Broadway at Birdland Celebrates Duke Ellington’s SOPHISTICATED LADIES 4/25

Jim Caruso is proud to announce the 30 Year Reunion Celebration of the Broadway Opening of Duke Ellington's SOPHISTICATED LADIES, featuring original cast members and the Duke Ellington Big Band. This historic event will take place on Monday, April 25 at 7pm, as part of the Broadway at Birdland concert series.

Sophisticated Ladies is a musical revue based on the music of Duke Ellington. After fifteen previews, the Broadway production, conceived by Donald McKayle, directed by Michael Smuin, and choreographed by McKayle, Smuin, Henry LeTang, Bruce Heath, and Mercedes Ellington, opened on March 1, 1981 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, where it ran for 767 performances. The original cast included Gregory Hines, Judith Jamison, Phyllis Hyman, Hinton Battle, Gregg Burge, and Mercer Ellington. Hines' older brother Maurice joined the cast later in the run. The show was nominated for eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and won for Best Actor (Battle) and Costume Design (Willa Kim).

The score includes "Mood Indigo," "Take the "A" Train," "I'm Beginning to See the Light," "Hit Me With a Hot Note and Watch Me Bounce," "Perdido," "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)," "I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart," "Old Man Blues," "In a Sentimental Mood," "Sophisticated Lady," "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," "Satin Doll," and "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good."

The 30 Year Reunion of Duke Ellington's
SOPHISTICATED LADIES
Monday, April 25th, 2011 at 7pm
VIP ticket - $50.00, General admission - $40.00
$10 Food/drink minimum
Birdland, 315 West 4 Street, NYC
212-581-3080 or www.BirdlandJazz.com

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