Interview: Laurie Roldan Brings Carpenters Show A SONG FOR YOU to The Green Room 42
The 4/30 show features a revised version of Roldan's critically acclaimed Carpenters show
On Thursday, April 30 at 7 pm, the Green Room 42 will present San Francisco Bay Area vocalist Laurie Roldan in a new edition of her acclaimed concert “A Song for You: The Music of Karen Carpenter and Friends.” Inspired by the enchanting melodies and powerful storytelling of Karen Carpenter, Laurie and guests share a delightful evening woven through Carpenters hits such as “Close to You,” “Rainy Days and Mondays,” “Ticket to Ride,” in additions to duets and medleys that Carpenter performed with Ella Fitzgerald, Andy Williams, and Perry Como. The evening will feature special guests Lianne Marie Dobbs (54 Below, Feinstein’s), Gabriela Gomez, Christopher Andrew Aceves and Alexandra de Suze, plus a special duet with Laurie’s husband, Dan Roldan.
Last year, Roldan made her New York debut with “A Song for You” at The Green Room 42, then returned for an encore performance at 54 Below. The Front Row Center hailed the evening as “a must-see NYC cabaret experience” and Opening Night Online called it “a genuinely personal meditation on resilience, faith, and the healing power of song.” According to All About Solo, “Echoes of Karen Carpenter’s voice can be heard in Laurie’s voice throughout the show. Roldan is clearly in her element, performing the Karen Carpenter catalogue with verve, optimism and utter delight.” BroadwayWorld raved, “Roldan has a lovely lower register, with strong resemblance to the recordings fans of The Carpenters know by heart. A joyful night of cabaret!”
We spoke with Roldan about the updated concert.
What are you looking forward to about bringing this show back to NYC?
I just love the energy of New York City! There is nothing like being in this city and the feeling of accomplishment of bringing my show here. I am very excited to present this new version with special guests and to sing this amazing Carpenters music and new music at The Green Room 42 once again!
What kind of feedback have you been getting on the show?
This will be the debut of my new version of the show, but as I have been promoting it, people have been sharing with me that they love the idea of me bringing in a variety of guests and some new music. It shows the diversity Karen had with other celebrity artists. The Carpenters were guests on different TV shows and also had a very popular TV variety show where they featured different celebrities. I loved watching these shows when I was a little girl!
What was the process of revising the show like? Can you talk about some of the changes you made?
I have always featured my backing singers in the show with a duet with me, and I have had one guest in particular who has sung the song “Masquerade.” I started thinking about that duet more and realized there was a lot more to this medley that Karen sang with Ella Fitzgerald and some other unique medleys and duets she had with Andy Williams and Perry Como. Then I started realizing what it may have been like if she had lived longer and had the chance to sing with other artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Dusty Springfield, and more. This led me to the idea of what was and what could have been which is the theme of this version. I do also keep the through line of my show which is to keep pursuing your purpose and passion and the fact that we can all lift each other up to help make this happen!
What have you been doing since you last brought this show to The Green Room 42 last year?
I had the wonderful opportunity to debut at 54 Below last November to fantastic reviews and have such a fabulous time! I have also presented the show at some new venues in California, where I live. I am currently continuing to grow my shows to new levels of encouragement and inspiration, and to bring them to new venues and new opportunities.
Do you have any other upcoming projects you’re working on?
Yes! I am very excited to be in the process of booking my Carpenters Christmas show in California. This show has all the Christmas favorites and features a small ensemble and a kids’ ensemble! I would love to bring this version to New York City as well. I also continue booking this new version along with my original version at other venues. I would love to bring my new show version and my Christmas show to other venues in New York City.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I hope to be able to establish some kind of relationship with prospective sponsors and/or booking agencies and or sponsor for my show to help me bring my unique show to more and more audiences.
Highlights of the show are available on YouTube HERE.
For tickets to the show or the livestream, please visit the venue online HERE.
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