Ella Fitzgerald Stage Musical In Works Starring Dee Dee Bridgewater & Charity Angél Dawson, With Book By Anna Deavere Smith
deadline.comA new musical written by Anna Deavere Smith and featuring music from the Ella Fitzgerald songbook is currently in development.
Ella: An American Miracle will receive an Aug. 25-Sept. 21 work session, with Tony-winner Dee Dee Bridgewater and Charity Angél Dawson portraying the iconic singer at different points in her life.The work session will conclude with a private industry presentation.
A production timeline was not disclosed.“Composers wanted Ella Fitzgerald to sing their songs because listening to her, they knew how their songs were supposed to be sung,” said Smith in a statement. “A jazz singer, a scat singer, she also famously both sang and defined the American song book.
To say she had humble beginnings is a profound understatement. She sang America through some of its most discordant times. She was America’s love song.
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