West Campus WHEN: The show runs through Oct. 31. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday; 8 p.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. TALKS: Post-performance talks featuring cast members take place on Oct. 21 and Oct. 26. TICKETS: $24-$35 with $5 off for groups of 10 or more. For tickets, call (919) 684-4444 or www.tickets.duke.edu |
Close as Pages in a Book: Little Women, the Musical, Begins Pre-Broadway Tryout in North Carolina Oct. 13By Kenneth
Jones Little Women, the Broadway-bound new American musical based on the classic novel, opens its pages in a North Carolina tryout Oct. 13, presented by Theatre Previews at Duke University in Durham. Sutton Foster plays Jo March, one of four New England sisters yearning and coming of age under the wing of their mother, Marmee, played by Maureen McGovern. In North Carolina, collaborators Allan Knee (book), Mindi Dickstein (lyrics) and Jason Howland (music) will see and hear their work in full production with a fresh audience for the first time. As is the case with most pre-Broadway runs, refinements will be made in tryout (to Oct. 31) and after (toward a first Broadway preview of Dec. 7 at the Virginia Theatre). The Broadway opening is scheduled for Jan. 23, 2005. The musical is based on Louisa May Alcott's 1868 novel for young people, a slice of Victorian family life that includes hardscrabble days, budding romance, Christmas joys and painful loss. Sutton Foster won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for Thoroughly Modern Millie, and has, in recent public appearances, sung Little Women's big anthem, "Astonishing." McGovern is the actress and recording artist known for everything from "The Morning After" to studio recordings of Let 'Em Eat Cake and Of Thee I Sing, as well as appearances in Broadway shows (The Pirates of Penzance, 3 Penny Opera). The cast also features Janet Carroll as Aunt March, Danny Gurwin as Laurie (the boy next door), John Hickok as Prof. Bhaer, Amy McAlexander as sister Amy, Megan McGinnis as sister Beth, Jenny Powers as sister Meg, Robert Stattel as Mr. Laurence, Jim Weitzer as John Brooke and Anne Kanengeiser (the standby for Marmee and Aunt March). Joining them on Broadway will be Julie Foldesi, Christopher Gunn, Larissa Shukis and Andrew Varella. The production is directed by Susan H. Schulman (The Secret Garden, The Sound of Music). ... The North Carolina Performances play Reynolds Theater, Bryan Center, Duke University. Performances are Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings at 7:30 PM; Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 PM, with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 PM. For more information, Click Here. Read more PLAYBILL The Virginia Theatre box office (245 W. 52nd Street) opens Oct. 25. Tickets are now on sale via Tele-charge.com (212) 239-6200.
Click here to see Photos by Bruce Glikas for Broadway.com |
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Published: Oct 10, 2004 DURHAM -- Staging a new musical on Broadway these
days is risky. The economy is still ailing. New York City tourism has
taken a hit since the World Trade Center attacks. And with the rising
price of Broadway tickets, theater fans are growing more selective. But as Maureen McGovern sees it, the same factors that make Broadway precarious will make "Little Women: The Musical" a likely success. "The story is very universal for all ages, but given the day, the war, and all those single families, women raising their kids alone with the soldiers away, and the economy in the state that it's in, everyone is struggling, or juggling two and three jobs just to make ends meet ... it resonates right now very strongly," says McGovern, 55, who stars as Marmee in this adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's classic novel about a family in Civil War-era New England. "Little Women," co-produced by Theater Previews at Duke, opens its pre-Broadway run Wednesday. The show also stars Sutton Foster, who won a 2002 Tony Award for "Thoroughly Modern Millie," and is directed by Susan H. Schulman (Broadway's "The Secret Garden"). Five weeks after the Duke run ends Oct. 31, "Little Women: The Musical" will begin its previews in New York's Virginia Theatre. ... Once she decided to direct, Schulman immediately thought of McGovern for the role of Marmee, a woman raising four daughters while her husband is serving in the war. The two have a long history together: Schulman gave McGovern her first stage break more than 20 years ago, in a summer stock production of "The Sound of Music." Since then McGovern has racked up Broadway credits for "The Pirates of Penzance," "Nine" and other shows, though she's best known for her pop hit "The Morning After" from the 1972 film "The Poseidon Adventure." Schulman also wanted Foster, whom she knew through her friendships with the writer and the musical director of "Thoroughly Modern Millie." She was so dead set on having Foster play Jo that the producers postponed the play's premiere to wait for the actress to fulfill her "Millie" contract. Foster was sold on the idea, too, having read the script in one sitting in her "Millie" dressing room. She immediately identified with the headstrong and independent Jo, whom novelist Alcott modeled after herself. Jo is far more like Foster than Millie was, she said in an interview between "Little Women" rehearsals at Duke. ... |
September • 2004 |
A Night to Remember By
Andrew Gans Maureen McGovern will at last have the elusive Broadway opening night she deserves with the upcoming new musical Little Women, which begins out-of-town tryouts mid-October ******************* Never mind "The Morning After" ?\ it's a Broadway opening that Maureen McGovern desires. Although the singing actress ?\ who first shot to fame with "The Morning After," the Oscar-winning theme song from 1972's "The Poseidon Adventure" ?\ has appeared on Broadway in three musicals, she has yet to enjoy an official, pop-the-cork-on-the-champagne opening night. That should all change this season, when Little Women, the new musical based on the beloved Louisa May Alcott novel, begins previews in December at the Virginia Theatre with McGovern in the role of the family matriarch, Marmee. McGovern's Broadway career began in 1981 when she succeeded Linda Ronstadt and Karla DeVito as Major-General Stanley's daughter Mabel in the Public Theater's Tony-winning production of The Pirates of Penzance. Though she was already an admired concert artist, McGovern made her Broadway bow with next to no theatrical experience, save for one week of summer stock in The Sound of Music. About her first performance on The Great White Way, McGovern says, "It will always remain one of the most thrilling nights of my life. I didn't know enough to be as terrified as I should have been. I was terrified, absolutely, but I didn't know the enormity of it." The performer, blessed with a soaring, multi-octave voice, followed that Gilbert and Sullivan run replacing Karen Akers as put-upon wife Luisa Contini in the original, Tommy Tune-directed production of Nine. "I loved Tommy Tune's vision of that piece, the stark black and white," says McGovern, who belted out the show's "My Husband Makes Movies" and "Be On Your Own," two of composer Maury Yeston's great tunes. "It was so multi-layered. It was a show you could see a million times and still catch something new. It was an exquisite piece." After two replacement gigs, McGovern was given the opportunity to open a Broadway production, the much-in-the-news 1989 staging of Kurt Weill's 3 Penny Opera that starred pop star Sting as Macheath, the head of the gang of crooks. A score that forced her to belt high into her soprano range, however, caused McGovern to miss her opening night and, subsequently, most of the show's short run. "The only way the Weill estate would allow [the show] to be done," McGovern explains, "was if the score and the book and everything were done in the original order and the original keys . . . [and] they wanted the soprano roles belted. I could get it out and sing it, but I knew for vocal health it was wrong for eight shows a week. I kept saying, 'This is painful.' A week before we opened, I went to the theatre at six o'clock to do my warm-ups, and I got to the beginning of my belt, and nothing but air and squeaks came out. "I saw my whole life pass before me," McGovern says with a laugh. "I had ruptured a blood vessel on the right vocal chord. [The doctor said] if I kept silent for the next week, I'd be able to open, [but] the day before the opening, it wasn't any better, so I missed the opening, which was devastating. . . . I missed 22 shows, and when I came back, I think we had just a week-and-a-half and it closed. It was very frustrating." Now, 15 years later ?\ after a decade or so of earning raves in regional productions of Dear World, The Lion in Winter and William Finn's Elegies ?\ McGovern is more than ready for her opening in Little Women. And it seems fitting that Susan H. Schulman, the woman who directed her in her very first stage production ?\ the aforementioned summer-stock Sound of Music ?\ should be at the helm of Little Women, which plays an out-of-town tryout at Duke University's Reynolds Theatre this month. ... "It's a delicious story, and the score is glorious," McGovern adds. "Jason Howland and Mindi Dickstein have done a beautiful job, and Allan Knee's book is exquisite and very faithful to the story. I'm so excited. This has been a long process. I'm so thrilled it's finally going to happen." Read more here Playbill
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Little Women Shifts
Broadway Preview Date
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MARQUEE VALUE: Little Women at the VirginiaBy Morgan
Allen
Production: Little Women book by Allan Knee, music by Jason Howland, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, directed by Susan H. Schulman, and starring Sutton Foster. Previews: December 7, 2004 Opening: January 23, 2005 Venue:
The Virginia Theatre, Thoroughly Modern Millie Tony-winner Sutton Foster returns to Broadway in a musical adaptation of the beloved novel by Louisa May Alcott. Susan H. Schulman (The Secret Garden) helms the production which also features Maureen McGovern.
March Up! Little
Women Box Office Opens Oct. 25; Tryout Rehearsals Begin Sept.
7
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Maureen's appearence
on the MDA Telethon are as follows: |
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August • 2004 |
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29 August 2004 An interview with Maureen on the Russell Davies Show on BBC Radio 2 was on the radio today. You can listen to it by going to:the Russel Davies show. To listen: Click on "Listen to this show again".
Fast Forward about 55 minutes: click on: >> 15 minutes -three
times and then click on: >>5 minutes two times Thanks for the info Marion Schultz |
| Little Women Sisters Visit Marmee McGovern 8/20/2004
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DIVA TALK: . . .McGovern Gets Jazzy. . .
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| Maureen
McGovern Sings Cool, Romantic “Sultry Songs on a Hot Summer’s Night” By Lucy Komisar Cool, clear, elegant, with a hint of jazz, Maureen McGovern hits rich high notes in songs about love (and anti-love!) at the equally cool and elegant Le Jazz Au Bar. My favorites are those in a jazzy idiom, especially a tribute with skat to Ella Fitzgerald, who at 17 wrote “A Tisket, A Tasket,” a little yellow basket. Also nice and jazzy are Julie Styne and Sammy Cahn’s “Put ‘Em in a Box, Tie ‘Em with a ribbon,” throw ‘em in the deep blue sea, because love and I we don’t agree. And Harold Arlen’s “Blues in the Night,” (My momma done told me….) . . . . McGovern does not waste our time or assault our ears with silly patter. A rare spoken commentary, emphasizing her sophisticated cynicism about love, is this delicious quote from Dorothy Parker: "By the time you swear you're his, / Shivering and sighing, / And he vows his passion is / Infinite, undying - / Lady, make a note of this: / One of you is lying." Le Jazz Au Bar is the most attractive cabaret I’ve seen, with well-spaced red-covered tables (every sight-line is perfect) and a British country-house ambience enhanced by old paintings and a crystal chandelier. It’s a perfect place for McGovern’s polish. |
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WHO SINGS' THRIVES A bright morning after Troubled times over, McGovern is back on club scene and returning to Broadway BY
BLAKE GREEN "The Morning After," Maureen McGovern's best-known hit, carries a strong personal meaning, but she doesn't include the song in her new show at Le Jazz au Bar on Manhattan's East Side. Rather, it's an eclectic lineup, with some songs appropriate for her show's title, "Sultry Songs on a Hot Summer's Night" such as "Humidity," by her musical director, Jeffrey Harris; that Peggy Lee mainstay "Fever"; and "Cool Breezes," by Billy Eckstine and Dizzy Gillespie. But she also includes classics by Rodgers, Hart, Porter, Arlen and the Gershwins. . . . She has evolved from "a singer who acts" into "an actor who sings," she says. "I'd Rather Be Sailing," which opens her show, is by William Finn, whose musical "Elegies" she performed in this past spring in Los Angeles. Much of her time is now spent on her Maureen McGovern Works of Heart Foundation for Music and Healing, which she describes as a way to bring "quality music" to patients and caregivers. The undertaking led to a new CD, "Works of Heart," which includes "The Morning After." Read complete article here: Newsday.com |
August
16, 2004
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Maureen
McGovern Le Jazz Au Bar Elizabeth Ahlfors With Sultry Songs on a Hot Summer's Night, Maureen McGovern stirs up some smooth and spicy flavors at the Le Jazz Au Bar. She opens with William Finn’s I’d Rather Be Sailing, a vision of cool relief confirming that McGovern can smoothly send her lustrous notes sailing in any direction she chooses. Clearly she is commanding in a rainbow of music genres, jazz, pop, theatre, her astounding voice effortlessly skimming over four octaves. Music director Jeff Harris created some intriguing arrangements, like Nice ‘n Easy (Bergmans and Spence) in a jazzy waltz time with McGovern sprinkling in a peppery scat to kick up the rhythm. It is in a trio of Ella Fitzgerald favorites, however, that her scatting chops get a charged workout – Oh, Ella Be Good (Gershwins), Eckstine and Gillespie’s bop tune Cool Breeze, and A Tisket, A Tasket (Fitzgerald and Webb). She barely breaks a sweat, and if she does, she can focus it into a trio of fervent love standards – More Than You Know, The Very Thought of You, My One and Only Love. Showing her comic side with the wry Humidity (Harris/Harris), she puts a deliciously nasty slant on Put ‘Em in a Box, Tie ‘Em With a Ribbon (Styne and Cahn), punctuated by Leonhart’s bass rhythm and Lime Jell-O Marshmallow Cottage Cheese Surprise by William Bolcom is a bizarre-o touch of humor in high drama, Ohio matron style. Her actress side emerging stronger than ever, McGovern reaches for wit, heart, and the blues, deepening her vocal tone for The Meaning of the Blues and a no-nonsense Blues in the Night. She grasps the heart of A House Is Not a Home (Bachrach/David) and, with focused sensuality, delivers The Island by Lins and the Bergmans. Interesting is the feel of determined dignity reflected in a romantic narrative beginning with the Gershwins’ Love Walked In, heating up with Embraceable You, cooling down to the poignant Nobody’s Heart (Rodgers and Hart) and, finally reconciled, Just One of the Things by Cole Porter. Jeff Harris supports McGovern’s renditions with colorful embellishments in the interludes. Jay Leonhart brings in a punchy bass drama, highlighted in a scorchy Fever and My Heart Belongs to Daddy. There is not a false note in this show. Maureen McGovern is one of the music world’s Essentials. |
Reviews - Variety
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13, 2004
A Hot Summer
Night's Dream
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August
12, 2004 A CurtainUp Cabaret Review Maureen McGovern: Sultry Songs on a Hot Summer Night By Brad Bradley Maureen McGovern, a versatile singer with a remarkable voice and an equally remarkable career that has spanned three decades, is currently appearing in a very enjoyable program at New York's newest elegant night spot, Le Jazz Au Bar. The venue is especially comfortable, although the sound system at Thursday's opening was experiencing a few kinks in balance. No kinks in Ms. McGovern's performance, though. Even when she realized that she was unconsciously rearranging lyrics on one especially difficult song, she made an enjoyable comic moment of it, and started anew with the flawless delivery that marks her set, and in fact her career. This program is a particularly low-key one, terrific for anyone needing a dose of calming comfort after a hard day. She opens with a glidingly smooth version of William Finn's hardly known lovely tune, "I'd Rather Be Sailing," and quickly slides into a slightly more up-tempo piece, "Nice and Easy", which gives her a chance to show off her signature scatting style. No surprise then, that later in the program she offers an evocative tribute to scat icon Ella Fitzgerald. Other
highlights include a number of famous standards, including "Fever,"
"My Heart Belongs to Daddy," and, anticipating the Harold
Arlen centennial next year, "Blues in the Night." The show
songs remind us (she does not give herself a plug) that Ms. McG soon
will be on Broadway in the coming musical production of Little Women.
Another song that deserves mention even in an abbreviated review is
"My One and Only Love," particularly because it reminds us
how really gorgeous this singer's voice is. There is no hyperbole tolerance
required to buy the promotion of this artist as "the Stradivarius
Voice." |
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Band of Liberty
in Boston
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See a concert video clip—click
on a picture!
(QuickTime required) |
Thousands attended the Band of Liberty's
concert at Boston City Hall Plaza
on 4 August. The highlight of the evening was an appearance by special
guest artist Maureen McGovern.
See
more photos —click on a picture!
DIVA TALK: A Chat with Little Women's Maureen McGovern Plus News of LaMott and Paige By Andrew
Gans
News, views and reviews about the multi-talented women of the musical theatre and the concert/cabaret stage. MAUREEN McGOVERN Though I had heard Maureen McGovern's beautiful vocal tones on various television programs, it was not until college ?\ when the singing actress released her solo album "Another Woman in Love" ?\ that I truly recognized her gifts as a performer. At the time I was hosting a radio program on my college station, and McGovern's versions of "I Remember," "Rainy Days" and "Some Other Time" got lots of air play. But I probably played no song from that album more than I did "I Could've Been a Sailor," the best rendition of the Peter Allen tune I've yet to hear. Although McGovern has appeared on Broadway in three musicals ?\ The Pirates of Penzance, Nine and the Sting revival of 3 Penny Opera ?\ she has yet to enjoy an official pop-the-cork-on-the-champagne opening night. That should all change this season, when Little Women, the new musical based on the beloved Louisa May Alcott novel, opens at the Virginia Theatre Jan. 23, 2005, with McGovern in the role of family matriarch, Marmee. McGovern will bring her terrific, multi-octave voice to the role as well as her acting skills, which she has been honing this past decade in acclaimed productions of Dear World, The Lion in Winter and, most recently, the West Coast premiere of William Finn's Elegies. I recently had the chance to chat with the good-humored McGovern, who is currently offering an evening of "Sultry Songs on a Hot Summer's Night" at the new Manhattan hotspot, Le Jazz Au Bar. That interview follows:
Question:
How did you get involved with Little Women? We've wanted to do a project together for years, and Danny Davis, one of the producers, and Randall Wreghitt, had seen me in a workshop of Robin Hood that Martin Charnin and Tom Eyen were working on, [playing] the elder Lady Marian, and they said right then, "We have our Marmee." So, Susan and I started talking, and I said, "Oh God, I've loved this piece since I was a child." I read it as a very young child, a condensed version of it. And, of course, I've seen all four or five of the movies and have loved them. It's every young girl's dream ?\ Jo is the great character to live out your dreams and keep your individuality and still have a glorious life. . . . I have not been able to participate [in the workshops] because of my working schedule. I was doing Elegies in Los Angeles at the time and had to honor a couple concerts that I had back East, [but] I took a red eye in time to see a reading last spring of Little Women, and oh my God, Sutton Foster is the definitive Jo. The part is transcendent with her. It's a great part to begin with, and she has just taken it to new heights. She's astounding. Susan has cast the show beautifully. Every person, the minute they walk out on the stage, you know who they are. Q:
What's the score like for the musical? The other song is called "Days of Plenty," which is a beautiful, wonderful anthem of courage and hope and belief in the future even though she sings it after Beth has died. Jo says to her, "How do you go on? How do you keep going ?\ you don't fall apart." And she says, "I don't have the choice. If I fell apart, I would take away from what her life meant. I have to keep going." She's the strength, she's the backbone and the rock for all of these girls. It's a delicious story, and the score is glorious. Jason Howland and Mindi Dickstein have done a beautiful job, and Allan Knee's book is exquisite and very faithful to the story. I'm so excited. This has been a long process. It's been delayed many times and just kind of in the offing, and I'm so thrilled that it's finally going to happen. Q:
And
you're having out-of-town tryouts at Duke? Q:
And then you'll come to Broadway, and you'll finally get your Broadway
opening night. Q:
With
3 Penny, I remember seeing you on television talking about missing
your opening night. What happened? So I'm very much looking forward to this [opening night]. The keys are wonderful, the part is just a delicious role to play, and Susan, aside from being a dear friend, she is just one of my favorite directors. She bonds the cast in a way that is just wonderful. It's just a wonderful experience, and she has a perfect eye for this period. She's the consummate person to direct this piece. And Janet Carroll, a friend from California, she's playing Aunt March, and she's wonderful. But, seriously, every single person they've cast is wonderful. Q:
You
mentioned a little about Pirates of Penzance. What was it like
making your Broadway debut with so little stage experience? Q:
And
after that you replaced Karen Akers . . . Q:
And
you got to sing two of the best songs in the show. Q:
Your
career has had so many twists and turns, but I guess it all started
with "The Morning After." Did you think at the time that that would
be such a big hit, and how does the song resonate for you now? The song was released in December along with the movie. The movie took off, and the song did nothing, so they dropped it. And then it was nominated for an Oscar in the spring of '73 and subsequently won the Oscar, so radio stations all across the country were playing it, and this huge groundswell of song requests happened all across the country that forced Twentieth Century Records to rerelease it, and by August of '73 it was a gold record. So it was kind of a Cinderella story for the first time out. At the time I was going through [many things] ?\ my mother had colon cancer, we'd gone through her first series of operations for that, I was going through a divorce, a lawsuit with my first manager. My life was falling apart, and so it was ironic that I'm singing the hopeful anthem. I think what people heard in that was my desperate need to believe it. It's kind of the generic hope song. I still get letters today from people who had a death in the family or are going through illness or trying times or depression and how the song still resonates and still means things to people. It really didn't come full circle to me until my [experience with my] youngest niece. I've done the Muscular Dystrophy Telethon ?\ this will be my 25th year, and I've sung "The Morning After" umteen times on the show. And, about ten years ago, my youngest niece [Carolyn] was diagnosed with Dermatomyositis, which is one of the neuromuscular diseases. And we were just devastated, and I had to go on the telethon and sing "The Morning After" that year, and I could barely get through the song. It was like my "ah-ha" moment as to what people really got from this song for years and years and years. And, gratefully she's in her second remission, and [is involved in] swimming team championship, she rides horses, and she's doing exquisitely well. So we're very grateful, but it brought home the real message of "The Morning After" to me, personally. So I've started the Maureen McGovern Works of Heart Foundation for Music and Healing. All the letters that I've gotten from people through the years, and I know how I personally respond to music in times of joy, in times of triumph, in times of terror and depression. Music has really been a touchstone in my life. And I started working with the American Music Therapy Association. I'm one of the national spokespersons. And music therapists are these wonderful folks who have a music degree plus a clinical degree on top of that, and they have one-on-one consultations with patients, and I've gone on rounds with them around the country, and it's just extraordinary how music ?\ it's not the cure to cancer ?\ but it really aids in the healing process, and so it's a real passion of mine. End of my soapbox [laughs], but it's a real passion for me. Q:
You're
also about to do two weeks in Manhattan at Le Jazz Au Bar. What type
of music will you be doing there?
Q:
Final question: When
people hear the name Maureen McGovern, what would you like them to think? [Maureen McGovern is currently playing Manhattan's Le Jazz Au Bar through Aug. 22. The new jazz club is located at 41 East 58th Street; call (212) 308 9455 for reservations.] Read More Here: PLAYBILL |
Feature Aug
5, 2004
Loose LipsBrian Scott Lipton chats with Maureen McGovern . . .While the song is not part of her new act, Sultry Songs on a Hot Summer's Night, Maureen McGovern should be singing "On the Road Again." Tonight, the California native begins a three-night stint at Odette's in New Hope; then she lands at Le Jazz Au Bar on Wednesday for an 11-night run of the show. While the program features standards such as "Embraceable You," "Fever," and "Blues in the Night," there are two newer songs that McGovern is most looking forward to singing. "I'm doing William Bolcom's 'Lime Jello Marshmallow Cottage Cheese Surprise,' which really defies description," she says. "I consider it my one dementia moment in the show. And I'm opening with Bill Finn's 'Sailing.' He's such a brilliant writer. I did the West Coast premiere of Elegies earlier this year. My dad was really sick while I was doing it -- we lost him on July 4th -- and the show went right to my heart. I think it's a timeless piece and the most tasteful and powerful expression of 9/11 I know. We're a country that doesn't deal with death very well; to have something that celebrates the lives of people and finds humor and passion in this subject is so important." After a brief return to California, where she'll record a song for an independent film and appear on the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon, McGovern heads to Duke University in Durham, North Carolina on September 7 to begin rehearsals for the pre-Broadway run of Little Women. She's playing the family matriarch, Marmee, in the musical, which will arrive at the Virginia Theatre on December 2. "People ask me which role I'm playing, which I think is hilarious. Don't you think I'm a little long in the tooth for Jo?", rhetorically asks McGovern, who turned 55 last month. "As a kid, Jo was my favorite character, but what I love about Marmee is that she is the real rock of the family." Read more here: Theater Mania.com |
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Cabaret Scenes magazine lists Maureen in its Picks of the Month section August issue. * * * Theater
Mania's Brian Lipton mentions Maureen in his column Loose
Lips LADIES OF THE EVENING Section. * * * Cabaret at Odette's to Feature Mason, Noll, Greene and More By Andrew
Gans
Several Broadway performers are scheduled to play the Cabaret at Odette's in New Hope, PA, before the end of the year. Maureen McGovern, who is headed back to Broadway in the musical version of Little Women, will play the intimate cabaret Aug. 5-7. "An Evening with Maureen McGovern" will feature Jeff Harris on piano and Jay Leonhart on bass and tunes by Bacharach, Arlen, Porter and Ellington. Odette's is located in New Hope, PA, at 274 South River Road. There is a $10 food/drink minimum for all shows as well as an entertainment charge, ranging from $12-$29.50. For reservations call (215) 862-3000. For a list of all cabaret entertainment, visit www.odettes.com. Read more at: Playbill |
Feeling Patriotic, Little Women Moves Opening From Inauguration Day to Jan. 23, 2005 By Kenneth
Jones Deferring to the national interest, Little Women, the musical, will open Jan. 23, 2005, rather than the previously announced Jan. 20, which is Inauguration Day for the next President of the United States. Previews still begin Dec. 2 at Broadway's Virginia
Theatre. The slight change for January was announced Aug. 3.
Little Women, the musical, will have its first preview at Broadway's Virginia Theatre on Dec. 2, the producers announced July 28. The family-friendly musical based on the beloved Louisa May Alcott novel, and starring Tony Award-winner Sutton Foster as Jo March, will open Jan. 20, 2005. It was previously mentioned that the first preview would be around Dec. 10, but Dec. 2 has now been settled upon. The earlier date allows for an extra week in the busy holiday period when theatregoers may be itching for wholesome musical theatre. Mauren McGovern stars as the resilient mother, Marmee, who guides her daughters in Civil War-era New England. The musical, like the book, has a Christmas sequence in which the sisters put on a theatrical show. In the new Broadway musical, the sequence is called "The Operatic Tragedy" and is staged for all of Concord, MA. Little Women was heard in recent spring industry presentations in Manhattan in anticipation of its fall 2004 tryout and debut at Theatre Previews at Duke in Durham, NC, Oct. 13-31. The show will be directed by Susan H. Schulman (The Sound of Music, The Secret Garden, Violet). The musical, like the book, is set in Civil War era New England. Little Women has a libretto by Allan Knee, music by Jason Howland and lyrics by Mindi Dickstein. Producers are Randall L.Wreghitt, Dani Davis, Ken Gentry, Chase Mishkin , Ruben Brache in association with Theatre Previews at Duke (Zannie Voss, Producing Director) and Lisa Vioni. Rehearsals begin Sept. 7. The Duke University run is in the Reynolds Theatre. Visit http://www.duke.edu/web/drama/ for more information. Read more in Playbill |
July • 2004 |
Little Women Star to Perform at NYC Jazz Club,
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Broadway dates for Little Women, the musical, were confirmed by the show's spokesman as Dec. 10 (first preview) and Jan. 20, 2005 (opening), but the theatre has not yet been announced. By Kenneth Jones The new musical based on the durable Louisa May Alcott novel was heard in recent spring industry presentations in Manhattan in anticipation of its fall 2004 tryout and debut at Theatre Previews at Duke in Durham, NC, Oct. 13-31. Tony Award-winner Sutton Foster (Thoroughly Modern Millie) will play Jo March in the family friendly show directed by Susan H. Schulman (The Sound of Music, The Secret Garden, Violet). Maureen McGovern will play Marmee, the resilient mother of a brood of daughters who live in Civil War-era New England. Little Women has a book by Allan Knee, score by Jason Howland and lyrics by Mindi Dickstein. Producers are Randall L.Wreghitt, Dani Davis, Ken Gentry, Chase Mishkin , Ruben Brache in association with Theatre Previews at Duke (Zannie Voss, Director) and Lisa Vioni. Visit The Duke University run is in the Reynolds Theatre for more information on purchasing tickets. |
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LOS ANGELES TIMES
SUNDAY, JULY 18, 2004
THE GUIDE
MUSIC/POP & JAZZ
PREVIEW BY DON HECKMAN (D.H.)
Maureen McGovern
It's hard to believe that the immensely gifted McGovern got her start
in the '70s as the Theme Queen of Disaster Movies, winning gold records
for singing "The Morning After" ("Poseidon Adventure") and "We May Never
Love Like This Again" ("Towering Inferno"). Since then, her far-ranging,
extraordinarily mobile voice has been heard across the gamut of the
music world -- from PBS' Emmy Award-winning "Celebrating Gershwin"
to the role of Polly Peachum (opposite Sting) in "The Three Penny Opera."
This time out, she applies her velvety sound to "Sultry Songs On A Hot
Summer's Night." (D.H.) The Cinegrill in the Roosevelt Hotel,
7000 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Fri-Sat., 8:30 p.m. $40
cover charge and $20 food and beverage minimum. (323) 769-7269
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JAZZ REVIEWA swinging tribute to Peggy LeeWith few off notes, a strong lineup of singers finds a common chord in performing the late artist's classics.By Don HeckmanSpecial to The Times Jul 16 2004 Peggy Lee was a Midwest girl, straight out of Fargo, N.D., her sunny, blond persona and cool musical manner in distinct contrast to the hard-swinging, urban jazz sounds of the Swing Era. Breaking through with the Benny Goodman band in the early '40s, she was one of the first of the band vocalists (along with Frank Sinatra, Dinah Shore and numerous others) to move on, dramatically expanding her career into solo recordings, motion pictures and television. And into songwriting. "A Tribute to Miss Peggy Lee" at the Hollywood Bowl on Wednesday overflowed with musical goodies not surprising, given the stellar lineup of singers. Additionally, there was the fascinating opportunity to hear more than a dozen songs with lyrics and (in some cases) music by Lee. Decades before the genre was created, she was a true singer-songwriter, her catalog including such evergreens as "It's a Good Day," "I Don't Know Enough About You," "I'm Gonna Go Fishin' " and much, much more. As richly diversified as her career became, however, it was always rooted in jazz. And the evening's most engaging performances were produced by singers who, like Lee, enriched the entertaining aspects of their offerings with brisk, effortless jazz swing: Nnenna Freelon singing "I'm Gonna Go Fishin'," Jane Monheit with "Lover," Freddy Cole with "I Don't Know Enough About You," Lorraine Feather with "It's a Good Day," Maureen McGovern with "Come Back to Me." Other performers from other genres, lacking Lee's subtle jazz articulation, sang instead with a sense of love and appreciation for her work: Rita Coolidge rendering two of the biggest hits, "Fever" and "Black Coffee," Petula Clark with the rarely heard "Circle in the Sky," Grady Tate and Jolie Jones pairing on the touching children's song "Angels on Your Pillow," Bea Arthur's dramatic reading of "The Shining Sea" and Nancy Sinatra's ebullient "Why Don't You Do Right" (written by Joe McCoy). Less appealingly, Jack Jones went too far over the top with "Well, Alright, Okay, You Win," somewhat redeeming himself with "There'll Be Another Spring." But Sheryl Lee Ralph, ever the diva, was the antithesis of Lee with in-your-face interpretations of "I'm a Woman" and "Hey, Big Spender." Ultimately, however, the program's most scintillating moments traced to Lee herself, via big-screen projections of filmed moments from her career. Ranging from images of a sweet-faced young band canary to confident duos with Sinatra, Judy Garland and others, including a few regal passages from her later years, they provided a mesmerizing view of one of the 20th century's most versatile musical artists. |
TRIBUTE TO PEGGY LEERichard S. Ginell, STAFF Presented by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Assn. Reviewed
July 14, 2004.
Jazz at the Bowl is getting mighty good at putting together tributes. Like last summer's "To Ella With Love," "A Tribute to Miss Peggy Lee" flowed like a dream -- superbly paced, each singer performing one song before giving way to the next vocalist, a single band of experts backing them, with reminiscences and videos serving as connecting tissue. It was a carefully sequenced show, with some emotional depth for those who remember Lee and those who didn't have the chance. Miss Peggy Lee -- that's how she wanted to be billed -- was a paradox, a study in cool and subtlety who could radiate sensual heat through a Scandinavian reserve. While she had a smash hit as late as 1969 -- the sublime "Is That All There Is," which oddly got lots of airplay on top 40 radio -- she always belonged to an earlier, now nearly extinct era of show business, which this tribute definitely reflected. The organizers reached deep into their Rolodexes for some sterling serial hitmakers who don't receive much exposure in the 21st century. Petula Clark was perfectly comfortable with Lee's Afro-Cuban-accented treatment of "Heart" (authentic right down to the chanted "corazons" from the band), as was Nancy Sinatra in the understated delivery of "He's a Tramp." Rita Coolidge had a minor hit with "Fever" early in her career, and she performed it with the sultry restraint with which Lee stamped the tune. For Jack Jones, the model for his "Well Alright, OK, You Win" remained Joe Williams. There was balance, too, in the singers' entries -- most got two numbers, often a ballad and an uptempo tune (Jane Monheit received three, including a vocal treatment of "Samba de Orpheus"). None provided more contrast than Maureen McGovern, the romantic balladeer in "The Folks Who Live on the Hill" giving way to the belter who delivered "Come Back to Me." The superb, swinging rhythm section was Peggy's own: John Pisano on guitar; pianist Mike Renzi; Jay Leonhart on bass; and drummer Grady Tate, who got to display his underrated pipes with Jolie Jones in "Angels on Your Pillow." In the end, though, "Is That All There Is" was entrusted to Miss Peggy Lee herself, via a television video. That record, and her composed presence on the big screens, cast the deepest spell of the night. |
| Brown, McGovern and Lemper Head to
Le Jazz Au Bar By Andrew Gans Playbill 21 Jun 2004 Three stars of the stage and the recording studio — Ruth Brown, Maureen McGovern and Ute Lemper — will headline Le Jazz Au Bar this year. Brown will be followed by Maureen McGovern, Aug. 11-22; Karrin Allyson, Aug. 24-Sept. 5; and Ute Lemper, Sept. 14-19. Maureen McGovern's performing credits are numerous and varied. She appeared on Broadway in Nine, The Pirates of Penzance and The Threepenny Opera, and her many recordings include the Grammy nominated "The Pleasure of His Company" and the Academy Award-winning song "The Morning After." She was also seen in the films "The Towering Inferno," "Airplane!" and "The Cure for Boredom," and she appeared at the Sundance Theatre in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and Jerry Herman's Dear World. Le Jazz Au Bar is located in Manhattan at 41 East 58th Street. Cover charges range from $30 to $40; there is no minimum. Call (212) 308-9455 for reservations. |
Maureen To Take Part in Tribute to Peggy Lee At Hollywood Bowl and at Chicago's Ravinia Festival.
Scheduled performers include stars from jazz to Broadway to current pop music and beyond, including such entertainment legends and contemporary favorites as Bea Arthur, Petula Clark, Freddy Cole, Rita Coolidge, Lorraine Feather, Nnenna Freelon, Jack Jones, Jolie Jones, Maureen McGovern, Jane Monheit, Rita Moreno, Nancy Sinatra, and a number of special guest artists to be announced. Lee's personal favorite rhythm section, Mike Renzi (Music Director, piano), John Pisano (guitar), Jay Leonhart (bass) and Grady Tate (drums), backed by a traditional big band, will accompany the performers. Featured will be the original arrangements by her esteemed colleagues, collaborators, friends and fans, including Nelson Riddle, Gordon Jenkins, Randy Newman, and Quincy Jones. Produced and created by Richard Barone, the evening will highlight Peggy Lee's compositions and collaborations -- revealing her undeniable and lasting influence on the American pop/jazz songbook -- as well as songs written specially for her legendary voice by some of America's greatest composers. Barone explains, "This is more than a tribute concert to a great artist. It's a unique musical biography of Peggy Lee's life told through her songs -- performed by the people who knew and loved her, and newer artists who have felt her influence on their own work." "The music will be fabulous and the vocal stylings by some of the world's great singers will make Peggy's dynamic songs come alive again," added George Wein, CEO of Festival Productions, Inc., and presenter of Jazz Festivals around the world. Lee is remembered for a long list of award-winning tunes including "Fever," "Manana," "It's A Good Day," "Why Don't You Do Right?" "Lover," "Black Coffee," "Don't Smoke in Bed," "The Folks Who Live on the Hill," "Is That All There Is?," and many other unforgettable songs. World-renowned as the epitome of pop/jazz sophistication for over six decades, and a favorite of music festivals around the world, Lee performed her final concert at The Hollywood Bowl in 1995, adding to the significance of this very special evening of legendary music. The Hollywood Bowl is located at 2301 N. Highland Avenue, Hollywood, CA. Phone: (323) 850-2000. For ticket info, please visit the Hollywood Bowl web site, HollywoodBowl.com. There'll Be Another Spring: A Tribute To Miss Peggy Lee is also being presented to Chicago Fans at The Ravinia Festival Tuesday, July 20, 2004 at 8:00 PM. For Ticket info, please visit Ravinia Festival. |
June • 2004 |
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Tracy
Silva wins singing date with Pops on Fourth (Maureen McGovern one of
the Judges)
By Richard Dyer, Boston Globe Staff June 30, 2004 POPSearch 2004 has a produced a winner, Tracy Silva, who had the audience screaming and shouting in Symphony Hall last night after she sang "Fools Fall in Love." Actually they were screaming and shouting while she sang it, applauding individual notes that she sustained to the limits of human breath while walloping emotion into every gospel-flavored inflection. Silva's prize is to sing with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops on the Esplanade at the annual Fourth of July extravaganza (and the night before) -- a dream that attracted 730 contestants to POPSearch when auditions began June 3.... The judges represented different aspects of the music business -- Tim Fox, president of Columbia Artists Management; Broadway star and vocalist Maureen McGovern; and Sam Harris, grand champion on "Star Search." They said the contestants did not make their job easy. Fox praised their "presence and talent." McGovern said, "You all sounded good. And don't they all look great." She pointed out the difficulty of conveying everything you can do in the span of a single song -- "a lot harder than singing a whole show," she said. ... |
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Little Women Plays North Carolina Oct. 13-31; Broadway Beckons in February 2005 By Kenneth
Jones
Little Women, the Broadway-bound new musical, was heard in recent spring industry presentations in Manhattan in anticipation of its fall 2004 debut at Theatre Previews at Duke in North Carolina. The family-friendly show remains on a Broadway track, expected to start previews Feb. 22, 2005. An official announcement of the musical's New York plan ?\ including theatre and opening date ?\ is expected in the coming weeks. An announced New Haven engagement in November 2004 was cancelled several weeks ago. The Duke run remains the sole tryout booking. Tony Award-winner Sutton Foster (Thoroughly Modern Millie) will play Jo March in the show based on the classic novel by Louisa May Alcott. Maureen McGovern is to play Marmee, the resilient mother of a brood of daughters who live in Civil War-era New England. Little Women has a book by Allan Knee, score by Jason Howland and lyrics by Mindi Dickstein. Susan H. Schulman (The Secret Garden) will direct. Producers are Randall L. Wreghitt, Dani Davis and Ken Gentry in association with Theatre Previews at Duke. * Little Women is an American literary title so obvious that it's a surprise that a musical version hasn't hit big on Broadway yet. (A search of the internet reveals a number of musical versions of the property, which is in the public domain and therefore ripe for free picking by playwrights and songwriters.) In addition to famed singer-actress McGovern (known for pop hits, concerts, musicals and studio-cast recordings of Of Thee I Sing and Let 'Em Eat Cake), the Little Women company is expected to include Janet Carroll as Aunt March, John Hickok (Aida) as Professor Bhaer, Danny Gurwin (The Thing About Men) as Laurie, Jim Weitzer as John Brooke, Robert Stattel as Mr. Laurence, Amy Rutberg as Meg, Megan McGinnis (Belle in Beauty and the Beast) as Beth, Amy McAlexander as Amy, with Christopher Gunn, Larisa Shukiss, Julie Foldesi, Andrew Varela and Anne Kanengeiser. Michael Lichtefeld is choreographer, Andrew Wilder is musical director, orchestrations are by Kim Scharnberg. Designers are Derek McLane (set), Catherine Zuber (costume), David Lander (lighting) and Tony Meola (sound). |
May • 2004 |
Maureen McGovern Headliner at 20th Anniversary Prince Music Theater Gala
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May 9-15, 2004 AMERICAN PROFILE INTERVIEW 1. You've had pop success, done Broadway, television, sung with Placido Domingo and Mel Torme. Which aspects of your very varied career in entertainment do you find most rewarding? Most challenging?-------- To have sung with Mel Torme, Placido Domingo and with Sting on Broadway-- it hardly gets better than that! I feel very fortunate to have carved out a career that is as multi-faceted as my imagination will allow. I love a challenge. With acting, one can never know enough -- there is always some new aspect of life staring you in the face and challenging you to expand your creativity and point of view. I love stepping inside the heart and soul of a character and experiencing the world through someone else's eyes. As a "storyteller through song," I have to say that whenever I perform one of my special concert/lectures, "Works Of Heart / Musically Speaking," for patients and caregivers, it is one of the most rewarding facets of my career. I'm a strong believer that HOPE is half the battle and this particular audience and I experience a wonderful journey together during these evenings. 2. In your letter explaining how you came to form Works Of Heart, you talked about seeing the effect that music could have on people dealing with illness - either their own or a loved one's -- and realizing how powerful that was. How did that affect the way that you saw yourself and/or your gift of singing?--------- Since my childhood, music has always been a touchstone in my life -- comforting me during tragedy and loss, inspiring me to carry on, voicing my joy in times of triumph, soothing, calming and relaxing away the stress of a stressful world. In the years since recording "The Morning After," I've received countless letters from people who have used my music during surgery, recovery, chemotherapy and during particularly difficult times in their lives because of the life-affirming message they provide. I was asked to sing at a Pittsburgh Hospital's Pediatric ICU on Christmas Eve years ago. Most of the children were sent home for the holidays and only the very critically ill children remained, along with their caregivers. I sang several children's songs and holiday favorites and ended with "The Morning After." Most of the children were on IVs and breathing machines and were heavily medicated, but the weary parents received the hopeful message of "The Morning After" with grateful, open hearts. As the children's beds were being wheeled back to their rooms, one by one, each parent clung to me with tears in their eyes. One mother thanked me over and over again for making her heart "smile" -- something she hadn't felt in over a year. I will never forget their faces. I knew, then and there, that I was put on this earth to sing music that comforts and inspires. As a spokesperson for The American Music Therapy Association, I have gone on rounds in hospitals with many qualified professional Music Therapists and have seen first ßhand their extraordinary work using the powerful tool of music to aid in the healing process. From a child facing cancer treatments, to a young man recovering from a brain injury, to a woman with Alzheimer's disease, Music Therapy can make the difference between fear, pain and isolation and comfort, empowerment and fulfillment. I have recently realized a life-long dream by founding The McGovern "Works Of Heart" Project for Music and Healing to provide a recorded library of life-affirming, positive, "musical milligrams of hope" for patients and caregivers. My "Works Of Heart" CD and related Works Of Heart materials from the Project are being used by hospitals, hospices, music therapists, churches, senior care facilities, medical summer camps for kids and caregiver support groups. The need is great and the application is endless. It gives me great joy to "give back" in this lasting and tangible way. 3. What can you tell us about the Broadway musical version of Little Women? --------
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April • 2004 |
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SENATOR ARLEN SPECTER, JEFF ZUCKER and
MAUREEN McGOVERN "Every child vaccinated. Every polio survivor -- and doctor -- educated." SENATOR ARLEN SPECTER, JEFF ZUCKER and MAUREEN McGOVERN Receive 2004 "Year of Polio Awareness" David Bodian Memorial Awards David Bodian is polio survivors’ first unsung hero. Bodian discovered that there are three polio viruses, and he uncovered the path the poliovirus followed—from intestines into blood and ultimately into brain and spinal cord neurons--discoveries that made polio vaccines possible. What isn't known is that Bodian spent nearly every evening during the early 1950s on the phone with Jonas Salk helping him develop the first polio vaccine. Bodian's research also laid the foundation for our understanding of how poliovirus-damage sets the stage for PPS. He found that 96% of motor neurons were damaged by the poliovirus but that at least 60% had to be killed before muscles show any weakness. Bodian also found that that the poliovirus damaged the brain stem whether or not it damaged the spinal cord, explaining why "brain fatigue" is the most common PPS symptom. Each year, the International Post-Polio Task Force presents "The David Bodian Memorial Award" to recognize polio survivors' other unsung heroes. Past recipients have been Senator Bill Bradley, Mia and Thaddeus Farrow, David Morse, Debra Refson, and Congressman Steven Rothman. David Bodian Memorial Award winners for 2004, “The
Year of Polio Awareness,” SENATOR ARLEN SPECTER... ... for working to release the 2003 Social Security
Ruling for Post-Polio Sequelae in order to stop inappropriate SSDI denials,
sponsoring the US Senate resolution proclaiming 2004 as "The Year
of Polio Awareness,” and helping to create policies so that veterans
who had polio can receive health care and JEFF ZUCKER... ...President of NBC Entertainment who received his Bodian
Award on "The TODAY Show" in recognition of NBC's efforts
to educate Americans about PPS, including the story on "American
Dreams" of Will Pryor’s surgery to enable him to discard his
long-leg brace, and NBC’s airing a PPS public service announcement
... singer and founder of the McGovern "Works of Heart Project for Music and Healing” for her special recording that includes an adaptation of her new song, "I'll Never Know," describing polio survivors slowing their Type-A lifestyles, and the "Two Breath Time Out," the breathing relaxation exercise from How to STOP Being Vampire Bait (maureenmcgovern.com/polio/polio.htm).
International Post-Polio Task Force at the International Centre for Post-Polio Education and Research Englewood Hospital and Medical Center Englewood, New Jersey U.S.A. 07631 Phone: 201 - 894-3724 Toll Free: 1-877-POST-POLIO PostPolioInfo@aol.com |
March • 2004 |
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MDA shamrocks battle muscular dystrophyIn honor of St. Patrick's Day, millions of Americans will participate in the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Shamrocks Against Dystrophy program. The popular MDA tradition, led by internationally renowned singer Maureen McGovern, runs from now through March 17. Patrons of thousands of retailers nationwide, including supermarkets, convenience stores, gas stations and restaurants, are supporting the fight against neuromuscular diseases by buying and signing $1 and $5 Shamrock mobiles to hang in the business locations. For the fourth year, McGovern, a member of MDA's Board of Directors and a favorite performer on the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, is serving as the chairperson of Shamrocks Against Dystrophy. "I understand the importance of every dollar raised for MDA," said McGovern, whose teen-aged niece is affected by one of the diseases in MDA's program. "MDA's services help improve the life of a child I love, and the Association has developed treatments that give my family hope for a cure. "Tens of thousands of families across the country rely on MDA for its life-enhancing services and its lifesaving research," she added. In 2003, Shamrocks Against Dystrophy, the nation's largest charitable campaign associated with St. Patrick's Day, raised more than $12 million through the efforts of volunteers, participating businesses and donors. "Shamrocks Against Dystrophy provides an enjoyable and highly visible way to support MDA's worldwide research and its nationwide service program, including 230 clinics and 90 summer camps," MDA President & CEO Robert Ross said. MDA is a voluntary health agency working to defeat more than 40 neuromuscular diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive services, and far-reaching professional and public health education. For more information about MDA or the Shamrocks program, call (800) 572-1717 or visit www.mdausa.org |
March Means It?fs Shamrocks Time |
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The nation?fs largest St. Patrick?fs Day charity-related fund-raiser is under way, with thousands of participating businesses selling $1 green and $5 gold shamrocks from now through St. Patrick?fs Day to benefit MDA. MDA?fs Shamrocks Against Dystrophy program, in its 21st year, will feature displays of millions of the shamrock mobiles in restaurants, stores and other businesses across the country. |
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Singer Maureen McGovern, an MDA Board member who also serves as chairperson of Shamrocks Against Dystrophy, encourages businesses and customers to participate in this program to help MDA find treatments and cures for neuromuscular diseases. |
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November • 2004 |
Desert AIDS Project 10th Annual Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards GalaThe 10th Annual Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards Gala took place February 7, 2004.The evening revolved around the theme "Remember and Celebrate" in honor of the gala's 10th anniversary of recognizing those who have made significant contributions in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Maureen received The Steve Chase Humanitarian Award in 1998 and was a presenter at this year's awards ceremony. The event took place at the Palm Springs Convention Center along with special performances that pique memories of the past ten years. |
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Maureen McGovern and Rod McKuen
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Left to right: Sean McDermott, Sally Struthers, Dick Tayler, Jerry Herman, Maureen McGovern and Rod McKuen | |
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| Broadway Gals Head to North
Shore Music Theatre This Spring
By Andrew Gans Three women who have graced the Broadway stage will offer solo concerts at the North Shore Music Theatre this spring. Linda Eder, Maureen McGovern and Lainie Kazan will all perform in concert at the Massachusetts theatre-in-the-round. McGovern, who starred on Broadway in the Sting 3 Penny Opera, will perform April 16; Jekyll & Hyde's Eder will go it solo May 19 and 20; and former Funny Girl Kazan will sing for her supper May 22. Show time for all concerts is 8 PM. ... Maureen McGovern's performing credits are numerous and varied. She appeared on Broadway in Nine, The Pirates of Penzance and 3 Penny Opera, and her many recordings include the Grammy-nominated "The Pleasure of His Company" and the Academy Award-winning song "The Morning After." She was also seen in the films "The Towering Inferno," "Airplane!" and "The Cure for Boredom," and she appeared at the Sundance Theatre in 1999 as Mme. Emery in the stage version of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. ... Tickets for the concerts are now available by calling the theatre's box office at (978) 232-7200 or by going on-line to www.nsmt.org. The North Shore Music Theatre is located in Beverly, MA at 62 Dunham Road. |
January • 2004 |
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THE
2004 NIGHTLIFE AWARDS
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"...Maureen McGovern (Outstanding Cabaret Female Vocalist in a Major Engagement), whose phenomenal voice and interpretive ability made her performance of the David Shire-Alan & Marilyn Bergman song "The Promise" one of the highlights of the evening." By:
Michael Portantiere |
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| 2004 NIGHTLIFE AWARDS JUDGES | |
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KIRSTEN
AMES Producer, Festival Talent, | PETER
LEAVY, Cabaret Scenes Magazine BRIAN SCOTT LIPTON, New York Post REX REED, The New York Observer ROY SANDER, formerly Back Stage and CitySearch GENE SANTORO, The Daily News GENE SEYMOUR New York Newsday BARBARA SIEGEL, TheaterMania.com and Siegel Entertainment Syndicate SCOTT SIEGEL, TheaterMania.com and Siegel Entertainment Syndicate JONATHAN WARMAN, HX Magazine K. LEANDER WILLIAMS, Time Out NY |
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LEGENDS
OF CABARET, JAZZ, COMEDY AND HALL OF FAME AWARDS WENT TO:
BETTY BUCKLEY AND KENNY WERNER, ANNIE ROSS, ALAN KING AND MARGARET WHITING | |
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'Out
of this World' Maureen McGovern' ** Maureen McGovern at Centre East, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, (847) 673-6300, on Jan. 24, 2004 Maureen McGovern was extremely busy during 2003. Two of her CDs, Out of This World: Maureen McGovern Sings Harold Arlen (from 1996) and The Music Never Ends: The Lyrics of Alan & Marilyn Bergman (from 1997), were rescued from obscurity when they were reissued, in expanded editions by the Fynsworth Alley label. In addition to that McGovern has been very involved with The American Music Therapy Association and released a CD titled Works Of Heart (www. maureenmcgovern. com). Subtitled "songs of hope," Works Of Heart includes McGovern's trademark tune "The Morning After." I recently spoke with the acclaimed singer about her many projects. Gregg Shapiro: I want to begin by acknowledging that you marked your 30th anniversary in show business during 2003. How does one celebrate such an auspicious occasion? Maureen McGovern: (Laughs) It's been a very reflective and exciting year for me. What I'm doing this year is really getting my Works of Heart project for music and healing up and running in full force. I recorded an album called Works of Heart that's all life affirming and positive music for patients and caregivers. I'm most grateful to be doing, as my life's work, something that I absolutely love; singing and acting, traveling all over the world. I feel very fortunate, and most entertainers want to give back in some way. The Works of Heart project for music and healing is a permanent way of saying 'thank you' and giving back. I'm working with the American Music Therapy Association as one of their national spokespersons. Music therapists are the unsung heroes out there in the hospitals and clinics because they work one on one with patients. Music has a profound effect on people physically, emotionally and spiritually. GS: In the liner notes for Works of Heart, which is a benefit disc for the American Music Therapy Association, you wrote about the letters you received from people who have found comfort, strength and healing in your music. Can you please describe what that means to you? MM: People have written to me for years about how 'The Morning After' has gotten them through horrible times in their life of depression, loss, grieving, or confusion and how it was a beacon of light to them. Literally countless letters through the years. I thought, "If I have that gift, then that's what I've been put here for." I should focus that and use that for a greater good. That's really why I started the Works of Heart project. We all respond to music. I'll give you a couple of examples. A friend of mine's mother was in a coma, and he flew to her side. He read to her and talked to her, and sang hymns to her that she had sung with him while he was a child. For about three weeks there was no response. She did briefly come out of the coma before she died, and she didn't remember anything he had said but she corrected him on the wrong lyrics. As only a mother could do (laughs). The point being music reaches inside in a very profound way; we're all water, vibrations and energy basically. Music is a powerful energy vibration that really reaches inside. You couple the sound of music with an inspiring lyric and it's a very powerful tool. Obviously it's not the cure to cancer, but it enhances the body's ability to heal. GS: In addition to the American Music Therapy Association, you are also known for your generosity to charitable organizations such as the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and AIDS organizations including Project Angel Food, Desert AIDS Project, The AIDS Memorial Quilt. Do you find yourself bombarded by requests from charities, and if so, how do you select the ones with which you want to be associated? MM: I actually have only done a couple things for Project Angel Food, but I think they're an incredible organization. The AIDS Quilt, I've done many things through the years for them and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. (AIDS) should still be at the forefront of everyone's mind. We've been doing this for 20 years now. We've been hoping for a cure and certainly the quality of lives for those living with AIDS or HIV have drastically improved, but there is still so much more that needs to be done. With the AIDS epidemic worldwide that is decimating whole countries. It should always be in the forefront of our minds to keep looking for cures and better ways of helping people. I personally feel I don't do enough. That's always in my mind, I must do more. To give you another example of the power of music to heal; "And I'll Be There" is the beautiful song by Marilyn and Alan Bergman and Dave Grusin that closes the Works of Heart CD and I gave the CD to a woman in Boston who was working on a show I was doing. She volunteered at a hospice and I thought some of the songs would benefit some folks there. There was a young woman, with a four-year-old and a seven-year-old, in the end stages of breast cancer. She was sitting on the edge of her bed really despondent, she was going to have the last talk with her kids. She didn't know where to begin or what to say, obviously profoundly distressed. So this woman said, "I've just been given this CD, perhaps 'And I'll Be There' might give you some comfort and also give you some idea of what you want to say."So she left her, came back a couple hours later and the woman was sitting on the edge of her bed, swinging her feet, radiant. She said, "Not only do I know what to say to my kids, but I want to leave them this record so they will always have this song to listen to." (Quoting from song) "Though you may not always see me, I'm right there by your side." It's just a gorgeous song, really for anyone you care about, but certainly in her circumstance to leave that as her legacy to her children. GS: That's very fitting. MM: There's nothing that can compare to something like that. That's what I'm setting out to do with music and I think that's the gift and the power of music. I'm setting out to do a whole series of CDs that have quality lyrics and a strong positive message. I'm completely for freedom of speech and freedom of expression, so I don't think there should be change or restriction, but I do think there should be a balance, and I don't see a balance in today's music. That's one of things I want to do is provide that. What's happening is the American Music Therapy Association is talking about doing a booklet that will go along with the Works of Heart CD or a CD for children with cancer and chronic illnesses. Also an album for Alzheimer's caregivers; to me the caregivers are, certainly in the AIDS epidemic, incredible people. It's really important to restore the caregiver to help the patient. There are many areas and avenues that this project will take. I mentioned the booklet along with the CD that will show the Music Therapy application for these particular songs. I can't replace what a Musical Therapist does. That's a one-on-one, concentrated hour of the day that a therapist spends with a patient for their specific needs. I want to be the cheerleader for the rest of the day, which gives them a library of music that they can say, "When I'm not here listen to this for this particular application." GS: You are providing the soundtrack. Long before you became involved in AIDS activism, you had established a considerable gay following. What do you think it is that sets your gay fans apart from your other fans? MM: I think they're very discerning listeners (laughs). People ask me that often times. I don't know. I think gay listeners particularly love great music and great singers and I love and embrace you all. GS: For some people, your name is often assoiated with movie theme songs from "The Morning After, "We May Never Love Like This Again" and "Can You Read My Mind?" through the songs of Marilyn & Alan Bergman. What is it about these songs that make them appealing to you? MM: I was very fortunate in the beginning of my career to have the generic hope song. "The Morning After" was offered to me sight unseen by a record company who had signed me as the first thing to record because I was an unknown artist and they believed the movie would be huge and felt it would be the perfect vehicle for me to be attached to. But the song was dropped when it was released, but the movie took off. When the movie was nominated for an Oscar the following Spring, all of a sudden radio stations started playing it and huge phone requests came in and the record company was forced to re-release it. By August of 1973 it was a gold record. I became known as 'the disaster theme queen.' I followed that up with The Towering Inferno, which won the Oscar as well. "Can You Read My Mind?" I had been dropped by record companies from 1976 until 1979 when I recorded "Can You Read My Mind"from Superman. They said, "We have another movie theme for you." I thought, Oh God, not another movie theme. I want to show the world I can do something else. But I loved the song, John Williams and Leslie Bricusse. Although it was not actually sung in the movie, Margot Kidder spoke the words in that lovely flying scene the first time she flies with Superman. Due to that technicality, it was not eligible to be nominated for an Oscar, which was a shame. So, I became the disaster theme queen, but I think some of the most enduring and endearing music has been from film. GS: The Music Never Ends, your album of Marilyn & Alan Bergman covers, has been reissued in an expanded version which includes three newly recorded songs. What attracts you to a Bergman song? MM: There is somewhat of a poverty in today's music. It's hard to find prolific writers like the Bergmans who write in all genres with all different kinds of composers from great jazz (Dave Grusin and Dory Caymmi and Ivan Linz) to Marvin Hamlisch and of course the body of work with Michel LeGrand. They've written with the creme-de-la creme of composers for the last 50 years. I just scratched the surface the first go round with this CD. Fynswoth Alley graciously agreed to re-release it, because three of my most beloved albums were in limbo after Sept. 11 (when) the (original) record company and their distributors went belly up. I (also) just finished two cuts for my Harold Arlen CD, Out of This World, so we have two new bonus cuts for that as well. GS: With such a wealth of material from which to choose, what can a person expect to hear at a Maureen McGovern concert? MM: I'm sort of an odd duck in today's world (laughs). My audience comes because they know they're going to be taken on a journey. They're going to laugh, they're going to cry, and they're going to hear some classical music, some jazz, some theater and pop. I was the disaster theme queen in the '70s and a schizophrenic singer in the '80s because of all the genres I love to explore. I'm not a jazz singer per se, but I inhabit the world of jazz. I love theater. I love light classical music, and certainly the great American songbook standards. I did an album of baby boomer favorites called Baby I'm Yours. I'm putting a show together of baby boomer classics. I'm going to be doing a jazz album with another artist that I'm a big fan of, which will be a thrill for me. A straight-ahead jazz album is what I've always wanted to do. Whatever interests me at the moment, and challenges me, is what I tend to dive head first into. |
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McGovern
and Ross Receive 2004 Nightlife Awards; By Andrew Gans Winners of the 2004 Nightlife Awards ?\ which celebrate the best in New York cabaret, jazz and comedy ?\ were announced by producer Scott Siegel Dec. 22.Two cabaret veterans, Maureen McGovern and Steve Ross, were named Outstanding Cabaret Female/Male Vocalist in a Major Engagement. Jeanne McDonald and Side Show's Phillip Officer will receive the Outstanding Cabaret Female/Male Vocalist award. The complete list of recipients ?\ selected by more than 20 judges who cover the arts for such publications as The New Yorker, The New York Daily News, Newsday, New York Post, Time Out NY and The Village Voice ?\ follows: Cabaret: |
| 4 Jan 2004 "The "Radio Playbill" CD of the Week is "Out of This World: Maureen McGovern sings Arlen," and test your knowledge in the weekly Playbill Quiz. "Radio Playbill," a weekly news and entertainment magazine show of theatrical interviews, features and music, is broadcast multiple times each week on Sirius Satellite Radio's A&E, Stream 137. Playbill Radio Wednesdays (6 pm - 7 pm ET), Fridays (1 pm - 2 pm ET), Saturdays (7 am - 8 am ET), Sundays (4 pm ET): Bringing you the best of Broadway... all the magic of the stage and the stars who make it happen. Host Robert Viagas raises the curtain on all the news, interviews, and glittering history from the Great White Way. |
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Thanks to everyone who has written and left guest book entries! Always
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news about Maureen, please click on Previous Latest News Update:11/20/04
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