[NEohioPAL] Opening Friday: "The Property Known as Garland", starring WKHR's Lisa Tarr as Judy Garland

Thu Nov 20 14:46:29 PST 2014

  Chagrin Valley Little Theatre

    /OPENING THIS WEEKEND!/

    The Property Known as Garland

*by Billy van Zandt*

**November 21 - December 6, 2014
Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00 PM**

*TICKETS: *$12
Not recommended for children due to adult themes and suggestive language.

*Details & Tickets online at http://cvlt.org/85thSeason/garland.php 
<http://cvlt.org/85thSeason/garland.php?utm_source=NEOPAL&utm_medium=email>
Visit the CVLT Box Office or call 440-247-8955
Chagrin Valley Little Theatre's River Street Playhouse- 56 River Street, 
Chagrin Falls <http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Chagrin+Valley+Little+Theatre>*

*Directed by LAUREL BRYANT
Starring LISA TARR *

Her talent is legendary. Her wit, sublime. Her true story more 
electrifying than you'd ever imagine. She is Judy Garland, who once said 
"I think there is something peculiar about me that I haven't died. It 
doesn't make sense, but I refuse to die!" Ms. Garland lives on at 
Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, where Billy van Zandt's play, *THE 
PROPERTY KNOWN AS GARLAND*, opens on the River Street Playhouse stage 
this weekend. This fictionalized account set backstage at Judy's final 
concert appearance in 1969 is a tour-de-force performance for actress 
Lisa Tarr. Along with stage manager / costar John Hickman, Tarr takes us 
down the rocky yellow brick road of Garland's incredible life.

Two years in the making, CVLT's production is helmed by director Laurel 
Bryant, who says she loved Judy from the day she saw 'The Wizard of Oz' 
as a child. "Even though Judy died a year after I was born," says 
Bryant, "as a little girl who loved to sing and perform but had little 
self-esteem, I identified with this 4'10 powerhouse performer. 
Throughout the years, Judy has continued to be a huge influence and 
inspiration for me." When Ms. Bryant came across the script for 
*GARLAND*, she knew it would be great for CVLT's intimate 65-seat second 
stage, but she needed the right actress to make it work.

Ms. Bryant realized that her star was born in Lisa Tarr, whom she had 
directed previously in 'The Curious Savage' and 'Veronica's Room', and 
who had appeared in numerous productions at CVLT and throughout the 
Cleveland area over the past few decades. "I knew she would be the 
perfect person to do Judy justice; Lisa's a fabulous performer, a 
perfectionist, and the right height!" Ms. Tarr has expressed her own 
life-long passion for all things MGM and Garland and the music of the 
1930s and 40s on her weekly radio show, "Saturday Morning Swing" on WKHR 
91.5 FM. Sharing the stage, Mr. Hickman has appeared in CVLT's 'The 
Drowsy Chaperone' as well as serving as stage manager for a number of 
productions.

The director and her actors have had a thrilling time exploring 
Garland's many interviews and performances, including some prepared for 
a 1968 autobiography that was never meant to be. Most of the stories 
which Billy van Zandt worked into *THE PROPERTY KNOWN AS GARLAND* are 
based on these materials, outlining Judy's personal triumphs and her 
struggles with her self-image and those who tried to manipulate her. "So 
many writers have loved dishing the dirt on Judy," says Bryant, 
"emphasizing the failures rather than her continual success, her 
incredible film career, and her astonishing radio work and live shows. 
Lisa, John, and I have discovered just how much strength, humor and love 
she had within her and what made her happy. Judy once said "I've got 
rainbows comin' out my ass, kid," which we felt summed up her life quite 
nicely! It is Judy's salty observations, playful sense of humor, her 
zest for life, and her magic that we remember and look forward to 
sharing with our audiences."

Performances of *THE PROPERTY KNOWN AS GARLAND* are at 8:00 PM on 
Fridays and Saturdays November 21, 22, 28, 29 and December 5 and 6. 
Tickets are $12 general admission, and advance purchase and early 
arrival are recommended due to the concurrent run of OLIVER! on CVLT's 
main stage next door. The play is not recommended for younger audiences 
due to adult language and themes. Tickets may be purchased from the box 
office by phone at (440) 247-8955 or via the CVLT website at www.CVLT.org.

Chagrin Valley Little Theatre's River Street Playhouse is located at 56 
River Street in the Theatre District of downtown Chagrin Falls. CVLT is 
generously funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and 
Culture and supported by the Ohio Arts Council. CVLT is a proud member 
of the American Association of Community Theatre.

Chagrin Valley Little Theatre's River Street Playhouse is located at 56 
River Street in historic Chagrin Falls Village. CVLT is generously 
funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture 
and supported by the Ohio Arts Council.

  CVLT.org - 440.247.8955

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