Two-time Tony Award nominee Vivian Reed is back by popular demand! The star of Broadway's Bubbling Brown Sugar, Marie Christine, and The High Rollers Social and Pleasure Club brings her critically-acclaimed solo show Vivian Reed Sings Lena Horne
to NYC's The Green Room 42 on October 20.In anticipation of the one-night-only encore concert, Vivian shares with us her five ultimate Lena Horne videos everyone should see and know.
1. Stormy Weather
“Stormy Weather” is the quintessential Lena song and it shows what a master storyteller she is. What made Lena so fabulous were her performance skills, the wonderful singing and the powerful stage presence. And nothing shows her acting ability like her signature song.
2. The Lady is a Tramp
“The Lady is a Tramp” has such incredible lyrics, so sassy and ironic. Many male singers have done this one too, from Frank Sinatra to Sammy Davis, Jr. But no one does it like Lena!
3. Yesterday When I was Young
I saw Lena sing “Yesterday When I Was Young” in her Broadway show The Lady and Her Music. She was just amazing…. Such an intense performer. I was so grateful for her help early in my career. Through my manager at the time, she sent me a huge box of glamorous gowns and I wore them onstage for years!
4. Believe in Yourself
I saw The Wiz on Broadway with Stephanie Mills singing this song and then, of course, Lena Horne in the movie. Seeing the stage musical live onstage was such an exciting night, they did such a good job of putting different slant on a classic story. What a great new way to look at The Wizard of Oz! It got terrible reviews but it ran because people walked out of the theater happy, happy, happy. Word of mouth made the show a hit and I am so glad it did because it gave us this wonderful song!
5. From This Moment On
Lena sang this song many different ways throughout her career, just as I have—different arrangements, both fast and slow. It was my opening number for years. I don’t sing songs unless I really like them. To put together my tribute to Lena, I went through 200 and boiled down to 14 or 15. There were clearly many to choose from, but I gravitated towards the ones that made sense for me both dramatically and melodically.
Vivian Reed Sings Lena Horne plays October 20 at The Green Room 42.
