Christine Ebersole as Eliza Doolittle

[broadwaydanwi]

Posted: 5/5/11 at 9:05am

I just posted a page of pictures on my website, "Memories of Melody Top," featuring Christine Ebersole, Noel Harrison and Merwin Foard from a 1984 production of MY FAIR LADY. Please click on the link in this message to view the five color photographs.

I also posted a poignant account from an apprentice during Melody Top's 1981 season who returned to the site not long after the buildings were demolished. His well-written story is on the page titled "Submitted Stories (2)."

Last Saturday night, I attended an amazing performance at Ten Chimneys in Genesee Depot, Wisconsin. Christine Ebersole, Edward Hibbert and musical director Lawrence Yurman gave the world premiere of a show titled LOVE, NOEL: THE LETTERS AND SONGS OF NOEL COWARD in the fabled drawing room of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. It was an extremely rare opportunity to hear Coward's songs played on the same piano he used to entertain guests of the fabled estate decades ago. Edward made an excellent Noel Coward, but Christine got the showier role of all the women in the Master's life. She was most impressive singing "Parisian Pierrot" as Gertrude Lawrence and "Why Do the Wrong People Travel?" as Elaine Stritch. Christine lovingly evoked everyone from Coward's mother to Broadway divas (Mary Martin and Bea Lillie), literary greats (Virginia Woolf and Edna Ferber) and movie goddesses (Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo). After the performance, Ebersole signed copies of her latest CD. I was first in line to get mine, and it was a pleasure meeting her. Do not miss the chance to see this wonderful show!
Memories of Melody Top, Production Pictures (2)

[ShowQueenNYC]

Posted: 5/5/11 at 10:53am

Beautiful costume on Ms. Ebersole. How I wish I could have seen this production. Looks like this Theatre had a LOT of great people working there!!!!

[broadwaydanwi]

Posted: 5/5/11 at 11:19am

Yes, the summer of 1984 was filled with stars at Melody Top. Don't forget I also have pictures of Jo Anne Worley in GYPSY and a very young Anthony Rapp as the title character in OLIVER!

[chickfila]

Posted: 5/5/11 at 3:36pm

Show more picture of Christopher Durham as Joseph. Good god, what a body!

[broadwaydanwi]

Posted: 5/5/11 at 4:24pm

I'm sorry, but I don't have any more pictures of Christopher Durham. According to his bio in the Melody Top playbill, the June 1984 issue of "Playgirl" magazine has a six-page color layout of his photographs. Start looking on eBay for it!

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 5/5/11 at 4:34pm

[chickfila]

Posted: 5/5/11 at 4:44pm

Going to have to try to find that issue.

[goldenboy]

Posted: 5/5/11 at 5:51pm

Kindly show Joanne Worley in Gypsy

[beaemma]

Posted: 5/5/11 at 6:13pm

I found two black and white performance shots of Jo Anne as Rose further down on the same page as Christine's Eliza.

[broadwaydanwi]

Posted: 5/6/11 at 9:36am

Back on topic for a minute. Critic Jay Joslyn wrote of Ebersole's performance, "Christine Ebersole imbued the 'squashed cabbage leaf' of a leading lady with all the spunk needed to make staunch supporters of all her witnesses."

Isn't his use of the word "staunch" kind of eerie, considering how important that word was in GREY GARDENS (on film and stage)?

By the way, the now-deceased critic also panned the costumes for MY FAIR LADY stating, "with the exception of Eliza's ball gown, [the costumes] were drab and unimaginative." Judging by these photographs, I think we all agree this critic was wrong in his evaluation.

[melodytopper]

Posted: 5/6/11 at 9:49am

New page looks great!

[D2]

Posted: 5/6/11 at 12:37pm

Uhm, that costume is a replica of the one Cecil Beaton designed for the Ascot scene in the film.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 5/6/11 at 12:51pm

[broadwaydanwi]

Posted: 5/6/11 at 9:44pm

Yes, the costume for Eliza in the racecourse scene at Melody Top was definitely "borrowed" from the film. Those kinds of tricks are what made summer stock so much fun! In the 1960s and 1970s, costumes from Broadway shows and national tours were recycled in stock and regional houses. I'm just glad the producer at Melody Top spent money hiring Ebersole, Harrison and Foard instead of creating new costumes. Those three sang the score wonderfully, and it was a joy to hear their voices.

[beaemma]

Posted: 5/7/11 at 6:37pm

Starting when I was in my teens, I saw most of the shows at Melody Top; and it was always a fine experience. I remember Christine Ebersole as a dynamic Evita and a tough, determined Eliza. I had seen her as Ado Annie in New York and had no idea of her acting or singing range until I saw her in summer stock. The productions at Melody Top had such an influence on me, and it was so sad to see the place close. The article by the man who was an apprentice there and revisited the grounds after it was gone (submitted stories 2) was bittersweet to read and captured many of my feelings, even though I was in the audience, not behind the scenes. Thanks for these most recent additions to the website!

[StageManager2]

Posted: 5/7/11 at 8:16pm

blackdogue.net has the Christopher Durham pix. No full frontals but plenty of side, chest and one nice ass shot.

Updated On: 5/7/11 at 08:16 PM

[broadwaydanwi]

Posted: 5/8/11 at 11:18am

Wow! This thread was started about Christine Ebersole and, four days later, changed to Christopher Durham. I will admit his layout in an adult magazine probably helped Melody Top sell a lot more tickets to JOSEPH. Who could guess that "Playgirl" magazine would make an effective marketing tool? But audiences at Melody Top were not let down by his commanding performance. One of his reviews stated, "Soap opera star Christopher Durham, who has developed a following on the daytime serial 'Capitol," is an able Joseph, singing well and looking handsome."

And let's not forget Mr. Durham returned to Melody Top the following year to perform the difficult role of Mozart in the theatre's only legitimate play, AMADEUS. He certainly paid his dues by accepting these roles in Milwaukee summer stock.

Mr. Durham recently wrote me a kind message, and I posted his comment underneath his picture on the website. Please take a look!

[beaemma]

Posted: 5/8/11 at 6:30pm

That was a nice contribution by Durham to the Melody Top website. I'm sure that many performers, like him, got their Equity cards while there. Just another reason to lament the demise of this type of summer stock.

[broadwaydanwi]

Posted: 6/8/11 at 7:43am

Yet another "homage" to the famous film costume, this time in North Shore Music Theatre's current production of MY FAIR LADY starring Lisa O'Hare and Charles Shaughnessy.