“It’s a real sisterhood show, harkening back to the kind of thing that Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett used to do! (I’m the Julie in this modest comparison)”
Tony Award-nominated Broadway star and recording artist Melissa Errico is bringing her joyous musical partnership with Isabelle Georges to the Crazy Coqs in London.
The show, titled “Deux Grandes Dames,” promises a dazzling evening of songs from French cinema, the American songbook, and even new originals by Broadway great Marc Shaiman.
Catch this rare trans-Atlantic friendship that dazzles audiences from at the Crazy Coqs on 10th and 13th July 2024.
You’re bringing Deux Grandes Dames to the Crazy Coqs, what can you tell us about the show?
It’s a kind of Franco-American fest, with a lot of delicious Legrand and some wonderful Sondheim, and then some standards and a bunch of surprises. It’s a real sisterhood show, harkening back to the kind of thing that Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett used to do! (I’m the Julie in this modest comparison, since I’ve sung most of her repertoire on stage, from Eliza to Guinevere; Isabelle, a true comedienne, is the Carol.) It’s a true old-fashioned cabaret – something for everyone, and high spirits (and sexy dresses) everywhere.
How did your partnership with Isabelle Georges come about, and what makes your musical chemistry so special?
We met in Paris, and we had an immediate connection. It was through Michel Legrand of course, since we were both among his favored performers, but right away we got that we were both ‘grandes dames” – great ladies who love to perform. Our voices combine in an uncanny way – I give her added soprano charm, she gives me additional alto oomph. I just love singing with her.
The show features songs from a diverse range of composers, including Michel Legrand, Stephen Sondheim, and Marc Shaiman. What can you share about the process of curating this eclectic setlist?
Well, we’re sisters in Legrand – Michel was the musical mentor we shared. We both played the same role, her in French and me in English, in the same Legrand musical. So, we start there.
Sondheim is my special passion and passionate specialty, but Isabelle ‘gets’ him too and has a lot to add when we go there. (Did Steve care for France? Well, he set a whole show there!) And then we both love the ‘American songbook’ – I can’t get enough of my anthem, “Lady Is a Tramp” and Isabelle has a fun feeling for overlooked Broadway songs.