Soul Comes Alive in Ella
By Mae E. Klingler

Tina Fabrique in Ella. Photo by Jerry Naunheim, Jr.

Rock and roll had Elvis. Country music had Hank Williams. And jazz, undeniably, had Ella Fitzgerald. The jazz and blues movement introduced America to countless talented musicians, but none could match the voice that Bing Crosby called “the greatest of them all.”

It’s 1966, and Ella is preparing for one of the most important concerts of her career. As she and her fellow musicians finish rehearsing for the evening’s performance, her manager, Norman, throws her a curve: He’d like Ella to cut one of the usual numbers in order to add room for some “patter” with the audience. The concert will be taped for television audiences, and Norman wants Ella to convince her fans that she is faring well following the death of a close family member.

This request and the swell of emotions she’s already facing cause Ella to reflect on her past, from the traumatic events of her childhood at the hands of an abusive stepfather to her big break at the Apollo Theater’s amateur night and beyond. Ella looks back on the men in her life, the secrets she held so closely and the love of music that ultimately gave her wings.

This swinging new musical invites audiences to fall in love all over again with the magic and soul of Ella Fitzgerald. Broadway veteran Tina Fabrique reprises her critically acclaimed performance as America’s “First Lady of Song,” performing several of Ella Fitzgerald’s famous hits, including It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing), The Nearness of You, They Can’t Take That Away, Cheek to Cheek, Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off and A-Tisket, A-Tasket.

Fabrique is no stranger to the role. The show premiered at TheaterWorks in Hartford, Connecticut, and the Playhouse will be the twelfth theatre at which Fabrique has portrayed the iconic jazz singer. She feels a responsibility to keep the role fresh and new for each performance. “I think anything you do has to evolve,” said Fabrique. “It’s a journey that she went on, and I’m responsible for taking the audience … So I visualize her at all times in my mind’s eye. She’s very real to me.”

Rather than attempting to imitate Fitzgerald, Fabrique attempts to catch the spirit of Ella. “I give you a musical impression of her style that is much more realistic because she’s one of a kind, and so am I,” she said.

Ella reaches all ages and all music lovers. Recently, Fabrique was pleasantly surprised by the reaction she received from a group of middle schoolers who attended the show. “Their response to the music and the story was very similar to the adult audiences the previous night … Their applause was thunderous,” she said. “(Jazz music is) opening their minds up to musical choices and sounds and words that they don’t hear a lot of.”

Ella was written by Jeffrey Hatcher (Murderers, A Picasso, The Turn of the Screw) and will be directed by Rob Ruggiero, who conceived the show with Dyke Garrison. Other members of the creative team include Danny Holgate (musical director/arranger),  Michael Schweikardt (set designer), John Lasiter (lighting designer), Alejo Vietti (costume designer) and Michael Miceli (sound designer).

This stunning Marx production will give music lovers the rare chance to experience one of the true jazz greats as she was in her prime … and as she will always be remembered.