Singing back to a music legend
SANDTON - The story of Ella Fitzgerald will be told by London’s jazz cat, singer Cat Simoni from 13 to 24 May at Auto and General Theatre on the Square in Sandton.
A stage and a Steinway piano is all Simoni needs to tell the life story of Ella Fitzgerald, who is known as America’s first lady of song. The show is written, directed and presented by Paul Spence.
Simoni’s years of entertaining the international crème de la crème at London’s five star hotels and exclusive clubs with her voice and piano virtuosity, laid the perfect foundation for the play Cat Sings Ella.
In her own inimitable way she will celebrate the spirit of Fitzgerald’s music in the musical revue. In Cat Sings Ella, Simoni rides the exhilarating roller coaster of Fitzgerald’s repertoire; from the early Harlem years through the Decca and Verve recordings; from the breakthrough ‘a-tisket, a-tasket’ to her Cole Porter and Duke Ellington Songbooks and legendary London, Rome and Berlin concerts.
Cat Sings Ella is set to be an oxygen-rush of bouncing melody; a musical theatre experience of pure pleasure to stir body and soul and make the heart sing and go bebop with joy.
Lyricist Ira Gershwin said of Fitzgerald, “I never knew how good our songs were until I heard Ella Fitzgerald sing them.” American singer and actor Bing Crosby said of the legendary singer, “Man, woman or child, Ella, is the greatest of them all.”
Details: Auto and General Theatre on the Square; 011 883 8606.
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