Lane Bradbury Brings MON HISTOIRE EN CHANSONS FRANCAISES to Pangea

Lane Bradbury may have been born and raised as a Southern Belle in Georgia, and performed on Broadway, in films, and on television, but there's a Parisian chanteuse in her soul. Now 83, but with the energy of a performer half her age, the original "Dainty June" in the 1959 Broadway production of Gypsy is presenting a cabaret program of classic French compositions in her new show, MON HISTOIRE EN CHANSONS FRANCAISES (My Story in French Songs) at Pangea (178 2nd Ave, between 11th and 12th Streets, NYC).

Ms. Bradbury first presented this show in February 2020 and planned to perform it again at Pangea in early Spring, but the Covid-19 pandemic forced cancellations. Now Ms. Bradbury is returning to the East Village venue for two performances on March 4 and March 11, both at 7 pm. Tickets: $20 online ($25 at the door, cash only) plus $20 food/beverage minimum. www.pangeanyc.com or call: 212-995-0900.

With composer Michael Roberts (Goldstein, The Fartiste, Golf the Musical) as her Music Director on piano, the vivacious Ms. Bradbury will deliver-in French-songs written by Jacquel Brel, Edith Piaf, Marguerite Monnot, Joe Dassin, Charles Aznavour, Yves Montand, and Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg, the composers of Les Misérables, among others. Here's a review of the premiere show of MON HISTOIRE EN CHANSONS FRANCAISES (My Story in French Songs):

"Lane Bradbury is a performer who defies certain boundaries . . . Her voice is still strong and flexible, with a performer's passion for entertaining infusing every moment . . . Sounding like a good-natured Marlene Dietrich, Bradbury is an actress whose every inflection is conveyed through her voice, her facial expressions, and her beautiful use of her hands . . ."
-NiteLifeExchange.com

MON HISTOIRE EN CHANSONS FRANCAISES is a departure from Ms. Bradbury's last cabaret offering, Let Me Entertain You, Again, in which she regaled audiences about her experiences in the original cast of the iconic musical Gypsy. Why a show of songs in French? "When I was 13 and growing up in Georgia, my ballet teacher took some students to New York to study ballet," Ms. Bradbury recalls. "She took us to the theater one night and that's when I saw Gwen Verdon in Can-Can. Gwen's performance opened up my love for everything French."

Lane Bradbury was born and raised near Atlanta, Georgia, began to study ballet at age five, and joined the Atlanta Ballet at 12. She moved to NYC to pursue a dancing career was accepted at the Actor's Studio as the youngest ever member. She made her Broadway debut in 1958 in J.B. after being discovered by director Elia Kazan, and she followed that the next year by appearing in Gypsy. In 1961, she was cast in The Night of the Iguana, originating respectively the roles of June & Charlotte Goodall. Bradbury's film credits include Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore and Hawaii, and she has guest starred in many TV "Movies of Week" including: Maybe I'll Come Home in the Spring. Bradbury has also appeared in more than 40 TV series, including such classics as Gunsmoke, In the Heat of the Night, Kung Fu, The Rockford Files, The Partridge Family, The Waltons, Police Story, McCloud, The Mod Squad, and The Streets of San Francisco.