ELLA—GREAT MUSIC, SO-SO THEATRE

F. J. Hartland

Currently, there’s a powerhouse appearing at the Pittsburgh Public Theatre.  The name of this human dynamo is Tina Fabrique, and her electric performance as singing legend Ella Fitzgerald blows the roof off the O’Reilly Theatre.

Backed by four extraordinary musicians (George Caldwell, Ron Haynes, Rodney Harper and Clifton Kellem), Fabrique mesmerizes audiences with 23 standards, ranging from Cole Porter to Irving Berlin to Hoagy Carmichael to the Gershwins.The music is the part of ELLA worth seeing.

As a revue, it is wonderful.  But with its contrived plot and insipid dialogue, it’s not theatre.

Shame on Jeffrey Hatcher for writing such a bad book.  He is one of my favorite playwrights, but this was a real disappointment.  All the plot is squeezed into Act One, and Act Two is like seeing a revue.  Fabrique does her best with the material—but with a performance like hers, she deserves much, much better.

While the musicians are great…actors they are not.  Although Haynes does do an exception impersonation of Louis Armstrong.  Harold Dixon plays Ella’s one-dimensional cardboard manager Harold Dixon.

Michael Schweikardt’s set is simple and yet breathtakingly beautiful.  From the curved archway to the circular arrangements of platforms, the set lends a real grace and beauty to the show.  Schweikardt gets a great deal of help making that magic from lighting designer John Lasiter.  Together, they have created a stunning world for ELLA to happen.

So my advice would be to skip the weak story and focus to this amazing group of musicians!

But see it for Fabrique.  Whether she is singing “Night and Day,” “The Nearness of You” or “That Old Black Magic,” she is nothing less than spectacular.  The Thursday night crowd agreed, giving her a well-deserved standing ovation.

I’m sure there will be one every night…

ELLA continues through November 1.  For tickets, call 412-316-1600