BROADWAY WORLD: A star is born as award-winning dynamo Angela Ingersoll celebrates American icon Judy Garland. Tune in to WTTW Chicago Public Television on Sunday, March 18, 2018 at 5:30pm for the Chicago premiere of Get Happy: Angela Ingersoll Sings Judy Garland. The televised concert event offers viewers an opportunity to pledge their support to PBS. Thank-you gifts include CDs, DVDs, and tickets to a live performance of the show on Sunday, June 10th, 2018 at Paramount Theatre, 23 E Galena Blvd, Aurora, IL, 60506. Presented by Artists Lounge Live.

Ingersoll won acclaim for her stunning portrayal of Garland in Chicago and Los Angeles productions of the play End of the Rainbow, earning Chicago's Jeff Award for Outstanding Actress, a Broadway World Award, and "Top Performances" honors from both Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times. Live in concert, as seen in her new PBS television special, Ingersoll shines as a force all her own. She superbly captures Garland's emotional and vocal power, while crafting passionate stories with a naturally winning humor.

Ingersoll's concert special packs an emotional punch. With an extraordinary band and an enthusiastic audience to buoy her sails, the vivacious Ingersoll offers immediacy and vitality to a century's worth of great songs. From the dizzying heights of "Come Rain or Come Shine," to the hard-earned anguish of "The Man That Got Away," the crowd's outpouring of love is palpable. The powerfully rendered "Over The Rainbow" elicits a spellbinding intimacy between singer and audience. Ingersoll reveals, "The listening we share in that song is, for me, quite spiritual." Ingersoll is clearly serving a calling: shining a compassionate light on Garland's legacy while unmistakably establishing herself as the icon's artistic descendant. Learn more at angelaingersoll.com

The broadcast launches a large scale roll out of Ingersoll's concert for public telelvision and live venues nationwide. It captures a live performance filmed at Chicagoland's Arcada Theatre by HMS Media, and is presented by Artists Lounge Live. Performer/producer Michael Ingersoll serves as Executive Producer. No stranger to PBS audiences, Ingersoll toured the country performing with his retro-rock vocal group Under the Streetlamp, whose multiple PBS specals air in millions of homes nationwide. Following his success with Streetlamp, Ingersoll founded Artists Lounge Live, a dynamic concert series featuring popular music of yesterday performed by tremendous talent of today. Rising stars of stage and screen shine in intimate and emotional evenings of story and song. The company's mission states, "We are dedicated to serving audiences across the nation, bringing acts from America's entertainment capitals to communities of all sizes. We believe in the restorative power of live entertainment." Visit artistsloungelive.com for more.

In a festive ceremony at Drury Lane Theatre, Angela Ingersoll received Chicago's Jeff Award for Leading Actress in a Play for her star turn as Judy Garland in END OF THE RAINBOW at Porchlight Music Theatre. Ingersoll also received a nomination in the Supporting Actress in a Musical category for her scene-stealing, dumb-blonde Hedy LaRue in Marriott Theatre’s HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING. Congratulations to all the exemplar nominees, representing the finest of Chicago's diverse theatre community.

SEE ALL NOMINEES AND WINNERS

Jackie Moe Entertainment Reporting. Before Angela Ingersoll steps out onto the stage to portray film icon Judy Garland in the Broadway musical “End of the Rainbow,” she turns on one of Garland’s albums and does her own hair and makeup. “That’s my time to commit to being truly present for the task at hand. As I paint her portrait in the mirror before me, I fall in love with Judy all over again. It’s always full of discovery,” said Ingersoll, who received a Jeff Award nomination for “best actress in a play” for the role in September.

The Chicago actress shines in her portrayal of Garland with a unique yet uncanny style that makes the audience feel like they are truly witnessing the singer and film icon tell her story. The La Mirada Theatre is currently presenting the play through Sunday, Nov. 12. The musical drama, written by Peter Quilter, spotlights the life of Judy Garland in the months leading up to her death in 1969, at the age of 47. The production had its premiere in Sydney in 2005 and opened on Broadway in 2012.

Ingersoll took the time to share insight into her role as the legendary actress-singer:

What have been the challenges of taking on this role as Garland?

This production of “End of the Rainbow” is my second. We had a very short rehearsal process, which demands excellence from the entire artistic team. I’ve only been working with our director Michael Matthews for a week and a half, and I am in love. He’s a gorgeous artist. He’s helped me keep a fresh approach, even though I’ve been singing Judy non-stop for a couple of years now. In addition to this show, I also sing my own concerts of Judy’s music all over the country. Just a week before we began rehearsals, I finished filming my Judy concert for Public Television. My life has, just in the past couple of years, dramatically shifted focus to shining a light on her legacy, as her artistic descendant.

Previous to taking on the role, what did Garland mean to you?

I’ve been a devoted fan of Judy’s for as long as I can recall. I don’t remember a time without her. So many of us meet her as children, when she’s a child as well, and her Dorothy stays with us. Yet even as a child, I was most attracted to 60s Judy, to TV Show Judy, to Carnegie Hall Judy. I saw a self-possessed woman and artist and knew that’s what I wanted to be. Now that I’ve just turned 40, I feel I’ve come into the time of my life I’ve always dreamed about.

The press pitch stated you are “the spitting image of Judy” – have you received this comparison throughout your life? 

I have been compared to, or likened to Ms. Garland since I was about four years old. That’s when I started singing. Folks said to me then, as they do now, “How does that big voice come out of that little body?” People have continuously throughout my life pointed out my similarities to Judy: stature, eyes, emotional intensity, sheer volume. Even our teeth are crooked in precisely the way – of course she wore caps over her teeth during the MGM years. So yes, I’ve always been short, loud, and confident.

Every actor/actress can feel the energy of the audience at specific parts of the story. What parts of this production do you feel the audience become the most exhilarated? 

I can certainly hear an audible reaction to my first entrance. I hear folks tittering and sizing me up, all five feet of me. They’re commenting on my stature, my hair, as well as Bill Morey’s striking costumes. There’s a palpable outpouring of love and excitement from the audience in all of the musical numbers, but when we get to “Over The Rainbow” we’re all of us at our most intimate and exposed. The listening we share in that song is, for me, quite spiritual.

What song numbers are your personal favorite? 

It is always pure joy to sing “Over The Rainbow.” It is the greatest song of the 20th century, and a perfectly marvelous existential poem. As we grow, “Rainbow” grows with us; that’s its magic. I would say that the emotional power of “The Man That Got Away” has ingrained itself most deeply into the fibers of voice and body. It’s cathartic. And it is utterly exhilarating to sing “Come Rain Or Come Shine” with our outstanding orchestra. It’s a burning arrangement that really soars!

What do you want your audience to take from this production?

Well, our story is both deeply inspiring and deeply painful. I hope that audiences confronting and experiencing that pain can find a sense of peace in their own hearts. Because none of us has a monopoly on heartache. I believe this beloved music and this great humor can give us all the courage to feel a little less alone.

END OF THE RAINBOW: Judy Garland’s Swan Song Tribute

RAGE MONTHLY MAGAZINE. Since her endearing role as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz back in 1939, Judy Garland won the hearts of millions, cementing her as a much-beloved icon throughout her entire career. An image marred only, by her ongoing struggle with an addiction to drugs and alcohol throughout that storied calling.

End of the Rainbow illustrates her later years and the months leading up to her death in 1969: It’s December, Garland is in London and about to make her 1968 comeback…Again. Along with both her young fiancé Mickey Deans and her adoring, loyal accompanist, Anthony, she fights to revive her sagging career and reputation.

Angela Ingersoll has garnered abundant praise for her portrayal of Judy Garland, including a Jeff Award nomination, a Time Out Chicago Award nomination and “Top Performances of the Year” honors from both The Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times.

The Rage Monthly caught up with Angela during the rehearsal process at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts. When asked to share her insights about Judy Garland and things that most might not know about her, Ingersoll offered these insights: “I do quite a lot of concert work and I encourage the audience to ask me anything about Judy.”

“I believe I can address just about anything they want to discuss, lovingly, respectfully and candidly. What I find myself realizing the more I tell folks about the many, many facets of Garland, is that our Judy was a genius.”

Ingersoll explains further, “Her radiant humor is a tell-tale sign, as well as her cunning facility with language…She was a great raconteur. I think Judy’s great artistry is evidenced not only in her performance techniques, but in the way she lived her life. She was so very present, always. I think that bewitching ability to invite you in to ‘the now,’ to never give up on that moment, was her genius.”

Representing such an iconic character as Judy Garland on stage is a challenge to be sure. Ingersoll discussed what she did to transform herself, as she portrays this complex character. “This may sound strange, but my greatest challenge in performing this play, was prioritizing self-care and by self-care, I mean sleep. This is a leave-it-all-on-the-stage sort of role, yet you’re on the hook to get right back in the ring before you know it…And duke it out all over again. It’s a role that requires great stamina and my preparation time for each show is important. So, I may mindfully dig in and pull back the slingshot and then, once we’re up and running, wham!”

Opining further about the play itself, Ingersoll said this, “The show is one hell of an exciting ride full of surprises—a whirlwind if you will—with Judy’s formidable winds filling your sails. You really get to flying high and I’m absolutely buzzing at show’s end.”

“Once I hit the wings, I quickly kiss the nearest theatre wall in a kind of prayer, amazed and grateful that we somehow did it once again, all of us. Then begins the process of riding my adrenaline back down to Earth. I must allow that fantastic and volatile inner life of hers to get some rest. I must take care, so that the phoenix is always ready to rise again.”

As to what she hopes audiences will take away from the show and her performance, “I do not assume to prescribe an expected outcome for the audience. I will say, the journey of this show is a glorious yet painful one and individuals must process their experience of that pain for themselves.”

Ingersoll finished beautifully with these sage words, “I do hope audience members find their experience an opportunity to cultivate greater peace with their own pain. Because you know, none of us has a monopoly on heartache. Hopefully through laughter and music we can, all of us, feel less alone.”

DISCOVER LA MIRADA: If you have been fortunate to see Angela Ingersoll recently on stage or in concert, you already know what the big buzz is about. She is smart, sassy, sexy, and above all, a natural born talent.

Ingersoll’s critically acclaimed performance as Judy Garland in the recent Porchlight Music Theatre production of End of the Rainbow channeled every ounce of her powerhouse talent to elevate our imagination and richly stir our compassion for the fragile and falling star. It was all there – electrifying stage performances, manic vitality, childlike enthusiasm and reckless abandon – all seeming to unfold effortlessly in the moment in Ingersoll’s unforgettable performance.

Ingersoll will be performing as Judy Garland in End of the Rainbow from October 27 – November 12, 2017 at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts. Featuring some of Garland’s most memorable songs, this savagely funny play-with-music offers unique insight into the inner conflict that inspired and consumed one of the most beloved figures of our time.

Click here for performance and ticket information.

Barbara Vitello, DAILY HERALD.

About 18 months ago, singer/actress and lifelong Judy Garland fan Angela Ingersoll made a wish. Fearing for Garland's legacy, Ingersoll wished for the opportunity to excise the kitsch that sometimes dimmed Garland's star. "I wanted to commit to shining a positive light on Judy," Ingersoll said. And since then, "the universe has been nonstop green lights."

The latest comes Tuesday, Oct. 10, when PBS will film a performance of her tribute concert "Judy Garland: Come Rain or Come Shine" at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles for broadcast next year. The taping for PBS, which has showcased concerts featuring her husband and "Jersey Boys" star Michael Ingersoll's group Under the Streetlamp, follows another key Garland role. Ingersoll starred last year in Porchlight Music Theatre's acclaimed revival of "End of the Rainbow," Peter Quilter's play with music chronicling Garland's 1968 London comeback concert. The role earned Ingersoll a 2017 Joseph Jefferson Award nomination for lead actress in a play.

Like many fans, Ingersoll first encountered Garland in 1939's "The Wizard of Oz" as Dorothy, the teenager dressed in blue gingham who desperately wanted to return home to Kansas. But the Judy Garland who indelibly etched herself into the singer/actress' consciousness was the Garland who played Carnegie Hall in 1961 and starred in her own CBS variety show from 1963 to 1964.

"Judy looking directly into the camera … It wasn't a movie or a character, it was her real self she was giving me," said Ingersoll, a Chicago and suburban theater veteran who previously channeled Garland in cabaret shows "The 12 Dames of Christmas" and "I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues."

"Come Rain or Come Shine" is all Judy. But Ingersoll makes clear her performance is not an impression. And she doesn't sugarcoat the darkness that plagued the star. "When I walk on stage in concert, I say 'Hello, I'm Angela Ingersoll.' I make it clear my calling is to be her artistic descendant," she said.

Garland grew up during the Depression, emerged as America's sweetheart during World War II, fought personal demons in the 1950s and did concerts and TV in the 1960s. When she died in 1969, a couple of months before Woodstock, "a version of America died," Ingersoll said.

Ingersoll came upon the live recording of Garland's 1961 Carnegie Hall concert as a child, rummaging through albums at a thrift store. "I couldn't stop singing 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow,'" she said. "I sang it as loud as I could sing it. I felt liberated."

Ingersoll's roles over the years have ranged from a schoolgirl in the Aesop fable-inspired tuner "How Can You Run With a Shell on Your Back?" to William Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth. Ingersoll said she's always relished playing "the most difficult woman on stage," who carries pain and darkness inside. "Judy's sharp edges and glowing center add up to that equation," she said.

Porchlight artistic director Michael Weber knew about Ingersoll's Garland affinity and her expertise at performing Garland's repertoire when he was preparing for "End of the Rainbow." "The pleasure of Angie is she came to the table with so much knowledge," Weber said. "She already knew the dramaturgical components of Garland's life."

A fine musician as well as a serious actress, Ingersoll is also a comedian and a dancer, who crafted a performance so remarkable, Weber says, he cannot imagine remounting Porchlight's production without her. "Angela has an open invitation when it comes to this piece," he said. "Audiences would love to get another opportunity to see her play the role."

Weber wasn't the only one Ingersoll impressed. Garland's son Joey Luft heard about her performance, contacted her and appeared alongside her at her Mother's Day Arcada concert last May, putting his blessing on Ingersoll's life's calling. "I feel like she's whispering to me," Ingersoll says. "I'm listening to her in my head when I'm singing the songs."

After Tuesday's filming, Ingersoll heads to Los Angeles for another production of "End of the Rainbow." And while she hasn't ruled out returning to the stage in some other role, Garland will occupy Ingersoll's professional life for the foreseeable future.

And she couldn't be happier. "I feel more comfortable in my own skin than I ever have."

Hey Weiss, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES. Ask anyone lucky enough to have caught Angela Ingersoll’s performance as Judy Garland in last year’s Porchlight Music Theatre production of “End of the Rainbow” — Peter Quilter’s play-with-music about the final chaotic months of Judy Garland’s life — and you are guaranteed to hear superlatives. The voice, the look, the roller-coaster emotions: Ingersoll captured them all to uncanny effect in a performance that was an unqualified tour de force, and recently earned her a Jeff Award nomination.

The Chicago actress subsequently moved on to the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, where, under the banner of Artists Lounge Live, she performed a special Mother’s Day concert of Garland’s songs, joined by the fabled singer’s son, Joe Luft. And now, Artists Lounge Live is bringing Ingersoll back in “Judy Garland: Come Rain or Come Shine,” for one night only — Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. at the Arcada — where her concert will be filmed before a live audience for later airing on public television.

Tickets ($20 – $35) for the performance at the Arcada, located at 105 E. Main St. in St. Charles, are limited. For reservations call (630) 962-7000 or visit www.arcadalive.com.

Ingersoll’s show, which includes such classics as “Over the Rainbow,” “Get Happy” and “The Man That Got Away,” is part of an ongoing concert series presented by Artists Lounge Live, billed as “featuring popular music of yesterday performed by tremendous talent of today [with] rising stars of stage and screen shining in intimate and emotional evenings of story and song.”

The series is curated by producer-performer Michael Ingersoll (Angela’s husband, who Chicago audiences know for his performance in the national touring production of “Jersey Boys”).

For additional information visit www.artistsloungelive.com.

Ron Onesti, DAILY HEARLD. Over my 30-plus years in the business of entertainment, I have had the privilege of working with the sons and daughters of some of the biggest names in showbiz history. I can even say I have become as close to some of them as any nonfamily member can get, to the point where we might be considered "unofficial siblings."

By being this close to folks who were thrust into the limelight at birth, I have been able to see their personal sides, the side few people (fans) get to see. I have been witness to emotional moments, career struggles and heartwarming recollections. To be graced with this trust, which allows me "on the inside," is something I have never taken for granted mainly because this connection has not only allowed me to get to know the famous son or daughter much better, but it has also given me great insight about what their legendary parents were like.

My showbiz family -- those with whom I have worked, shared meals and spent quality time -- includes Nancy (Frank) Sinatra, Frank Sinatra Jr., Christopher (Jack) Lemmon, Antonia (Tony) Bennett, Lena and Louis Jr. (Louis) Prima, Ariana (Telly) Savalas, Steve (Mel) Torme, Carlise (Buddy) Guy, Ted (Teddy) Randazzo and Deana (Dean) Martin.

My most recent example would be this past week at the Arcada Theatre when we hosted Joey Luft, the son of silver-screen legend Judy Garland. It was a "Mother's Day Salute to Judy," and a more emotional presentation could not be had.

After Judy and her second husband, director Vincente Minnelli, had their only daughter, Liza, they divorced. Then Judy and her third of five husbands, Sidney Luft, had Joey and Lorna. Judy's three kids remained close through the years. Liza, of course, became a huge star in her own right, and Lorna took the world by storm with her incredible vocal range.

Joey, however, was a shy kid who ran from the world of show business. He preferred the quiet life of photography, audio and video. Even so, he has fond memories of Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra at his house, having friendly conversations with Marilyn Monroe while his mother got ready to go out, and took phone calls from JFK.

Joey was 13 years old in 1969, the year his mother passed away from an unintentional overdose at the tragically young age of 47. He recalls watching "The Wizard of Oz" for the first time at the age of 7. Judy was out of the country filming at the time, and he was beside himself that "monkeys kidnapped" his mom. The baby sitter had to track her down by telephone to calm Joey down.

During our lunch together with the show's producer and longtime Luft family friend, John Kimball, Joey said he really didn't want to focus on the "bad" things. "My mom had a fabulous sense of humor, was truly a wonderful person and completely lived for her kids," he said. "My dad (Sid Luft) was truly in love with my mom, even after they divorced. He resurrected her career in 1950 after MGM fired her, and remained her manager up until her death in 1969."

After Sid Luft's death, Joey and best friend Kimball started rummaging through boxes in storage. They found this tremendous transcript that wound up being Sid's autobiography, including many accounts by Judy, told in her own voice. The book, entitled "Judy and I: My Life with Judy Garland" was released posthumously. Joey's show was based on excerpts from the book, as well as his own accounts of being home and on the road with his iconic mother.

After speaking with both gentlemen on the phone, I suggested they add a live musical element to the presentation. I have a friend who is a professional actress, and she had recently played Judy Garland in several productions. Her resemblance, both physically and vocally, is uncanny, and they agreed to make her part of the show.

Her name is Angela Ingersoll, and she came out like a cannonball out of a cannon, completely taking over the stage, in that larger-than-life style that Judy truly had. Our huge video screen at The Arcada would play a vintage video clip of Judy at Carnegie Hall, and on her own variety show in the early Sixties. Then Angela would sing a classic Judy number with a live band. A gutsy move that could have gone the other way as unavoidable comparisons could have made or broke her performance.

Although we can all agree there will never be another Judy Garland, Ingersoll's performance was nothing short of stellar, and her contribution to the show was the perfect complement to the rare video footage. The evening was magical.

But the biggest quandary of the night, at least as far as the actress was concerned, was whether to go with Judy's video performance of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" or for her to sing it live. As far as Joey was concerned, there was nothing to discuss. "How could we not show my mom doing that song," Joey said. Discussion was over.

The end of the show came and the video played with Garland, as she would regularly end her television show sitting cross-legged on a floor, broke out into her signature song. There was not a dry eye in the house, including Joey. And to be honest with you, after losing my mom just a couple weeks before the show, hearing the song mom would sing to us as kids turned me into a red-faced ball of tears myself.

As an encore, Joey, who was so enthralled with Angela's live portion of the show, allowed her to fulfill the audience's wish of her doing that famed song, which was named the No. 1 film song in history.

So she sat on the edge of the stage, the way Judy did, and broke out into what appeared to be the performance of her life. The audience once again erupted with a combination of cheers and tears, as did Angela herself, overtaken by emotion at the prized opportunity.

In the middle of the song, I pulled a bar stool next to Joey, who was on stage doing his commentary throughout the show. I put my arm around him as he was visibly emotional. I said to him, "Joey, you must have heard this song a million times." He whispered back at me, "That was my mom, and that has always been my favorite song. Those two things will never change."