Ella Extended!  Hartford Stage Hit Musical Now Plays through July 31

First Week Performances Nearly Sold Out; Four Shows Added

July 16, 2008/Hartford, CT . . . The First Lady of Song has taken Hartford by storm!  Ella, the swinging musical play about the life of Ella Fitzgerald, will add four performances to its Hartford Stage run, which will now end July 31.  The production's first week played to over 97% capacity; additional shows are being added to meet ongoing high demand.  The incomparable Tina Fabrique stars as Fitzgerald, performing 23 of the beloved singer's most memorable hits.  Performances being added are:

    * Tuesday, July 29 at 7:30 p.m.
    * Wednesday, July 30 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
    * Thursday, July 31 at 7:30 p.m.

Critics love Ella as much as the audiences.  The Hartford Courant calls Tina Fabrique "pitch perfect" and says "the production values are splendid."  The Middletown Press raves, "Ella jazzes it up with superior 'scatitude' . . . Tina Fabrique is a glorious Ella Fitzgerald."

Hartford Stage Artistic Director Michael Wilson states, "We are gratified and overwhelmed by the community's response to Ella.  The show's appeal has been embraced by our long-time subscribers as well as by theatregoers who are coming to Hartford Stage for the first time.   We're thrilled to be able to present four additional performances of this vibrantly theatrical production."

In the play, it's 1966 in Nice, France, and singer Ella Fitzgerald is preparing for one of the most important concerts of her career. As she and her fellow musicians finish with rehearsal the afternoon of the concert, her manager, Norman, has an unusual request:  he'd like Ella to cut one of the usual numbers in order to add room for some "patter" with the audience.  With this daunting task before her, she begins to reminisce, uncovering a past the public never knew on a musical journey through her life.  All of Ella's most famous hits, including "A Tisket, A Tasket," "How High the Moon," "That Old Black Magic" and "They Can't Take that Away from Me" are performed with a live four-piece jazz combo.  Ella is produced in collaboration with the Connecticut Theatre Festival, Dean Adams, Producing Artistic Director.  Made possible with the generous assistance of the Louise Willson Trust.

Tickets for previously announced performances of Ella, as well as the extension, are $26 - $55 and can be purchased by calling 860-527-5151 or by visiting hartfordstage.org.  A limited number of $10 "Ten Spot" tickets are also available for all performances, making Hartford Stage among the most affordable entertainment options in Connecticut.  Discounts are available for groups of ten or more by calling 860-520-7244.  Hartford Stage has wheelchair accessible seating, assistive listening devices and other amenities.  For more information, please call the Hartford Stage box office.  Hartford Stage is located at 50 Church Street in downtown Hartford with parking located in the MAT Garage, directly adjacent to the theatre.  The theatre is accessible from I-84 and I-91.