Johanna Allen sings The Songs That Got Away

You may not have heard of Harold Arlen, but you’ve undoubtedly been touched by his music.

While Arlen himself remained an enigma, performers Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne and Judy Garland all became famous singing his songs. ‘Stormy Weather’, ‘The Man That Got Away’, ‘Blues in the Night’, ‘Get Happy’, ‘One for My Baby’, ‘Paper Moon’ and ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’… the list goes on.

In her one-woman show, acclaimed Australian singer and actress Johanna Allen brings to life the music and muses of Harold Arlen. Allen takes her audience back to the Cotton Club of 1930’s Manhattan, where Arlen and many of his leading ladies (including Ethel Waters, Lena Horne, Peggy Lee and Judy Garland) appeared in special performances against a backdrop of segregated America and patriarchal Hollywood.

A versatile performer, Joanna has worked across New York, the UK and Australia in musical theatre, theatre, opera, film and concert. She won over Australian audiences for her roles in the smash hit musicals Wicked and The Sound of Music. In this intimate show, she invites audiences to explore the survival stories of Arlen’s muses and the volatile uncertainty of success.

With only a limited five show run, this is not to be missed for lovers of musical theatre and old Hollywood. (AM)

Sep 8–11, evenings and matinees. Glen Street Theatre, Cnr Glen Street and Blackbutts Road, Belrose. $47-$64 ($16 student rush). Tickets & info: www.glenstreet.com.au or (02) 9975 1455