Pearl Bailey . . . By Request

Story Concept by Roz White, Book by Roz White amd Thomas W Jones II
January 8 - February 28
Stackner Cabaret

ON ACTRESS AND PLAYWRIGHT ROZ WHITE

“I want audiences when they come to see PEARL BAILEY . . . BY REQUEST to be swept away to a time of elegance and class.”
–Roz White

When Rosalind “Roz” White discovered that she shared a birthday (March 29) with Pearl Bailey, she felt a kinship with the exuberant singer. They looked alike and also both spent part of their childhood in Washington, DC. Ms. White decided to write a piece to celebrate the life and work of the legendary performer. Collaborating with Thomas W. Jones II, a talented performer in his own right, they wrote PEARL BAILEY . . . BY REQUEST. The production shares the story of the performer’s fascinating life working in stage and film with many of Pearl Bailey’s most requested songs. Songs featured in the production include: Baby it’s Cold Outside, Takes Two to Tango, Too Close for Comfort and Bill Bailey, as well as many more.

Roz White made her debut as a playwright with PEARL BAILEY . . . BY REQUEST. Studying as an actress and singer, she attended The Duke Ellington School of the Arts as well as Howard University in Washington, DC. White’s thesis production, called THE WOMAN I AM, incorporated six of her greatest influences, including Sarah Vaughn, Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith and of course, Pearl Bailey, who White would eventually play in her first production.

After graduating from Howard University, White spent three years in New Orleans, pre-Hurricane Katrina, working in intimate settings and cabaret-style clubs. There she learned the importance of connecting with the audience and gained much of the experience needed to do a show like PEARL BAILEY.

As an actress, White’s career continued to grow. She has played Effie White in DREAMGIRLS, Mahalia Jackson in MAHALIA, Woman of the World in BLUES IN THE NIGHT and Hanna in REJOICE. In 1996 she received the Helen Hayes award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Resident Musical for her work in BESSIE’S BLUES.

PEARL BAILEY made its debut at the MetroStage Theatre in Alexandria, Virginia at the beginning of the 2008/09 season. White was given positive reviews for the way she hindered her own voice and style to more fully resemble Bailey herself, and for her explosive stage persona. White’s other acting credits with MetroStage include BRICKTOP, TWO QUEENS ONE CASTLE, THREE SISTAHS and COOL PAPA’S PARTY.

The MetroWeekly, Washington DCs GLBT Newsmagazine, had this to say about the production, “Gorgeously dressed and accessorized, White employs a light touch throughout the entire production, gingerly gliding through the Bailey songbook as well as her monologues. She improvises here and there as befits Bailey, a Jazz Era great known for her quick wit and love of music and the stage. She handles the role with such aplomb, in fact, you’ll almost forget she’s not Bailey. It’s a remarkable feat you’ll remember for a long time to come.”

Join us in The Rep’s Stackner Cabaret in this rare opportunity to spend a memorable evening with the “Ambassador of Love.”

AshLeigh Brown, PR/Marketing Intern

PEARL BAILEY – “THE AMBASSADOR OF LOVE”

Pearl ‘Pearlie Mae’ Bailey was an accomplished singer, performer and actress. In her early days, she performed in vaudeville and nightclubs, eventually making it to Broadway where she won a Tony Award. After hitting Hollywood, Bailey appeared on several variety shows and specials, winning her an Emmy Award and a show of her own: The Pearl Bailey Show. During her acting career she also released more than 20 records, gaining a top ten hit with Takes Two to Tango. Later in her life she was awarded The Presidential Medal of Freedom for her outstanding contribution to music in the United States.

Bailey was born in Newport News, Virginia on March 29, 1918. As a teenager, she settled in Philadelphia with her brother, Bill Bailey, who tap danced at the Pearl Theatre. She entered and won an amateur contest there, going on to do the same at the famous Apollo Theater in New York. Seeing this as a career move, Bailey joined the club circuit, performing in small towns and eventually joining a U.S.O. troupe. In 1945 Bailey joined Cab Calloway and his orchestra, establishing her popularity as a singer.

In 1946 she first appeared on Broadway in the musical, ST. LOUIS WOMAN, winning a Donaldson Award that year for “best newcomer on Broadway.” She attracted the attention of Hollywood and received roles in Carmen Jones with Dorothy Dandridge, Porgy and Bess with Sidney Poitier and All the Fine Young Cannibals with Natalie Wood. While still performing in nightclubs, Bailey had the highlight of her career when she starred in an all-black cast of HELLO, DOLLY, playing the title role in this production for over three years and winning a 1968 Tony award.

Bailey’s likable personality and enjoyable performances made her a household name. She performed for presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon Johnson and Gerald Ford. Richard Nixon even dubbed her America’s “Ambassador of Love” in 1970. Next to Bob Hope, she and her jazz drummer husband, Louis Bellson, have had the most appearances at the White House. She was a four-time public goodwill ambassador to the United Nations, sang the National Anthem at Shea Stadium and received her Bachelor’s Degree at the age of 67.

Karl Stark in the Philadelphia Inquirer once wrote “Bailey . . . was a star of the old school, a performer who could wow you with the expressive power of her art or bowl you over with the acuity of her intellect. She was, first and foremost, a vaudevillian who relished the intimacy of live performances.”

AshLeigh Brown, PR/Marketing Intern

Watch Channel 10’s Black Nouveau program on Wednesday, January 20 at 6:30 pm for a segmenton PEARL BAILEY . . . BY REQUEST.