Birdland Presents Ilene Graff's 'First You Dream' 4/19

On April 19th, Ilene Graff will be performing her show, First You Dream, at New York City's Birdland Jazz Club.

Accompanied by her Musical Director-husband Ben Lanzarone, Graff performs songs from Broadway, the movies and the pop world with completely unique interpretations and arrangements. From Harold Arlen to the Beatles, the Bergmans to Sondheim, you've never heard these songs sung the way Ilene does. Graff's career started on Broadway, performing in Promises, Promises, the original production of Grease (Sandy), and in the original cast of Cy Coleman and Michael Stewart's I Love My Wife, creating the role of Cleo. Feeling honored that he tailored it to her specific talents, Ilene reprises "her very own Cy Coleman song," Love Revolution in her show, as well as pieces from Grease, Porgy and Bess, Gypsy and many others.

Birdland is located at 315 West 44th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues in Midtown Manhattan. For parking use Discount Parking Garages on 44th street. All show times are 8:30pm & 11:00pm unless otherwise noted. The music charge varies from $20-$50 depending on performer. There is a $10 food/drink minimum per person. At the bar, you will receive a complimentary drink when you pay the music charge, no additional minimum. For phone reservations & information, please call (212) 581-3080. For more performance details, visit www.BirdlandJazz.com.

Ilene Graff is best known to audiences as Marsha Owens, the mom on the long running ABC comedy Mr. Belvedere. She made her professional Broadway debut years earlier on the musical stage in Promises Promises, the Neil Simon, Bacharach/David hit, where she understudied the leading lady and sang backups from the orchestra pit. She performed the role of Fran Kubelik in New York before starring in the National Tour. One of her biggest Broadway triumphs was creating the role of Cleo in the Cy Coleman, Michael Stewart musical comedy hit I Love My Wife, directed by Tony Award winner Gene Saks. She can be heard on the show's Original Cast Album. Other theatre credits include: Charley's Aunt with Charles Grodin, Cabaret as Sally Bowles, Annie Get Your Gun as Annie Oakley, and Over Here directed by Mr. Belvedere himself, Christopher Hewett. Ilene created the role of Donna in the world premiere of composer/arranger/producer husband Ben Lanzarone's musical, You and Me, with book and lyrics by Lloyd J. Schwartz; she won the Artistic Directors' Award of the VAlley Theatre League for her performance. She had the thrill of performing the role of Mama Rose in a Los Angeles revival of Gypsy as well as entertaining Jerry Herman himself at a performance of Jerry's Girls and is very proud to have co-starred in ABC/Disney's film version of South Pacific, working with Glenn Close and Harry Connick, Jr.

Birdland is a jazz club that opened in New York City on December 15, 1949, and headlined jazz legend Charlie Parker. The original Birdland, which was located at 1678 Broadway, just north of West 52nd Street in Manhattan,was closed in 1965 due to increased rents, but re-opened for one night in 1979. In 1986 Birdland resurfaced uptown, but after ten years the club moved back to midtown where today it offers top-flight jazz in a world class setting, good sight lines and acoustics, elbow room, and an award-winning menu featuring American cuisine with a Cajun flair.

 

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