Note From The Producer
It has become a tradition at MetroStage. Every January we open a show featuring an amazing cast, telling an amazing story, featuring and celebrating African American artists from our collective history. And did I mention the incredible music and gifted musicians on our stage? This season is no exception. Miss Ethel Waters, one of the most acclaimed blues, jazz and gospel singers, is being featured in the play entitled "His Eye is on the Sparrow," her favorite gospel song and the title of her autobiography.
Waters led an extraordinary life, born at the turn of the century to a 13-year-old mother, living under impoverished conditions, and traveling the vaudeville circuit, performing at the Cotton Club in Harlem and, at one point, becoming the highest paid performer on Broadway. She was one of the most influential jazz and blues singers of her time and an actor earning great acclaim on Broadway, film and television. She was nominated for an Emmy, an Academy Award, received a Drama Critics Award, and introduced some of the most famous songs of the era: "Stormy Weather" by Harold Arlen and "Supper Time" by Irving Berlin.
MetroStage favorite Bernardine Mitchell returns to our stage as Ethel Waters. Our patrons know Miss Mitchell from her Award-winning portrayal in "Mahalia" and also her role in "Three Sistahs." She lives in Atlanta but considers Alexandria and MetroStage her second home. William Knowles will accompany her on the piano. Knowles is also well known to MetroStage audiences, most recently, as composer and conductor for "Cool Papa’s Party," for which he won a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Music Direction.
In addition, we will be introducing to our stage Mary Millben, an Alexandria actor who will be playing Ethel Waters in select performances. Miss Millben has an impressive resume, having appeared at Arena Stage in "Crowns" and "Sophisticated Ladies" with Maurice Hines (another favorite here at MetroStage), and has also performed at the White House, the 2008 Kennedy Center Honors, the XLIII Super Bowl, the Congressional Black Caucus, and Obama’s Lincoln Memorial inaugural concert. She is another exceptional talent we are pleased to introduce to our audiences.
The stories and history of the African American artist in the first half of the 20th century are part of our mission here at MetroStage. In past seasons we have featured Alberta Hunter, Bricktop, Mabel Mercer, Pearl Bailey, Nat King Cole and Duke Ellington, to name a few. First and foremost, the music and their journeys are important for future generations to understand and appreciate, and the entertainment value from the stage is unsurpassed. We believe it is important to share this work, entertain our audiences, and honor the ground-breaking artists whose stories we are telling and whose music we are singing.
Oftentimes we will have three generations in our audience: a grandmother who grew up with these artists and their music, a daughter who had always heard the stories and a grandchild to be introduced to the era and the music. In fact, my 9-year-old granddaughter, Annalise, still sings "Baby Its Cold Outside" from our "Pearl Bailey … By Request," and had an opportunity to interview Miss Mitchell when she was here playing "Mahalia" for a school report. Theatre is to entertain, enlighten and enrich. These stories, these artists, and the actors on our stage accomplish all of the above, and we are proud to present this work on our stage during our celebration of Black History Month and beyond.
Waters led an extraordinary life, born at the turn of the century to a 13-year-old mother, living under impoverished conditions, and traveling the vaudeville circuit, performing at the Cotton Club in Harlem and, at one point, becoming the highest paid performer on Broadway. She was one of the most influential jazz and blues singers of her time and an actor earning great acclaim on Broadway, film and television. She was nominated for an Emmy, an Academy Award, received a Drama Critics Award, and introduced some of the most famous songs of the era: "Stormy Weather" by Harold Arlen and "Supper Time" by Irving Berlin.
MetroStage favorite Bernardine Mitchell returns to our stage as Ethel Waters. Our patrons know Miss Mitchell from her Award-winning portrayal in "Mahalia" and also her role in "Three Sistahs." She lives in Atlanta but considers Alexandria and MetroStage her second home. William Knowles will accompany her on the piano. Knowles is also well known to MetroStage audiences, most recently, as composer and conductor for "Cool Papa’s Party," for which he won a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Music Direction.
In addition, we will be introducing to our stage Mary Millben, an Alexandria actor who will be playing Ethel Waters in select performances. Miss Millben has an impressive resume, having appeared at Arena Stage in "Crowns" and "Sophisticated Ladies" with Maurice Hines (another favorite here at MetroStage), and has also performed at the White House, the 2008 Kennedy Center Honors, the XLIII Super Bowl, the Congressional Black Caucus, and Obama’s Lincoln Memorial inaugural concert. She is another exceptional talent we are pleased to introduce to our audiences.
The stories and history of the African American artist in the first half of the 20th century are part of our mission here at MetroStage. In past seasons we have featured Alberta Hunter, Bricktop, Mabel Mercer, Pearl Bailey, Nat King Cole and Duke Ellington, to name a few. First and foremost, the music and their journeys are important for future generations to understand and appreciate, and the entertainment value from the stage is unsurpassed. We believe it is important to share this work, entertain our audiences, and honor the ground-breaking artists whose stories we are telling and whose music we are singing.
Oftentimes we will have three generations in our audience: a grandmother who grew up with these artists and their music, a daughter who had always heard the stories and a grandchild to be introduced to the era and the music. In fact, my 9-year-old granddaughter, Annalise, still sings "Baby Its Cold Outside" from our "Pearl Bailey … By Request," and had an opportunity to interview Miss Mitchell when she was here playing "Mahalia" for a school report. Theatre is to entertain, enlighten and enrich. These stories, these artists, and the actors on our stage accomplish all of the above, and we are proud to present this work on our stage during our celebration of Black History Month and beyond.
Labels: Sparrow
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