Rosemary Loar's WHEN HARRY MET THE DUKE Plays the Metropolitan Room Tonight

Tonight, January 19th, 2013, Rosemary Loar unveils her newest cabaret creation: a show that showcases the genius of songwriting legends, Harold Arlen and Duke Elliington. An inventive force in the cabaret world for over 30 years, last year Rosemary Loar was honored with the 2012 MAC Hanson Award for continuing excellence.

Born six years apart, both Arlen and Ellington were the sons of musicians and both began playing with a band while still only teenagers. These two men changed the course of American popular music, with influence that reached into jazz, nightclubs, musical theatre and film, and are pivotal figures of The American Songbook. Coming from widely divergent backgrounds, each man composed with elegance and sophistication, yet incorporated a visceral sense that has its roots in America's blues tradition. Both men broke "the rules" of songwriting, not afraid to write challenging, unconventional melodies and unusual song structures. Ms. Loar says, "I am drawn to their music because they not only wrote with a deep sense of soul, but they never wrote down to their listeners. They were not afraid to challenge the ear."

So, how did Hyman Arluck of Buffalo N.Y. and Edward Kennedy Ellington of Washington, D.C. meet? Throughout their long and varied careers, the paths of Arlen and Ellington crossed or nearly crossed numerous times; for example, Harold Arlen wrote music for the 1930's Cotton Club review, "Brown Sugar," a revue that Duke Ellington and his band performed. This is perhaps where they first met.

Rosemary Loar charms her audiences, equal parts singer, musician, and comedienne. "Harry Met The Duke" comes on the heels of her extremely successful "Sting, Stang, Stung, Swinging the Music of Sting (and The Police)," about which David Finkle of the Village Voice said, "With her light-hearted and often amusing ways, she stings and swings and does other jazzy things with the man's outstanding repertoire. There's much to choose from and she's got the intelligence and wit to match his in an entirely different mood and mode."

Ms. Loar's extensive musical theater credits include five Broadway shows and four national tours including a critically acclaimed turn as Grizabella in Cats, a Phoebe Award for the role she created in the original musical, Fair and Tender Ladies, and a featured role in the Drama Desk nominated The Audience. She is currently performing in The Grinch Who Stole Christmas at Madison Square Garden. The Rosemary Loar of the theatrical stage loves stories, and she uses cabaret to take her listeners beyond the music to reveal the human stories that lie beneath.

Frank Ponzio: Music Direction and Piano.

The Metropolitan Room at Gotham is located at 34 West 22nd Street (between 5th & 6th Avenues). The show will play tonight, Jan 19, 2013 7:00 pm Sun Jan 27, 2013 7:00 pm Wed Jan 30, 2013 7:00 pm Fri Feb 22, 2013 7:00pm. $20 music charge/$15 MAC and Students Discount 2 drink minimum. Tickets at www.metropolitanroom.com. Reservations: (212) 206 0440.

Rosemary conceived and directed the wildly popular The Alternative Torch music series at Symphony Space from 2004-2006. She has released six CDs, including her fifth album, The Quando Swing, which celebrated her return to jazz and cabaret, and Sting, Stang, Stung! Swingin' The Music of Sting, which she recorded live at the Metropolitan Room. Her original full length musical, Spoolie Girl, was presented last summer as part of the Midtown InterNational Theatre Festival, and was honored with a "Best of the Fest" award for "Outstanding Music and Lyrics." For more info go to www.rosemaryloar.com.

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