Ellis Nassour

Drama Desk, OBIE and Lortel Award-winning Classical Theatre of Harlem, now in it's 10th season, salutes Black History Month with a work considered to be one of our greatest plays. The story offers audiences the opt to consider the spiritual paralysis that keeps us from pursuing our dreams, the feeling of unfulfilled lives and the longing for meaning in daily pursuits.

The result is an uncanny blend of the painful and trivial, the ordinary and the catastrophic. In fact, conventional boundaries between comedy and tragedy are deliberately blurred, and things are seldom what they seem in Checkhov's Three Sisters.

Checkhov? Three Sisters? Classical Theatre of Harlem? Why not?

Scheduled to run through March 8, the production is directed by company co-founder Christopher McElroen, no stranger to Chekhov. He helmed the company's acclaimed produciton of The Cherry Orchard [not to mention Waiting for Godot and their multiple OBIE Award-winning production of The Blacks].

TTS is the fourth Chekhov work this season, joining BAM's Cherry Orchard [directed by Sam Mendes], Classic Stage Company's Uncle Vanya [starring Tony winner Denis O'Hare as Vanya, Maggie Gyllenhaal as Yelena and Peter Sarsgaard as Astrov] and Broadway's The Seagull [which starred Kristin Scott Thomas].

The 14-member cast of The Three Sisters includes Reg E. Cathey [The Wire], Earle Hyman [original production, Anna Lucasta; numerous others; The Cosby Show ], Billy Eugene Jones [Passing Strange, Raisin in the Sun], Carmen de Lavallade, Sabrina LeBeauf [Cosby Show] and Roger Guenveur Smith [stage,TV's A Huey P. Newton Story],

Performances of TTS are at Harlem Stage Gatehouse [150 Convent Avenue at West 135th Street]. Tickets are $40 and available at the box office, by calling (212) 281-9240 X. 19/20 or online at www.HarlemStage.org. For more information, visit www.classicaltheatreofharlem.org.

Paley Center CTOF Reading

Tamara Tunie [Law & Order:SVU], Carmen De Lavallade, Zainah Jah and NoshirDalal from the Classical Theatre of Harlem will present a reading of Arnold Rabin's Queen of Thebes on March 23 at 7 P.M. at the Paley Center for Media [25 West 52nd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues]. CTOF A.D. Alfred Preisser will direct this new play focusing on Queen Jocasta. Following the 90-minute reading, there will be a Q&A. Admission is free for Paley Center members and $10 for non-members. To reserve, go to www.paleycenter.org.

CD Salutes Black History Month

In celebration of Black History Month, Sony Classical has released Lift Every Voice - Honoring The African American Musical Legacy [2 discs; SRP $19], an anthology of seminal performances of more than 60 years of recordings by legendary black artists in the fields of classical, gospel, spirituals, pop, blues and jazz.

The roster includes Harry Belafonte, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Dizzy Gillespie, Mahalia Jackson, Wynton Marsalis, Johnny Mathis, Nina Simone, Luther Vandross and Nancy Wilson. Also included are selections by famed opera divas Marian Anderson, Kathleen Battle, Jessye Norman and Leontyne Price and the legendary Paul Robeson.

The CD is the second in the Carnegie Hall Presents series of recordings featuring historic live and studio performances. It's being released in conjunction with Carnegie Hall's Honor! A Celebration of the African American Cultural Legacy, a city-wide festival curated by Ms. Norman and running through March 23. For information on Honor!, visit: www.carnegiehall.org/honor.

Jerome Robbins Remembered

No other creative figure of the latter 20th Century was as contradictory as Jerome Robbins, and few were as controversial. As difficult a taskmaster as he could be, he was beloved by his dancers. Robbins was a master of the Broadway musical, transforming its possibilities with such works as West Side Story, Gypsy and Peter Pan, and was one of our greatest ballet choreographers.

Thirteen/WNET's American Masters profiles this complex mid-century artist in Jerome Robbins: Something to Dance About, premiering February 18 at 9 P.M. Directed and produced by six-time Emmy-winner Judy Kinberg and written by Robbins biographer Amanda Vaill, the two-hour film is narrated by Ron Rifkin, who performed the roles of both Robbins and his father in a workshop production of the director/choreographer's theatrical autobiography, The Poppa Piece.

The doc features excerpts from Robbins' personal journals, archival performance footage and never-before-seen rehearsal recordings, as well as interviews with Robbins, Baryshnikov; Jacques d'Amboise; Suzanne Farrell; Arthur Laurents; Peter Martins; Chita Rivera; Sondheim; and Robbins' Fiddler collaborators Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick and Joseph Stein.

"Robbins' remarkable body of work redefined dance and musical theater for a contemporary audience," says A.M. exec producer Susan Lacy. "The upcoming revival of West Side Story validates his lasting importance, his lasting impression. This film is a tribute to Robbin' genius on the 90th anniversary of his birth."

Parsons Contributes

At the recent Theater Hall of Fame inductions, THOF member, Oscar and Drama Desk winner and four-time Tony nom Estelle Parsons, speaking with an acquaintance who informed her he was about to journey into the bowels of Asia to work for several weeks with Mother Teresa's order, the Missionaries of Charity, at an orphanage.

Parsons became very silent, then blurted, "Isn't that wonderful! And what am I doing? Appearing in a Broadway play!"

Of course, it's not just any Broadway play but Tracey Letts' Pulitizer, Tony and DD-winning combustible August: Osage County, where she's co-starring as the death-defying, fierce Violet Weston [the role Deanna Dunagan created to Tony and DD acclaim].

The acquaintance replied, "Estelle, you're making a contribution. You're scaring the hell out of audiences eight times a week. No matter how bad their families are, you're getting them to appreciate what they have!"

How true! If your special someone isn't quite into you yet, seeing this play will do the trick. Comparing you to what's onstage, you'll be highly regarded.

So what better place to show and share love with loved ones than at A:OC with the family that gives dysfunction a new definition: Violet; Mattie Fae, Charlie and Little Charles; Ivy; Karen; Barbara, Bill and their little demon Jean; and every parent's worst nightmare Steve?

The stakes and histronics have, no doubt, gotten higher at A:OC with the recent arrival of Elizabeth Ashley in the role of Mattie Fae.

You Don't Have to Go Far to Celebrate Valentine's Day in Style

So she/he's just not that into you? That can all change with the right moves this weekend. Saturday is Big Love Day for the one you're into or want to be into.

If you're already with that special someone, don't forget Valentine's Day - the works: flowers, chocolates, andy, dinner, theater, weekend escape, love-you-forever card - or, for the next few months, you'll be in the dog house!

The U.S. may be the only nation that spends as much money on Valentine's Day as we do on Mother's Day. And, hey, Mom can be that special someone!

Broadway Love

Some astrologers say that on Valentine's Day the moon will be in the Seventh House and Jupiter will be aligned with Mars - other astrologers we know say it's later in the week, but what the hey, so come Saturday we will be in the Age of Aquarius! The tribe from that tribal rock love musical Hair will be onstage celebrating free-love and abandon beginning next month at the Hirschfeld.

Basada en la clásica historia de amor Romeo y Julieta, West Side Story se desarrolla en las calles de la parte Alta de Manhattan donde Maria y Tony se enamoran. Las funciones comienzan el día 23 de Febrero en el Teatro Palace.

Love, the kind you find in an instant across a crowded room on some enchanted evening, is being celebrated by Nellie, Emile, Joe and Liat in Lincoln Center Theatre's sumptuous, award-winning revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific, where the Seebees seemingly are in constant lust.

There's all kinds of love on Broadway. You've heard of puppy love, well, there's a lot of puppet love at long-running, Tony-winning Avenue Q, wet love on dry land in The Little Mermaid and adulturous love in Chicago. Look is easy to find in Billy Elliott, Guy and Dolls, In the Heights, Jersey Boys, The Lion King where you can feel the love, Mamma Mia!, Pal Joey, Shrek and don't forget the Phantom and Christine.

Cabaret Love

Lisa Asher:

The Laurie Beechman Theatre within the West Bank Café will again celebrate love on Valentine's Day night with a concert that's become tradition these last five years. Their romantic evening includes a three-course dinner and the passionate, rich vocal stylings of MAC, Bistro and Nightlife Award-winner [for Stranded in the Moonlight] Lisa Asher.

Asher's eclectic musical tastes range range from Rodgers and Hammerstein, with songs from Cinderella, Rodgers and Hart and Cole Porter ["Love for Sale"] to Janis Ian and Mary Chapin Carpenter. "My Valentine's Day show isn't just about love and romance per se," says Asher, who'll undoubtedly display her acclaimed belt, "but I encourage singles and wanna-be-couples to attend."

There'll be plenty of love onstage as Asher's music director is husband Jeff Waxman.

Asher recently returned from Colorado where she co-starred in Almost Heaven ... Songs and Stories of John Denver at the Denver Theatre Center Company. For Lisa Asher CDs and more information, visit www.LisaAsher.com.

The house opens at 6:30 for drinks and dinner. Showtime is 7:30. Reservations are recommended since this show has sold-out in the past. Package price is $65, with show-only tkts for $25 plus $15 food/beverage minimum. Call (212) 695-6909.

Shelly Burch:

Returning to the spotlight after 20 years, Shelly Burch plans to sing her heart out in Second Coming, February 25 - March 2 at the Metropolitan Room. She says her show "takes a look at the many aspects of love - from the exciting first moments to the choices a woman makes confronting marriage/career/children and the calm that comes with fulfilling love."

Directed/written by husband Martin Charnin [Annie, Two by Two], it will feature songs by Vernon Duke, Ira Gershwin, Jule Styne and Maury Yeston. Additional material has been written by musical director Keith Levenson.

After triumphs in Stop the World..., Annie, Nine [original Claudia] and an eight-year stint on One Life to Live [as the evil Delila], Burch relocated, married and had a family. Singing remained a passion and she did concerts and theater. Single again, she reunited personally and professionally with Charnin, her Annie lyricist/director.

Admission is $30 plus two-drink minimum. Reserve at (212) 206-0440.

Romantic Getaways

There's no shortage of Valentine Day or romantic weekend getaways right in our midst or very close by. Nothing could be more romantic than a stroll around and through the Cloisters, any number of galleries at the Met and MOMA, a ride on the Staten Island ferry as dusk approaches, those Poconos heart-shaped bed and tubs [not to mention Champagne glass baths] or, the granddaddy of all romantic spots, Niagara Falls.

Then, only 90 miles North and a step back in time, there's magnificent Mohonk Mountain House [a Historic Hotel of America] at New Paltz, celebrating its 140th anniversary in one of the most awesome setttings imaginable. Mohonk is said to be an old Native American word for "lake in the sky." This is a very apt name; for once you discover this hidden jewel of rustic elegance nestled along a half-mile lake and the mountains, you'll go back again and again. It's still family-owned [the Smileys] and famous for its service, over-sized rooms, huge hearths and antique furniture. There's no end to the list of activities: fitness center, rock climbing, boating, tennis, golf, fishing, horseback riding, winter skiing, biking, hiking, nature walks. In season, there's swimming in the lake along a sandy beach. Amenities also include outdoor heated mineral pool, indoor pool and a spa with a solarium. In addition to meals in the cavernous dining hall, there's afternoon tea. For more information, visit www.mohonk.com.

On and Off the Boardwalk in Atlantic City

The many temptations and vices of Atlantic City are also close by [two to two-and-a-half hours] via Amtrak ACES Express Service, Academy Bus and Greyhound. What happens in A.C., stays in A.C. - just make sure you tell your friends to remain tightlipped.

There's no better time than now for cupid to book a weekend getaway or spa rendezvous in Atlantic City.

Remember when they just weren't that into you and only wanted you to gamble. Not anymore! The city is repositioning itself as a world-class vacation destination, so just come. Of course, the casinos pray you'll drop a few bucks on the tables or slots.

A.C. today isn't mother's A.C. The options range from deluxe rooms with wide-screen TVs, marble shower stalls accommodating two to six [I know!], wi-fi and iPod docking stations.

Food options run the gamut from milk shakes and hamburgers to health salads and stir-fry [in a casino? You betcha!; and that's in the upscale Borgata's Cafeteria food court] and lavish buffets to star chef restaurants. Each casino has numerous high-end restaurtants. Homesick, try the A.C. outposts of some NY dining establishments, such as Old Homestead [Borgata], Patsy's [Hilton], Carmine's and the Palm [Tropicana] and Morton's [Caesars].

Want to chow down - pardon me, I mean dine with a fav chef, try Wolfgang Puck's and Bobby Flay's at Borgata.

Since A.C. is about half way between NYC and Phily, you can expect several tastes of Philadelphia's fine restaurants, such as George Perrier [Le Bec Fin] and Chris Scarduzio's smashing Mia at Caesars.

There are two outstanding restaurants at Taj: Safari Steakhouse and, for Indian, Royal Albert's Palace. At Harrah's, in addition to one of the city's best buffets, there's the super elegant Steakhouse that should be renamed Steak and Seafood House. There's every imaginable cut of meat, and also a wide array of seafood [you may leave saying you've never seen shrimp as large as theirs - they give jumbo new meaning]. And if seafood's your thing, try McCormack & Schmick's.

Tired of snobby door policies at Manhattan bottle clubs? A.C. has more high-end bottle clubs where you can dance your bootie off 'til dawn in one boardwalk block than Manhattan has in one mile. And they're friendly! Try Borgata's mur.mur and mixx, Harrah's The Pool and Resorts' Boogie Nights. For info on all the joints that are jumpin', go to www.atlanticcitynightlife.com.

Move over salt water taffy! A.C. can boast of the number of luxurating, pamering spas. We're not talking a little dip in a Jacuzzi and a pat-on-the-back massage. No sir/ma'am. We're talking the Qua Baths at Caesars, inspired by the jaw-dropping, dripping-wet Roman Baths at Caesars Las Vegas, Elizabeth Arden Red Door at Harrah's, the Borgata's Toccare [where The Pump Room, their macho workout center, has the gall to charge guests to use it] and the W.C.'s high-end, high-up Immersion.

There's no shortage of entertainers appearing, either, at Caesars superstar Circus Maximus [the Gypsy Kings, this weekend], Harrah's Concert Venue, Taj's Estes Arena, Resorts Superstar Theatre [Howie Mandell] and the list goes on. Just this weekend at Borgata's Music Box and Event Center, there's Hall & Oates, Aaron Lewis and that evil, hilarious Queen of XXX-Rated Comedy Lisa Lampanella. Speaking of the B, weeknights, guests get free admission to the Comedy Show, with a line-up of three comics. Recently, comedienne Sherry Davey had the audience rolling on the floor with laughter at her home-grown quips - and, lo and behold, there wasn't a four-letter word in her entire act. For casino shows and megastar appearances at Boardwalk Hall, visit. www.acweekly.com and click on casinos.

And then there's the blues - the House of Blues, that is, at Showboat, which will be in a festive Mardi Gras mode beginning this weekend. In addition to entertainment and a bar that gives "full service" new meaning, HOB A.C. is home to one of the chain's stunning high end restaurants, the Foundation Room, decorated in to-die-for lush Moroccan and kinky decor.

Remember when suites were reserved for high rollers? Not anymore. With the new economy, comes a change in attitude. Welcome to a wonderful world of suites, with some that defy your fantasy imagination and others reaching the height of elegance. And they don't want you to come alone. Bring friends, family. Book a reunion, a bachelorette. Showboat recently introduced HOB's kinky, large, well-appointed [and not at all like what you might expect], multi-level, surprisingly reasonably-priced suites. The rates for standard rooms have been slashed across the board in A.C. There are also some great package deals that include breakfast and a spa visit.

Pools, anyone? Can't get into the pool at the Gansevoort or belly up to the wet bar at Room Mate's Grace's pool? Not to worry, just dive in in Atlantic City! Pools are a plenty and not your mother's swimming pool either! At Borgata, you have a stunning Olympic-size pool with adjoining Jacuzzi, but over in their sister hotel [no gaming], the very chic Water Club, you can choose from five pools [three, this time of year], with one up, up, up on the 32nd floor with a view to die for. Harrah's magnificent pool under the dome is not only a swimming hole but a tropical resort in itself. By nightfall, when everyone has dried off, it transforms into Party Central.

Shopping, anyone? Almost every casino has high-end, over-priced designer boutiques. Chances are you can find what you're looking for much cheaper at The Walk, four-square-blocks of 40 + chain-store outlets, between Atlantic and Baltic Avenues. If they make it, it's here - along with a variety of restaurants, including a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.

One side trip from The Walk has to be a visit to the very simple White House, within walking distance, which is world-famous for their subs and the waitresses' attitude.

Along the boardwalk, in addition to taffy and corn dogs, you can actually find fun stuff, collectibles and objects d'arte.

Across from Caesars are The Pier Shops, 78 high-end and specialty stores and seven feature restaurants - including Buddakan, with it's giant golden Budda, The Continental and Phillips Seafood. From the third floor food court, with many reasonably-priced options, there are spectacular ocean views. Highlights of the pier are a free dancing waters/light/sound show and, on Three, a [free!] sand "seashore" with replicas of those great, large seaside chairs where you can sit and watch the waves roll in and the sunset.

If you forgot to bring the chocolates, not to worry. There's terrific fudge all along the boardwalk and, if you want to really impress, visit Harrah's incredibly edible Jacques Torres chocolate factory Tempations.

NYC is famed for the neon glitter of Times Square, and now A.C. has something that would make even IMAX a bit envious: the world's LED light display The Experience that plays nightly on the entire 44 floors of Harrah's new Waterfront Tower, the tallest building in the city [over 525 feet high] and the second tallest in the state. There's 33,000 linear feet of LED lighting - roughly six and a quarter miles - and over a million and a half color combinations. It's visible for a 10-mile radius.

Posted by Ellis Nassour at 12:00 AM | Permalink

Pasadena, CA - Stormy weather or not, the sun seems to always come out for Leslie Uggams. Seeing and hearing her onstage at the Pasedena Playhouse in Stormy Weather, you might be surprised to find out she's celebrating over 50 years in show business. Like the subject of the musical revue, she simply seems ageless.

Seeing her channel [the older] Lena Horne in this loosely biographical musical based on the life of the legendary songstress and star of MGM movie musicals, you can't help but be impressed with the timbre of the Tony and Emmy Award winner's voice and the youthful beauty she exudes.

You'd never guess it but, come May, she'll be 66. Looking back on over a quarter century of memories, she discusses her ups and downs.

After a New York workshop and Phily "preview," audience response and reviews here have been riding high. The show broke P.P. box office records with $330,000 in advance single ticket sales.

"Philadelphia was the opportunity to get the show on it's feet and see what we had," says Uggams. "The production team is made up of all the top designers from Broadway, so we were very blessed in that aspect. I'm happy to report the audiences have gone crazy over it. In the end, that's the most important thing."

Suggested by the biography Lena Horne, now 91, S. W. is conceived and written by Sharleen Cooper Cohen and filled with musical gems from the Porter, Arlen and Mercer, Rodgers and Hart and Strayhorn songbooks.

Co-starring are triple Tony nom Dee Hoty as Kay Thompson [who's enjoying a huge revival of interest], Nikki Crawford as the younger Ms. Horne.

Michael Bush, former A.D. of the Manhattan Theatre Club, directs the cast of 16. Choreography is by Tony and DD nom Randy Skinner. Linda Twine is music director, with costume design by Martin Pakledinaz.

"As a long time fan of the iconic Lena Horne, it's a great honor to have that lady and her music presented on our stage," says Pasadena Playhouse A.D. Sheldon Epps. "I'm a huge admirer of our trio of leading ladies. It's been my pleasure to work with Leslie and Nikki many times and I welcome Dee to our stage with great enthusiasm. Our audiences are the lucky recipients of all of this theatrical and musical magic."

S.W. is a musical but it doesn't shortchange the racial challenges Ms. Horne faced upon marrying "white," to MGM musical director, composer and arranger Lennie Hayton.

A great deal of the Lena Horne story parallels Leslie Uggams' story, especially her marriage to Australian Grahame Pratt. "There are similarities," Uggams admits, "but not that many. We faced a lot of the same prejudices, but I started out as a kid. Lena got her first stage job at 16. Her parents were on the move a lot and I had quite a stable upbringing born and raised in New York."

Uggams was the ultimate Horne fan. "Anytime she was in a musical, I went to the theater. When she was in a movie, I was there. I think my parents got tired of me always talking about Lena!, Lena!, Lena!"

With glamour, grace and an inner fire that blazed a trail for generations, the legendary Lena Horne never failed to amaze. Though best known as an actress, she took the music industry by storm. She didn't face the same challenges on record as she did with her films. MGM studio chief Louis B. Mayer broke taboos by featuring Horne in the studio's big musicals.

Due to the racial climate in the 40s and early 50s, some theatres in the South deleted her scenes. She wasn't the black stereotype all too often seen in film at that time. Horne was light-skinned, stunningly beautiful and very sexy. She could embrace a poignant ballad but she could also cut loose in the style of Ella Fitzgerald.

MGM also crafted all-black musicals with Horne as star. On screen, record and in concert and later on TV, her voice resonated throughout the decades with hits, now classics, such as "From This Moment On," "The Lady Is a Tramp," "They'll Be Some Changes Made," "Can't Help Lovin' That Man O' Mine," "Come Rain or Come Shine" and, of course, "Stormy Weather"; and also through her determination to fight for what she believed.

Though in a much more low-key way, so did Uggams. She also had champions, white and black, who believed in her and felt her talent trumped racial barriers.

As she proved on Bway in King Hedley II, as Ethel Thayer in the revival of On Golden Pond [opposite James Earl Jones] and in the recent blistering revival of Leslie Lee's semi-autobiographical The First Breeze of Summer at Off Bway's Signature, Uggams doesn't have a problem playing older. The challenge is getting audiences to believe she's older.

In the role of Gremmar, the beloved matriarch of a modern black family "movin' on up" who's revealed to have had a shady past, Uggams was padded and wigged to look in her 80s, but she simply didn't look old. "All I can say," she announces, "is that it must be something in the genes."

Uggams says that Stormy Weather "takes audiences on the full journey, the stormy times and the extraordinary ones. But here the older Lena doesn't just sit and reminisce and observe her younger self as Gremmar did, she's out there and very much a part of everything."

The above plays weren't the first time Uggams made audiences feel she'd found the fountain of youth.

In Thoroughly Modern Millie, you waited an hour for her entrance. But what an entrance! The set parted and there was Uggams [replacing Sheryl Lee Ralph mid run], as 20s vamp Muzzie Van Hossmere wearing a jaw-dropping white fox coat. When she threw that coat open with great abandon, it was as if time stopped. In that sequin-studded, tight-fitting black, white and silver dress, she looked as she did 30 years ago.

The role of Lena Horne is tailor-made for Uggams even if it wasn't specifically written for her. She won the right to portray her idol over some pretty big names.

"It's a great role and Leslie's great in it," says choreographer Skinner. "The best news is that she still has a great set of pipes! She loves to sing, and you can tell."

Has the show changed since Phily? "Michael has done some tweeks and fixes here and there. As far as the choreography, it's basically the same. There's a wide range of dance sensibilities."

These and the songs take Lena from the chorus of the Cotton Club in the 30s through the swing era to the soundstages of MGM, her blacklisting for being tagged a Communist sympathizer to her ultimate "comeback" in her brilliant and often searing 1981 one-woman show on Broadway, The Lady and Her Music. It not only ran for 333 performances and won Horne a special Tony award but also still holds the record for the longest-running solo performance in Broadway history.

"Lena's life wasn't all roses and honeydew," states Uggams, "but a lot of people don't know that."

Stormy Weather tells Lena Horne's story in a nonextravaganza extravagant way. "We don't have those gigantic fantasty sets that took over the MGM soundstages," reports Skinner. "In fact, we don't have any big chorus numbers. It's mainly trios and duets. The numbers are all Lena's hits, so there's great music to work with."

Skinner, who has been hailed as the King of Tap Choreography has created a tap production number for the stand-in for the famed Nicholas Brothers, who in S.W. are called Bones and Jones.

How does Leslie Uggams keep those "pipes" so pristine? "I just respect it and take care of it," she proudly replies.

They've been her prime asset for some time.

Uggams, seemingly, has done it all: best-selling recording artist, ground-breaking TV star, Vegas headliner, concert tours, daytime TV, stage drama and musicals. She's been nominated for Tony and Drama Desk Awards. In fact, Uggams has even been a cover girl - TV Guide and Newsweek.

She grew up in a four-room apartment in Washington Heights. Her father was a singer, elevator operator and maintenance man; her mother, a waitress and Cotton Club chorus girl. "We had a modest but stable life," she says, "where somehow my parents always made ends meet."

Early on, Uggams was exposed to music. Her father was a member of the Hall Johnson Choir - "but," she points out, "in their pre-movie days."

As a tot, Uggams sang along to records, impressing family and their friends with a remarkably mature voice. At age six, Uggams made her "professional" debut, singing in church. Tap lessons led to appearances on NBC's Milton Berle show. At 10, she had best-selling records, such as "Missus Santa Claus," "Every Little Piggy Has a Curly Tail" and "Easter Bunny Days." Soon, she was opening for Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Dinah Washington. In 1951, she made her acting debut on TV's landmark Beulah.

"I played Ethel Waters' niece and the producers wanted my hair in 'pickaninny' braids," she recalls. "Miss Waters said, "Absolutely not! You see the way her hair is now. She has beautiful curls. That's how it is going to be on the show.' I was impressed with her even at six years old. She invited my mother and me to see her in Member of the Wedding. It was an extraordinary performance and made quite an impact on me."

[Trivia: Dooley Wilson, Sam in Casablanca, was Uggams' boyfriend in her Beulah appearance; and Uggams and Brandon De Wilde, who played John Henry in Member of the Wedding were friends in elementary and high school.]

Her first Broadway show was Porgy and Bess. "I was enthralled by Leontyne Price, William Warfield, Cab Calloway and my aunt Eloise Uggams [Blackbirds of 1929] in the ensemble and that incredible Gershwin music. That's when the bug bit!" She says that her aunt wanted her to study opera "and become another Marian Anderson, but I wasn't leaning that way."

After third grade, Uggams attended Professional Children's School, where she became friends with Mary Martin's daughter Helen "and got to see tons of Broadway shows." Soon, she was "going to auditions. I got lots of kiddie roles. I grew up with Gregory and Maurice Hines. We were the token black kids."

At 14, she won $25,000 as a contestant on Name That Tune. She laughs, "The excitement in the neighborhood was like in the movies when everyone opens their windows and shout the news!"

In 1961, while studying at Julliard, Uggams got the break that made her a household name. Bandleader Mitch Miller broke color-barrier taboos and cast her on his weekly Sing Along with Mitch. When stations in the South complained and refused to air the show, Miller held his ground. "Mitch was told either I go or the show goes," reports Uggams. "He said, 'She stays or there's no show.' He loved that show, and had been trying to sell it for years, so to do that was heroic."

The South soon fell and "it seemed the world embraced me. When I went to Australia, where the show was very popular, and walked off the plane and saw the crowds I thought, 'Oh, my God, I must be a rock star!'"

She went Down Under to play a club date and left with a tall, handsome Aussie following her back to the States. Uggams and Graham Pratt married in 1965. He's now her manager.

Uggams' infectious smile and vocal talent made her America's sweetheart. Sammy Davis, Jr., whom she "fell madly in love with when I saw him on Broadway in Golden Boy," said in an interview: "Everybody identifies with Leslie. She's bridged a very important space. The first great step has happened with her."

TV stardom came at a price. "Being an African American performer on TV," she says, "was a great honor but also a heavy load. A lot was expected of me." In 1963, "when I was finally able to vote!, I was invited by President Kennedy to sing at the White House!" [She later did a command performance for President George H.W. Bush].

In the late 60s, Uggams starred in her own variety series. Slotted opposite Bonanza, it lasted only a season.

Uggams found it all frustrating. She was singing, singing, singing, "but, more than anything, I wanted to act. No one realized I'd been studying since I was eight. All through my teens."

That dream became a reality when she starred out West in The Boyfriend. "My notices were wonderful," says Uggams, "and word filtered back to New York where gossip was spreading that Lena Horne had bowed out of a show and David Merrick was looking for a leading lady."

Appearing in Atlantic City, Uggams suddenly found "all these Broadway folks coming to check me out. Then I got a call to audition. While I was reading, Mr. Merrick fell asleep. I thought, 'I'm never going to get this part.' But, next thing I knew, he was out and there were new producers. And I got the part."

That was 1967's Hallelujah, Baby!, a cavalcade of African-Americana from the turn of the 20th Century to the late 60s with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Adolph Green and Betty Comden and book by Arthur Laurents. "I was 23 and on Broadway in a show written by legends. I couldn't believe it." She won the Tony.

Then there was playing Kizzy in one of TV's biggest hits, 1976's TV mini-series Roots. "That was extraordinary. Getting to know Alex Haley was thrilling." The role won her an Emmy nomination for Best Leading Actress.

Other career highlights: the short-lived, much under appreciated musical Her First Roman [1968] as Cleopatra and Jerry's Girls [1985] with Dorothy Loudon and Chita Rivera. She appears in Rick McKay's Broadway:The Golden Age...

Uggams says she's "fortunate that things seem to naturally come my way. It helps that I'm receptive to the right projects. So many talented actresses have had a difficult time, I consider myself blessed that in every decade to be doing something exciting."

And it's been a good, exciting life. "I wasn't denied anything by being in show business. I feel just the opposite. I look at what it's given me. One thing it did was save me from being a thug. I lived in a tough neighborhood! Back then, I had no idea I'd ever be in such a wonderful place and still doing what I love most: theater.

"I love going out to a different audience every show and having to win them over," she says. "It's deliver or else. You're up there with no place to go. You're challenged every performance. When the light hits me, the adrenaline is pumping like a biggest Texas oil well. But, I have to admit, doing it eight times a week for months, it's not a job for sissies!"

The featured cast of Stormy Weather includues Tony Award-winner Cleavant Derricks, Tony nom Robert Torti as Lennie Hayton, Kevyn Morrow as Billy Strayhorn and, in a variety of roles, including respectively, MGM studio head Louis B. Mayer and MGM musicals unit chief Arthur Freed, Bruce Katzman and Michael Scott.

What next for Stormy Weather? "We're hoping there'll be a recording," says Uggams, "because audiences are going crazy for the songs. Of course, the goal is to bring the show to Broadway, where we know there can be an audience. But hope springs eternal, especially these days. We know what the economy's like. But we're not a Shrek/$25-million musical. This is a little show.

"Still, times are tough for everyone," she continues. "Theater will definitely be affected. I picked up the paper again today and, as I'm reading the news, once again I said, 'Oh, my God!' California has really taken a beating. That's all the more reason to be amazed at our wonderful box office. None of us expected this type of response. Let's just hope things improve and quickly."

The world prem of S. W. was produced at Phily's Prince Music Theater in 2007. The original New York workshop was presented by Amas Musical Theater in 2003.

Stormy Weather, barring an extension, plays through March 1 at the Pasadena Playhouse [39 South El Molino Avenue]. Tickets are $48 - $78 and are available at the box office, by calling (626) 356-7529, and online at www.Pasadenaplayhouse.org.

[For those in the L.A. area, Leslie Uggams will give an intimate glimse into her life and career with "a candid and lively conversation" tonight a the Pasadena Playhouse courtyard. This inaugural event of their 2009 Conversation with ... series begins at 7:30 P.M. Sheldon Epps will moderate. There will be entertainment from 6:30.]

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