JUDY GARLAND'S DAUGHTER LORNA LUFT CELEBRATES THE LEGEND, THE MUSIC AND THE MEMORIES WITH SONGS MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME ON SUNDAY, FEB. 12 AT AURORA'S PARAMOUNT THEATRE
Press contacts:
Jay Kelly, LCWA
jkelly@lcwa.com or (312) 565-4623
Samantha Frost, LCWA
AURORA - The highly acclaimed, multi-media production Songs My Mother Taught Me is a celebration of the music and life of Judy Garland, and a theatrical extravaganza melding one of the world's most familiar songbooks with personal memories of her loving daughter, Lorna Luft.
Backed by a swinging 7-piece band, Lorna Luft brings her own unique arrangement to her mom's most beloved hits including "Chicago," "Man that Got Away," and of course, "Over the Rainbow" for one performance only, Sunday, Feb. 12 at 4 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora. Tickets are $42/$55. For tickets and information, go to ParamountAurora.com, call the Paramount box office, (630) 896-6666, or visit the box office Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and two hours prior to evening performances.
Called "a rousing, dramatically riveting musical event" by Variety magazine, Lorna Luft in Songs My Mother Taught Me was awarded two Los Angeles Theatre Alliance Ovation Awards: Best World Premiere Musical and Best Musical Direction. The LA Times called her performance "heart-stopping and thrilling... an incandescent revelation not to be missed." A CD based on the concert, produced by Barry Manilow and Colin R. Freeman, was released in 2007.
About Lorna Luft
A celebrated live performer, stage, film and television actress, best-selling author, recording artist and Emmy nominated producer, Lorna Luft continues to triumph in every medium with critics labeling her one of the most vibrant, versatile and exciting artists on stage today. Most recently she just completed a successful run as Martha Watson in Paper Mill Playhouse's acclaimed holiday revival of Irving Berlin's White Christmas.
Born to legendary entertainer Judy Garland and producer Sid Luft, music and entertainment was an integral part of her childhood. At age 11 she made her television debut singing on her mother's series, The Judy Garland Show. At 16, already a seasoned performer, she shared the bill with her mom on Broadway in a fabled month long concert engagement at New York's famed Palace Theater.
By 19, she was stopping the show on her own; starring on Broadway in Neil Simon's hit musical Promises, Promises. She continued on the NY stage as "Peppermint Patty" in the musical Snoopy and then took a dramatic turn alongside Farrah Fawcett in Extremities. In addition to regional theatre productions of Grease, Carnival, Little Shop of Horrors, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Girl Crazy, Mame and Gypsy, she starred in national tours of They're Playing Our Song and as "Miss Adelaide" for 2 years in Jerry Zaks' world tour production of Guys & Dolls.
Concurrent with her theatrical career, Luft is a gifted live performer frequently featured as a concert artist at the world's most prestigious venues including The Hollywood Bowl, Madison Square Garden, Carnegie Hall, The London Palladium, and L'Olympia in Paris. In 2006 and 2007 she garnered acclaim for her surprise duet appearances with singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright at his celebrated tribute concerts to Judy Garland.
In the summer of 2007 Luft joined Alan Cumming and Margaret Cho as part of the talented voice cast of Logo Network's new animated series Rick & Steve. A UK television favorite, she frequently appears as a guest and sometime co-host on ITV's popular Loose Women. In 2004 she was the subject of a highly rated BBC documentary titled Somebody's Daughter, Somebody's Son. In the US she's appeared on virtually every talk and variety program and has had featured roles on episodic series including Murder She Wrote, The Nanny, and was a series regular on the CBS drama Trapper John M.D. She joined her sister, Liza Minnelli, in an electrifying duet on The Tony Awards and was a featured performer on PBS's Jerry Herman's Broadway at the Bowl. In films, she is most remembered by fans of all ages as Pink Lady "Paulette Rebchuck" in the camp classic Grease 2.
In 1998 Luft added a new dimension to her multi-faceted career, that of NY Times best-selling author upon the release of her critically acclaimed memoir -- Me & My Shadows. It was optioned by ABC-TV and broadcast as a 4 hour miniseries starring Judy Davis in Feb. 2001. Luft served as Co-Executive Producer on Life with Judy Garland: Me & My Shadows which garnered the highest ratings of the season and won 5 Emmy Awards.
For Lorna's full bio and more information, visit lornaluft.com .
Lorna Luft is sponsored by Old Second Bank.
About The Paramount Theatre
In addition to Lorna Luft, Aurora's historic Paramount Theatre is presenting four amazing Broadway musicals during its 80th anniversary season in 2011-2012, plus a long list of family-friendly entertainment, comedians, incredible tribute bands and a new Classic Movie Mondays series.
The Paramount Theatre is the center for performing arts, entertainment and arts education in Aurora, the second largest city in Illinois. Named "One of Chicago's Top 10 Attended Theatres" by the League of Chicago Theatres, the 1,888-seat Paramount Theatre, located in the heart of downtown Aurora at 23 E. Galena Boulevard, is nationally renowned for the quality and caliber of its presentations, superb acoustics and historic, Art Deco beauty.
The Paramount Theatre continues to expand its artistic and institutional boundaries under the guidance of Executive Director Tim Rater, Artistic Director Jim Corti, a dedicated Board of Trustees and a devoted staff of live theater professionals.
The 2011-12 Paramount Theatre season is sponsored by the Paramount Arts Centre Endowment, American Airlines and The Beacon News/Sun Publications. This season is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
For more information, visit the Paramount Theatre online at ParamountAurora.com .
