IS THAT ALL THERE IS?
Written by Alexana Ryer
Run Time: 85 min
Cast: 1 Women
Set Requirements: Unit Set
Genre: One woman musical tribute
Band: Piano, upright bass, acoustic guitar, drums
IS THAT ALL THERE IS celebrates Miss Lee’s amazing life and marvelous music. Author Alex Ryer was intrigued by something she once heard Miss Lee say; “If you peeled me like an onion, at the very center of Peggy Lee is a little girl from North Dakota named Norma Delores Egstrom.” Ryer’s one woman show takes a cue from Miss Lee’s astute observation and begins at the end of Miss Lee’s life, moving backward in time to her humble North Dakota beginnings, in a setting resembling the popular 50s television variety shows. During the 1940s and 50s, when popular music spoke a universal language, Miss Peggy Lee was the epitome of cool jazz and sizzling blues. She was the female Frank Sinatra, a platinum doll of a woman who ruled the music world with songs that told a story and felt a feeling. Peggy Lee not only sang the great Americal Songbook, she helped write it. Peggy Lee passed away in January 2002, leaving behind a legacy few if any latter-day crooners might hope to equal, though they all claim her as an inspiring influence. Rita Coolidge, Maria Muldaur, Carol King, K.D. Lang, Nnenna Freelon, Natalie Cole, Maureen McGovern, Bette Middler, Diana Krall – even youngsters like Jane Monheit cite Peggy Lee as a guiding light.
Peggy Lee’s alluring tone, distinctive delivery, breadth of material and ability to write many of her own songs made her one of the most captivating artists of the vocal era. From her breakthrough on Benny Goodman’s 1943 hit “Why Don’t You Do Right?” to her many solo successes, including the Latin flavored Manana, the mambo and sex soaked “Lover” and the hypnotic finger-snapping “Fever,” Peggy Lee stoked the imaginations and longings of romantic dreamers the world over.
The New Yorker called her “practically the hub of the universe,” and Duke Ellington proclaimed, “if I’m the Duke, man, then Peggy Lee is the Queen!” The only phrases that mattered to her millions of fans were melodic – jazzed, bluesy, heartbroken, hopeful. Peggy Lee sang them all. Biographer Peter Richmond said Peggy Lee’s music, especially the way she delivered it, set her apart from a crowded field of popular singers, like Rosemary Clooney, Dina Shore or Patti Page. There was more richness to her, more complexity, more undercurrents that couldn’t quite be controlled. When Hollywood beckoned, she earned an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of an alcoholic singer in PETE KELLEY’S BLUES and co-wrote and performed several songs for Walt Disney’s animated movie LADY AND THE TRAMP.
By the time pop-rock changed the music scene in the 1960s, Peggy Lee’s virtuosity made it easy for her to adapt. She made pop-rock’s Top Ten in 1969 with Leiber and Stoller’s “IS THAT ALL THERE IS?” which earned the 49 year old singer a Grammy for best contemporary vocal performance.