Mary Wilson and the
Duke Ellington Orchestra
in Sophisticated Ladies

Mary Wilson, founding member of The Supremes, will produce and star in a national tour of "Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies," the celebrated tribute to the music of this legendary great. The Marion Palace Theatre is the second stop of the tour and presents this Broadway hit on Saturday, February 9 at 8:00 p.m. The New York Times applauds this two-time, Tony Award winning production as, "Pure musical gold...an Ellington celebration that just won't quit...Ellington would be pleased!" "Sophisticated Ladies," a stylish and brassy retrospective begins with the journey from Duke's early years at The Cotton Club to his glamorous life abroad where he performed for royalty and heads of state. Act II looks deeper at the private man as portrayed in his music. This salute is built on the seemingly mysterious nightlife and moving highlife of "a man who lived to love."

The smash hit opened on Broadway in 1981 to rave reviews. Earning eight Tony Award nominations, it won two. Mary Wilson's tour of this production marks the first time since the late 1980s that this American treasure has toured nationally. Wilson, an original member of the Supremes, sky-rocketed with the group to the top of the charts when "Where Did Our Love Go," "Baby Love," "Stop! In the Name of Love," "You Keep Me Hangin' On," and "Reflections" caught the ears of listeners everywhere. When the Supremes disbanded in 1977, Wilson continued her artistic path - recording three solo albums, performing live to enthusiastic audiences across North America and Europe, and making her stage debut in 1988 with "Bee-hive," a musical tribute to the female groups of the sixties. Since that time, she has performed in off-Broadway plays, starred in made for television movies, and written two best selling autobiographies, "Dreamgirl...My Life as a Supreme," and "Supreme Faith...Someday We'll Be Together".

Listeners of all ages continue to be thrilled by the music of Duke Ellington whose approximately 1500 compositions included all forms of music ranging from the blues of the South to the exotic Sounds of Africa and the Far East. Ellington first gained popularity working at the legendary Cotton Club in Harlem. By 1927, radio and the rise in swing's popularity made the Duke Ellington Orchestra the most famous band in America. Still renowned for his now famous compositions, Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies includes 21 musical numbers with such titles as "It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing," "Satin Doll," "In A Sentimental Mood," "Caravan," and "Don't Get Around Much Anymore." Ellington continued to compose and perform for four more decades before his death in 1974.

Tickets to this Broadway musical are on sale now for $20, $25, $30 and $35 each.
Call the Palace box office at (740) 383-2101.

Sponsored by The Rotary Club of Marion and Clear Channel Marion.