Cynthia Crane takes Aim at Bernie Madoff with 'John Denver, Bernie Madoff & Me,' 12/6 - 12/9

73-year-old New York cabaret singer, Cynthia Crane, and Bernie Madoff victim is finding a new way to channel her frustrations and get some payback at the same time--in song. The singer has created a new one-woman show, "John Denver, Bernie Madoff & Me," which opened in New York on Monday at Don't Tell Mama.

"I figured you've got to keep a sense of humor and the only thing that I could do was sing," Cynthia Crane told Reuters.

The show's inspiration came when she learned that the estate of John Denver, the "Take Me Home, Country Roads" singer, had also lost money in Madoff's fraud, which U.S. prosecutors say involved as much as $65 billion.  Crane and her husband, who had been invested with Madoff for 30 years were "wiped out, financially speaking," according to the singer. Madoff, 71, is serving a 150-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in March to orchestrating the massive fraud. He was arrested December 11 last year.

The show features Denver songs "Looking for Space" and "Rocky Mountain Suite (Cold Nights in Canada)" as well as "How Can Love Survive?" from the stage version of "The Sound of Music", which Crane said is "about how only the poor people have time for love."

"Music is cathartic ... and it struck me as a chance to do Denver's music and to do some songs ... that would be a propos of Madoff," she said.

John Denver, Bernie Madoff & Me plays Don't Tell Mama on December 6, 8, and 9 to mark the one-year anniversary of Madoff's arrest. For tickets and more information, visit www.donttellmamanyc.com. 

 

 

 

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