Mary Cleere Haran Sings Doris Day at Feinstein's Oct.16-27

Feinstein's at Loews Regency will continue their Fall 2007 season with the return engagement of Mary Cleere Haran from October 16 - 27. The world premiere of her new show "Mary Cleere Haran Sings Doris Day" will celebrate the movies and music of the biggest female box office attraction in Hollywood history. All shows are at the Regency Hotel (540 Park Avenue at 61st Street).

"The famously private legend refuses to speak about her remarkable career. Mary is one of the few people to have interviewed her: she wrote and produced the highly acclaimed PBS documentary, 'Doris Day: A Sentimental Journey.'  Mary did extensive interviews with Day herself, as well as with some of the star's friends and fans: actor Tony Randall, film critic Molly Haskell, writer John Updike and Day's son Terry Melcher. For her show at Feinstein's, Mary will not only sing Doris's praises, but will recount the time she spent with the star," explains press notes.

Mary will be performing songs from such films as The Man Who Knew Too Much ("Que Sera Sera"), Love Me or Leave Me ("It All Depends On You" and "Shakin' The Blues Away"), Jumbo ("Why Can't I") and April in Paris ("That's What Makes Paris Paree"), in addition to selections from the albums "Day by Day" ("I Remember You") and "Latin For Lovers" ("Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps"). She will be joined by Musical Director Don Rebic on piano, Chip Jackson on bass and Jim Hirschman on guitar. The show is directed by Richard Jay-Alexander.

Doris Day, born Doris von Kappelhoff on April 3, 1924, remains unequaled as the only entertainer who has ever triumphed in movies, recordings, radio, and television. As America's favorite girl-next-door she projected the kind of wholesome image that led Oscar Levant to quip, "I knew Doris Day before she was a virgin."  But Doris Day's legacy as a great singer and gifted actress, defies definition. According to Haran, "Doris Day was a profound artist in suburban mom's clothing."

In the early 40s she gained popularity as a vocalist with the Bob Crosby and Les Brown bands, and by the middle of the decade she was a highly successful recording star.  Her 1948 screen debut in the Warner Bros. musical, Romance on the High Seas made her an overnight sensation and went on to star in films like Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much, Pillow Talk with Rock Hudson, The Pajama Game, among countless others. For two decades she worked non-stop as a movie actress and recording star, breaking box office records and record sales simultaneously.

"In her book Doris Day: Her Own Story" (1975) she revealed for the first time that behind the cheerful facade there was a woman far from happy.  She was hospitalized for a year at 13, went on the road at 16, married a "psychopath" musician at 17, and entered another unsuccessful union at 22.  Her third marriage to producer-manager Marty Melcher, lasted 17 seemingly blissful years, but upon his death in 1968 she discovered that he had mismanaged her entire life's earnings and had left her broke.  After recovering from an ensuing nervous breakdown, she bounced back as a TV star with "The Doris Day Show." When the series ended, she more or less dropped out of show business, devoting her time to animal rights.

Mary Cleere Haran, one of the most renowned singers of "The Great American Songbook," has garnered rave reviews from audiences and critics alike for her witty, sophisticated performances.  The San Francisco native, who has been compared to Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee and Rosemary Clooney, evokes the charm, style and wit of 1930s movie stars like Myrna Loy, Irene Dunne, Jean Arthur and Carole Lombard.  She has performed at some of the most prominent venues in the country, including Lincoln Center, Rainbow & Stars, The Russian Tea Room, The Cinegrill in Los Angeles, The Plush Room in San Francisco and the Bellevue Hotel in Philadelphia.

It was Haran's love affair with classic movies of the 1930s and 1940s - most notably the black and white Warner Bros. films bursting with brassy, sassy Gold Diggers and Jazz Age Gershwin music - that sparked her love affair with American popular song.  She cites Judy Garland, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee and Doris Day as primary sources of inspiration, but Hollywood's Golden Age has made an indelible impression on Haran's singing. She also boasts an impressive list of theater credits, making her Broadway debut in The 1940s Radio Hour and appearing Off Broadway in Manhattan Music, Swingtime Canteen and Heebie Jeebies. On TV, she had a recurring role on Sidney Lumet's drama "100 Centre Street" on A&E.

In addition to her illustrious performing career, Haran is a respected writer and researcher who has brought her talents to numerous PBS specials, including Michael Feinstein's "The Great American Songbook," "Remembering Bing," "Irving Berlin's America," "When We Were Young: The Lives of Child Movie Stars," "Satchmo," a documentary about Louis Armstrong, and the aforementioned "Doris Day: A Sentimental Journey." She was one of a select group asked to write on Frank Sinatra's death in The New York Times. Her CDs have been praised by Entertainment Weekly, People Magazine and The New York Times. Her most recent release is "Crazy Rhythm: Manhattan in the '20s."

Feinstein's at Loews Regency will play the following schedule: Tuesday through Saturday at 8:30 PM with late shows on Friday and Saturday at 11 PM. All shows have a $60 cover and a $40 minimum. Jackets are suggested but not required. Feinstein's at Loews Regency is located at 540 Park Avenue at 61st Street in New York City. For ticket reservations and club information, please call (212) 339-4095 or visit us online at www.feinsteinsattheregency.com and TicketWeb.com.

To post a comment, you must register and login.