GET READY FOR “TOMORROW”
The sun will come out on February 13, 2017, when Andrea McArdle lands at the Catalina Bar and Grill in Hollywood with her newest cabaret show ’70’s and Sunny.
Manhattan in the 1970s was a hybrid of highlights and hedonism. Overrun with sex shops and financial turmoil, the city was at a low, but the bright lights of Broadway would give us some of the most memorable shows that are still remembered today: A Chorus Line, Company, Chicago, Follies, A Little Night Music, Pippin and the classic, comic strip orphan herself, Annie. Therefore it only seems appropriate that McArdle, Broadway’s original “Annie”, pays tribute to the decade that made her the idol of every little, pre-teen girl in the 1970s. (It also ushered in the modern era in which tween and adolescent girls have become a targeted demographic: they are the 
most vocal and reliable repeat ticket buyers.) Now, a veteran of showbiz life in her 50s (um…when did THAT happen?), the actress had the attention of every celebrity during her youthful tenure in the Great White Way’s adaptation of the classic red-haired orphan (which ran from 1977-1983). This means she has racked up a few anecdotes.
I have heard her Live at 54 Below CD, so no promises but based on that terrific album, McArdle’s set list will be an eclectic yet wonderful mix of the musical styles that permeated the radios, record players, and 8-track decks of the decade (her musical director Steve Marzullo will be joining her in L.A.). It’s clear that songs are subject to change, but you can expect stuff like Marvin Hamlisch’s “Fallin'” (from They’re Playing Our Song) or maybe pop hits like “Native New Yorker”, “Rainy Days and Mondays”, and “Got to Be There.” I can’t promise what you’ll get when McArdle comes to Hollywood, but you will definitely hear stories about the who’s who of the time. Will she dish about Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Carol Channing (with whom McArdle co-starred in 1984’s Jerry’s Girls) or Sir Paul McCartney (who purchased the publishing rights to “Tomorrow” after hearing the little McArdle perform the song)?
For those who haven’t been familiar with McArdle since playing that 1977 original cast album, let me tell you she comes from the school of authentic, distinctive Broadway belters who know how to use that power while putting emotion behind every note (she is one of my all-time favorite Fantine’s from Les Misérables).
Again, the set list will most definitely change, but the album includes Stephen Schwartz’s “Meadowlark”, “I Believe in Love”, “Wherever He Ain’t”, and “Over the Rainbow”–and she knocks ’em all out of the park. But really, do you think she won’t give us “Tomorrow”?
photo by Grace Rainer Long
Andrea McArdle: ’70s and Sunny
presented by Chris Isaacson
Catalina Bar & Grill
6725 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood
Monday, February 13 at 8:30 (doors open at 7)
food and drink minimums apply
for tickets, call 866.468.3399 or visit Chris Isaacson
