Another Show Based off a Musician! Ella Fitzgerald

wow, i'd love to see who'd play her

oh nice, i really have no idea who that is, but ok.

Not sure how this can work. I love Ella's recordings, but honestly, there's not one ounce of anything in her life story that's interesting dramatically. For a black woman in the era she came of age in, there's surprisngly very little confict. She was a shy and demure personality, had no significant involvement in the civil rights movement as it swirled around her, no drugs or alcohol or relationship difficulties -- she was someone who just got up and sang where she could and made little fuss one way or another throughout her entire career.

I imagine she had to have encountered some difficulties due to race, gender, segregation etc.... but, if she did, she kept them to herself. She was never a big, dynamic, confrontational personality a la Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Bessie Smith et al (all of whom have had successful one woman shows written about them). Ella was ONLY about the music and not making waves. She's just not a good subject for a theatrical venture, because she avoided conflict at every turn.

We have her recordings (as well as several videos). Given that the woman herself isn't all that interesting, I'm not sure what the point of having an actress get up and just stand there and imitate her vocal stylings in front of a combo for an hour or two might be.

Sorry, but I'm pretty bored just thinking about it.

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Updated On: 6/17/05 at 03:55 AM

They can re-create her 1975 Memorex commercial.

"Is it live....or is it Memorex?"

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My thoughts exactly Margo! Dinah Washington had a far more "interesting" life and I thought "Dinah Was" was only interesting due to the performance of Lilias White.

What a score you could cobble together, however, seeing as how Ella sang just about every great song of the era.

I'm a HUGE Ella fan--I saw her in concert every year from 1973 until she stopped performing. I'm also an admirer of Tina Fabrique.

However, this sounds unlikely, like a poor third to Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill and Dinah Was, for the reasons Margo mentioned. She and the guys in her band WERE arrested for "gambling" in the south on a racist trumped-up charge. She had unsuccessful romantic relationships with the men in her life--black AND white. None of which add up to a very compelling narrative.

I'll go--and I'll probably enjoy Tina Fabrique, especially if she captures Ella's musciality in the scat-singing (few do)--but I'm not expecting good drama.

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