Judy Sings Judy: Songs of a Young Garland
Judy Sings Judy: Songs of A Young Garland
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Who is Judy Garland? If you ask an adult, they talk about a huge talent
who lived a tragic life. If you ask a young person, they'll say
"Dorothy, she sang Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Before I began my
research, Judy Garland was Dorothy to me as well. But today what I find
most compelling is neither her troubled life nor her signature song.
What's exciting to me are her beginnings in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, her
first forays into show biz as a Gumm sister, her relationship with
Mickey Rooney, and her start at MGM. Judy Sings Judy: Songs of a Young
Garland is a celebration of the little girl who became the legend.
- Judy Butterfield
As a life long devotee of the art of cabaret, I have had the enormous
pleasure of seeing a lot of the greats - Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler,
Liza Minnelli and Peter Allen, to name a few - up close in intimate
settings. As the director of Judy Sings Judy: Songs of a Young Garland I
can assure you that it is no exaggeration to include young Judy
Butterfield with the aforementioned names. We feel like we captured
"lightning in bottle" and wanted to share it with all of the other
devotees of the art of cabaret.
- Clifford Bell
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Directed by Clifford Bell
Musical Director Ken Muir
Produced by Clifford Bell and Richard Butterfield
Contact 1-323-769-6447 or cliffordbell@fynsworthalley.com
Promotional Demo
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What they are saying about Judy Sings Judy: Songs of a Young Garland
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27.2005 - Piedmont Post
A new Judy flies over the rainbow at the Plush Room
Music Review by Robert Lee Hall
Imagine catching someone like, say, Bernadette Peters early in her career, before fame catapults her into the stratosphere of hot-ticket star. The talent would be there, of course, and you would know it and feel it, and you would think to yourself, "This kid is going someplace."
That's how I felt last week watching and listening to Judy Butterfield at San Francisco's Empire Plush Room - and speaking of catching someone early in her career, this nascent star is only 15 years old! Not that she’s a pro, but she’s about 90% there, and the remaining 10% is filled out by charm.
In short, Judy Butterfield is irresistible.
It helps that she has top backing: no less than Andrea Marcovicci herself, the doyenne of cabaret, who invited her protégé to be a guest at her Plush Room appearance last July. At San Francisco's Urban High School, Butterfield had created and performed her first cabaret show, "Long Ago and Far Away: the Songs of Jerome Kern," and since then she's made her East Coast debut at Town Hall in New York.
Her recent San Francisco outing was called, "Judy Sings Judy," and you'd be right to guess that the second Judy is Judy Garland, who began her own stellar career at a pretty early age, too. With her slender figure, long brown hair held back by barrettes, and big expressive eyes, Judy Butterfield resembles a young Elizabeth Taylor more than a young Garland, but she's otherwise vivaciously good at channeling the songs that marked Garland's early career, up to the movie, Meet Me in St. Louis.
In Marcovicci style, Butterfield gives us biography along with music, starting with "Hang onto a Rainbow," which Garland sang at age eight in a short film called The Wedding of Jack and Jill. Born Frances Gumm, Garland spent her early career with her sisters in an act called The Gumm Sisters until, according to legend; George Jessel decided The Garland Sisters made a more appealing billing.
Butterfield's show reminds us how many great songs Garland performed in movies and/or recorded in the 1930s and 40s, including "My Man," "I'll Get By," "Good Mornin'," "But Not for Me," "Fascinatin' Rhythm," "The Trolley Song," and, of course, "Over the Rainbow." As a stage presence Butterfield has remarkable poise - she seems completely at ease - and, with the help, of her accompanist-
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15 year old vocalist Judy Butterfield performed an impeccable show last week at San Francisco’s Plush Room, taking her place among the best cabaret singers in the business.
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2005
Judy
Continued from page 17 Ken Muir, and of Sam Reider, the bouncily talented young singer/pianist who, as her guest, stood in for Mickey Rooney, she carried off opening night without a hitch - the audience was in the palm of her hand.
Her voice doesn't have the rich enthusiasm of Garland's, or its emotionality, and she's occasionally weak at the end of a song, letting it slip away rather than swell, but her bright, clear soprano is very appealing, and deeper qualities are likely to enrich it as she gets more experience. But these are minor quibbles.
Judy Butterfield is a pleasure, and when she returns to the Bay Area, she's/worth a journey.
Robert Lee Hall is a Piedmont resident, educator and author of 10 published mystery novels. In his spare time, he reviews live theatre, dance and art for the Post.
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BAY AREA THEATRE:
NOW PLAYING AND COMING SOON:
A FUTURE CABARET STAR SHINES AT THE PLUSH ROOM
Judy Butterfield is just 15 years old, but she has the stage presence, musical savvy and sophistication of someone twice her age. Blessed with a stunning beauty (remindful of a young Andrea Marcovicci, who is her devoted mentor), and a lovely, clear, unadorned high alto voice, she is now performing the second of two shows she conceived, researched and wrote herself. Called "Judy Sings Judy" the show covers the early career of Judy Garland - from her childhood as a vaudeville performer with her siblings, the Gumm Sisters, through her years making those delightful MGM "let's put on a show" musicals with Mickey Rooney, to her last adolescent role at the age of 22, in the classic "Meet Me in St. Louis".
Via this format Judy - Butterfield - not Garland - amply displays her musical versatility with torch songs - "Stormy Weather", "But Not for Me", up-tempo tunes - "I Got Rhythm", "The Trolley Song" and love ballads - "I'll Get By", "The Boy Next Door". She also handles the narrative segments of her show with ease, charm, and a wry, off-hand sense of humor. Even Garland aficionados may well learn something new about their beloved star. (Butterfield has really done her homework, and tells fascinating stories about Garland's early years, before making it big at MGM.) And cabaret buffs longing to hear obscure or rarely performed songs may especially delight in the inclusion of two rarities: "Hang on to a Rainbow", which Judy performed at the age of 8 and "Judy", the Hoagy Carmichael song that inspired the starlet to change her name from Frances Ethel. (She also relates how Georgie Jessel urged her to change her last name from Gumm to Garland, but adds the little known fact that he advised the entire sister act to call themselves "The Garland Sisters", as well.
Supporting the young cabaret singer on stage is her deft accompanist, Ken Muir, and fellow student/performer, Reed Campbell. Campbell, takes on the role of Mickey Rooney with zany, comic aplomb. He joins Miss Butterfield in some of the popular duo's most beloved duets - "How About You", and "I Got Rhythm". The latter is one of the show's highlight's - a rich, complex arrangement of this Gershwin tune, complete with scat singing, that the pair perform with sheer relish and professional virtuosity. Campbell also is a delight in his solo bits, "Treat Me Rough" and "Could You Use Me", working the audience like a pro.
Fearful of unfavorable comparison, many performers avoid singing Garland's signature song, Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg's "Over the Rainbow". But Miss Butterfield takes the daring path, performing the classic tune with a sweet, mournful simplicity that tugs at the heartstrings, until she let's go in an exuberant "why oh why, can't I?" Well, when it comes to flying over the many obstacles most performers encounter in pursuing a show business career, this is surely one young lady "who can"!
Bonnie Weiss – Musical Theater Lovers United
Place: Empire Plush Room, York Hotel, San Francisco
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Copyright
Copyright © 2006 JudyButterfield.com
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