October 31, 2012
Lorna Luft Debuts With Palm Springs Follies
Mark Thompson READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Palm Springs, California - The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies opens its all-new show entitled Dance to the Music! on November 1, guest starring powerhouse vocalist Lorna Luft.
Born to legendary entertainer Judy Garland and producer Sid Luft, Lorna's acclaimed career has encompassed virtually every arena of entertainment. A celebrated live performer, stage, film and television actress, best selling author, recording artist and Emmy nominated producer - she continues to triumph in every medium with critics labeling her one of the most vibrant, versatile and exciting artists on stage today.
At age 11, she made her television debut singing on her mother's series, The Judy Garland Show. Since then, Lorna has had starring roles in both television and film. Most recently, she joined Alan Cumming and Margaret Cho as part of the talented voice cast of Logo Network's animated series Rick & Steve.
No stranger to the stage, she has enjoyed numerous successes across the globe, including Broadway and the West End. She starred in the 2006 blockbuster U.K. premiere production of Irving Berlin's White Christmas: The Musical. She quickly followed that success with the 2007 hit revival of Rodgers and Hart's Babes in Arms at the prestigious Chichester Festival Theatre. Lorna reprised her role in White Christmas: The Musical for the 2007 winter season.
Concurrent with her theatrical career, Lorna is a gifted live performer frequently featured as a concert artist at the world's most prestigious venues, including: The Hollywood Bowl, Madison Square Garden, Carnegie Hall, The London Palladium and L'Olympia in Paris ... to name just a few.
One of her most ambitious projects to date is the highly acclaimed multi-media production Songs My Mother Taught Me-A Celebration of the Music of Judy Garland. This theatrical extravaganza melds one of the world's most familiar songbooks with personal memories of a loving daughter.
Songs My Mother Taught Me, which Variety called "a rousing, dramatically riveting musical event," was awarded two Los Angeles Theatre Alliance Ovation Awards (Best World Premiere Musical and Best Musical Direction.)
The Los Angeles Times called her performance "heart-stopping and thrilling ... an incandescent revelation not to be missed." A CD based on the concert, produced by Barry Manilow and Colin R. Freeman, was released on October 22, 2007 from First Night Records.
From her early work with her mother to spectacular concert performances, acclaim on Broadway and in television, Lorna Luft proves again and again that she's a stellar entertainer and humanitarian, proudly carrying the torch of her family's legendary show business legacy ... now for Follies audiences to enjoy for themselves.
The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies has been seen by over three million patrons, and celebrates the music and dance of Mid-Century America with a cast ranging in age from 54 to 83 years "young." The show features lavish, Broadway-caliber production numbers and plays five days a week November through late-May.
The Follies is housed in downtown Palm Springs' historic Plaza Theatre, a charming, neon-encrusted old movie house, an attraction unto itself. Tickets start at just $29 and may be purchased by calling the Box Office at (760) 327-0225 or online at www.psfollies.com.
A long-term New Yorker and a member of New York Travel Writers Association, Mark Thompson has also lived in San Francisco, Boston, Provincetown, D.C., Miami Beach and the south of France. The author of the novels WOLFCHILD and MY HAWAIIAN PENTHOUSE, he has a PhD in American Studies and is the recipient of fellowships at MacDowell, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center. His work has appeared in numerous publications.
