Florida Studio Theatre Presents
Jannie Jones in
ETHEL WATERS
HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW
By Larry Parr
Larry Parr’s musical biography of Ethel Waters, HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW, is a smash hit at Florida Studio Theatre and across the country. Here is what the critics say:
“ETHEL WATERS: HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW is one of the hottest new shows in American Theater.” The Carolina Peacemaker.
“I’ve seen a lot of one-person shows over the years, on subjects from Diana Vreeland to Theodore Roosevelt, and this is easily one of the best. It’s a pleasure to learn the Waters story this way: lots of facts, lots of songs, and not least of all, a notable respect for the truth, however inconvenient or unlikely.“Parr is prolific and abundantly talented” Mark E. Leib, Weekly Planet.
Larry Parr has movingly portrayed more obstacles than any human being should have to endure. Playwright Parr records Ethel Waters’ rags-to-riches life with a compelling script and songs from the memorable repertoire performed by Waters throughout her career. Each song recalls the joy and sorrow that reflected the performer’s life. Parr does a remarkable job in taking us through the 77-year life of Ethel Waters. Some of his dialogue is lyrical. This is a terrific show. See it.” Wayne Barcomb, Pelican Press.
“Should you see it? Don’t miss it. Your emotions are going to run the gamut. None of it would have been possible without the great mind of playwright Larry Parr.” Kay Pruden, The Herald.
“It’s a stunning performance of a stunning script. Along with songs that cut you to your heart, you get both a sense of Ethel Waters’ character and the history she lived through. You come through that history with a sense of triumph, but there’s a lot of pain before you get there. You feel both the pain and the triumph. That’s a sign of how true to life the play is.” Marty Fugate, The Observer.
“As he did in previous shows about Actress Hattie McDaniel and singer Alberta Hunter, the Sarasota playwright tells a dramatic and often painful story about a woman who triumphs over great adversity.” Jay Handelman, Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
“Playwright Larry Parr has crafted a tight narrative that follows Waters from illegitimate child and self-conscious teenager rushed into a distasteful marriage to a successful but bitter woman redeemed along the way by shining talent and indomitable will. It illuminates while it entertains and offers some profound observations on this American life.” Anita Donovan, The Times, Philadelphia.
“Larry Parr’s script plumbs Waters’ life more deeply than the usual stage biography and the stories it tells are more complex.” Howard Shapiro, Philadelphia Inquirer.
“The result was the best that theater can offer. The audience entered knowing Ethel Waters as a mythic name. They left knowing Ethel Waters, knowing her well and never forgetting her and her tale of woe and triumph.” Burt Saidel, The Oakwood Register, Dayton, Ohio.
“Larry Parr’s one-woman play with music, ETHEL WATERS: HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW, a funny, heartbreaking, and uplifting account of the legendary singer/actress, is an emotionally stirring experience not to be missed. Parr’s brave, earthy text fluidly chronicles Waters’ harsh upbringing in Philadelphia, her rocky love life, frequent bouts with racism and depression, Oscar-nominated acclaim, and signature performances at Harlem’s Cotton Club and on Broadway.” Russell Florence, Jr., Dayton City Paper, Dayton, Ohio.
“Texas Family Musicals presents a very intense performance by Jen Percival in HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW — THE ETHEL WATERS STORY. It sold to near-capacity houses and received quick and long standing ovations at each performance. It was written by one of the finest American playwrights, Larry Parr.” Uptown Theater in Grand Prairie,TX.
Featuring the songs of a lifetime:
HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW.
MASCULINE WOMEN, FEMININE MEN
FRANKIE AND JOHNNY
I DON’T DIG YOU, JACK.
SWEET GEORGIA BROWN
THIS JOINT IS JUMPIN’
LITTLE BLACK BOY
OLD MAN HARLEM
DINAH
TAKING A CHANCE ON LOVE
AM I BLUE?
STORMY WEATHER.
HEAT WAVE
CABIN IN THE SKY
BLACK AND BLUE
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