‘Tenderly: The Rosemary Clooney Musical’
at GET Swings
Rachel Sorsa, Mark Cabus. Photo: Dan Carmody/Studio 7
Georgia Ensemble Theatre hits it out of the park with “Tenderly: The Rosemary Clooney Musical.” The famed singer of the 1950s and ’60s struggles to overcome depression, an addiction to pills and a loveless family. Clooney starts out as a young girl singing duos in Kentucky and continues singing even as her starlight has faded. A talented musical trio backs up Clooney (and the other characters) with her greatest hits, including “Come On-a My House,” “Botch-a-Me,” “Mambo Italiano,” and “Hey There.”
The two-person cast features Rachel Sorsa as Clooney and Mark Cabus, who plays a string of characters, including Clooney’s psychiatrist, sister, mother, and movie actor husband José Ferrer. Cabus portrays the young girl and older women and the male characters in a truthful manner so they are all believable. Although the dancing is not the greatest, the singing and acting are first-rate.
Written by Janet Yates Vogt & Mark Friedman, directed by James Donadio, “Tenderly: The Rosemary Clooney Musical” runs in Roswell, Ga., through Jan. 28 at Georgia Ensemble Theatre.
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