Sophisticated Ladies

Duke Ellington’s

Sophisticated Ladies

Concept by DONALD MCKAYLE

Based on the music of DUKE ELLINGTON

Musical and Dance Arrangements by LLOYD MAYERS

Vocal Arrangements by MALCOLM DODDS and LLOYD MAYERS

Original Music Direction by MERCER ELLINGTON

Originally produced on Broadway by ROGER S BERLIND, MANHEIM FOX, SONDRA GILMAN, BURTON LITWIN and LOUISE WESTERGAARD

In association with Belwin Mills Publishing Corp. and Norzar Productions, Inc.

Director: SARA ROBINSON

Musical Director: NOAH KLEMP

Choreograper: JUDITH JAMES RIES

PERFORMANCES

Saturday, January 21ST

Sunday, January 22nd

PERFORMANCE LOCATION

Pearson Theater at Concordia College

312 Hamline Avenue N.

St. Paul, MN 55104

Based on the music of Duke Ellington, Sophisticated Ladies is a stylish and big-band brassy retrospective of The Duke’s musical legacy, taking us on a journey from his early days at the famous Cotton Club through his widening acceptance and popularity abroad. We are whisked away on a magical, musical time machine, panning through Ellington’s life and music stretching from the Roaring 1920s to the Mod Squad 1970s. Rather than a traditional plot, Sophisticated Ladies gives us a slice of life, a cross-section of humanity. The show’s performers impersonate a wide variety of character types, each of whom offers a new opportunity for another musical excursion. Sophisticated Ladies is a show filled with energy, movement and joy, a celebration of the

Jazz music of the era and of the genius of Duke Ellington.

Jazz music means jazz dance. Sophisticated Ladies is a great choice for dancers who would like to try out a musical theater show!

Duke Ellington was an American composer, pianist and bandleader whose career spanned over 50 years. While based in New York City, Ellington’s orchestra gained national profile with their numerous appearances at the famous Cotton Club in Harlem. Though Ellington is widely considered one of the pivotal figures in the history of jazz, he often considered himself more as a part of American Music, rather than tied to one musical genre. He wrote more than one thousand compositions, and his body of work is the largest recorded personal jazz legacy, many of the works now considered to be standards.