Photo courtesy Milwaukee Repertory Theatre
Milwaukee Rep 'Get Happy: Angela Ingersoll Sings Judy Garland'
Milwaukee Rep 'Get Happy: Angela Ingersoll Sings Judy Garland'
Angela Ingersoll defines the very best of “showbiz trooper” as witnessed in her opening night performance of Get Happy: Angela Ingersoll Sings Judy Garland in the Rep’s Stackner Cabaret.
“Show biz is raining upon me tonight,” she exclaimed behind her onstage changing screen as she dealt with misplaced brooches and loose shoe straps. But she made it all immensely fun with her quick-witted improv alongside a truly remarkable performance singing the songbook of one of the 20th century’s most enduring and legendary performers.
Singing the songs of such a larger-than-life talent like Garland is a tricky business; does she sound like her? Move like her? Even look like her? The answer? Yes, but Ingersoll brings her own style and non-stop energy for two hours (including 15-minute intermission) given her sheer determination to entertain every single moment. She demonstrates the very best of the term “showbiz.”
Backed by a talented trio of pianist/conductor Chuck Larkin alongside Charles Heath on percussion and Milwaukee’s very own Jeff Hamann on upright bass, Ingersoll dazzled as she tackled many of the well-known classics like the opener, “Smile,” as well as a playful back and forth between “I Got Rhythm” and “Singin’ in the Rain.” And her intimate knowledge of behind-the scenes anecdotes amplified the music like “The Trolley Song” (Gene Kelly broke his foot a week before filming Meet Me In St. Louis. Enter Fred Astaire). Or how “Somehow Over the Rainbow” almost didn’t make it into the final version of The Wizard of Oz.
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What’s striking about Ingersoll’s performance is the naturalness of her voice; this is not mere imitation. It’s less about hitting the top notes—which she does quite well—and more about reaching deep down for Garland’s recognizable, low throaty contralto easing forth on “Stormy Weather” to the Garland triumph, “The Man Who Got Away.” And this tune, along with “Make Someone Happy” and the show’s title number, “Get Happy,” really gets across Ingersoll’s total transformation as we watch her incessant need to entertain and connect with the audience, which she does admirably. And then there’s that classic Garland pose: microphone clutched in right hand, left arm straight up, reaching back as if grabbing for the stars in the sky.
2022 marks Garland’s 100th birthday. And there’s no better way to celebrate her life—and music—than Get Happy.
For an interview with Ingersoll, visit: shepherdexpress.com/culture/theater/get-happy-brings-judy-garland-to-the-stackner-cabaret.
Get Happy: Angela Ingersoll Sings Judy Garland runs through July 1 at the Stackner Cabaret, 108 E. Wells St. Recommended for ages 12 and up. For more information call the Rep Ticket Office at: 414-224-9490 or visit: milwaukeerep.com.
