Happenings at MetroStage

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Donald Bogle: "Heat Wave"

From The Diane Rehm Show, which is produced by member-supported WAMU 88.5 in Washington DC:

Famed gospel singer Ethel Waters was given a standing ovation after she spoke at the Billy Graham crusade in Seattle's Kingdome on Sunday, May 10, 1976 . The famed singer sang "His Eye Is On the Sparrow." (AP Photo/Brownell)

Few American entertainers have rivaled the success of Ethel Waters. Born to a teen mother as the result of a rape, she began her career in Black Vaudeville and reached new heights in the nightclubs of Harlem in the 1920’s. Her unique singing style ushered in the age of the modern popular song – and made her the highest paid woman in show business. Not content with just a recording career, Ethel Waters wowed audiences on Broadway and won an Oscar nomination. In her later years, however, she was best known for singing with Billy Graham’s crusade and spurning the civil rights movement. Diane and her guest, biographer Donald Bogle, discuss the complex life and career of Ethel Waters.

CLICK HERE to listen to the February 15th segment >

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Monday, February 7, 2011

A look at Ethel Waters

Watch "Sweet Mama String Bean" sing "Bread 'n Gravy" with Diana Ross and then Ms. Waters performs "Suppertime.". Originally aired March 8, 1969 on Diana Ross & The Supremes Host Hollywood Palace (3 of 5).

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Review from AllArtsReview4U.com

At MetroStage, Bernadine Mitchell gives a masterful performance as Ethel Waters from her being a "Philadelphia bastard" to her ending her life as a "child of God" in the company of preacher Billy Graham. The show is titled after her most famous song "His Eye is on the Sparrow" (To 3/20). It is a wondrous two hours as Ms. Mitchell follows the life of Ethel Waters in all of her feistiness as a child as well as an adult in show business. It is also a very sad story as it pictures the tortuous life of all Black entertainers in their show biz life in the United States. (Ms. Waters always wanted to be referred to a "colored" and, of course, it was Billy Graham's saying that God is multi-colored which turned her towards religion at the end of her life). Ms. Mitchell has a golden voice of superb range and her renditions of "Suppertime" ...with a back- wall picture of a lynching...that is totally poignant. And her renditions of "Stormy Weather" and "Am I Blue" brings tears to the eyes. But there is lots of bouncy and comedic songs that completes this picture of a very accomplished "colored" entertainer. Music director and pianist William Knowles is top rate in his accompaniment and his solo of a stride jazz piece brought forth strong audience applause. The mostly senior-citizen audience raved with a standing ovation at the end of this concert. Take your seniors to the show as well as the rest of the family for a very inspirational two hours of musical theater.
- Bob Anthony

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Thursday, February 3, 2011

What the Critics are Saying About His Eye is on the Sparrow

"Bernardine Mitchell 'soars' in His Eye is on the Sparrow… Mitchell's singing is first-rate. The musicality is rich and soulful, framed by humble gospel but ready to rumble with touches of blues... the infectious bounce of Mitchell’s phrasing in the jaunty 'Frankie and Johnny,' her controlled joy in 'Sweet Georgia Brown,' the simmering ache that Mitchell (accompanied throughout by William Knowles on piano) brings… Her vocal control in pinpoint, and her understanding of this musical territory goes deep.”
- Nelson Pressley, Washington Post

“...it's a hallowed story wrapped in the glorious vocals, tender expressions and captivating style of Sistah Bernardine. It’s a blessing waiting to happen… Bernardine Mitchell embodies the deep resonance of the vocal quality that relays years of struggles while she tells the story with passion and grace… One of the several show stoppers is 'Black and Blue'... which Mitchell captures and delivers in an amazing tour-de-force. When her voice crests and flows into a crescendo, there simply is nothing like it and her commanding presence in a solo show showcases her inspiring gifts. Thanks to (the playwright Larry) Parr, we are able to bask in the presence of yet another nearly forgotten treasured artist, and this portrait is a gift that can keep on giving… Bernardine Mitchell is absolutely divine and her performance may as well be a ministry - she touches people, they leave transformed, mesmerized, and come back for more. All I can say is God Bless the Child because His Eye is on the Sparrow and the remarkable Bernardine Mitchell.”
- Debbie Jackson, DC Theatre Scene

“Mitchell, who triumphed at MetroStage in another ‘Mahalia,’ dons her roles like a second skin as her lush contralto voice and commanding presence take the audience on a journey of pain, triumph and redemption…”
- Jordan Wright, Alexandria Times

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