LOVE, LINDA: THE LIFE OF MRS. Cole Porter, Stevie Holland's one-woman musical about Linda Porter and her life with husband Cole Porter, will conclude its run at the Triad Theater (158 West 72nd Street) on June 9 (Cole Porter's birthday), in preparation for summer touring engagements.
With music and lyrics by Cole Porter and book by Stevie Holland and Gary William Friedman, LOVE, LINDA stars Stevie Holland as Linda Lee Thomas, the Southern beauty who married and was a driving force behind legendary songwriter Cole Porter at the dawn of the roaring twenties. Though Cole Porter was gay, their companionship and love lasted through 35 years of marriage and together they lived a spectacular, glamour-filled life.
Upcoming summer tour plans for LOVE, LINDA: THE LIFE OF MRS. COLE PORTER include performances at the Landis Theater in Vineland, New Jersey on July 17 and the John Drew Theater in East Hampton, New York on September 1. Additional dates, and plans for fall 2010, are to be
announced.
Initially presented last year during a sold-out limited engagement, LOVE, LINDA returned on March 3, 2010 as a critical and audience favorite to the Triad Theater. In his New York Times review, Daniel M. Gold wrote the show offers "a real sense of triumph," adding that "Stevie Holland has a graceful, silken voice that glides easily through some of Cole Porter's best-known songs, as well as a handful of comparative rarities." Rex Reed, in his New York Observer review, described LOVE, LINDA as "De-lovely! An enjoyable one-woman show performed by the stunning song stylist Stevie Holland." EdgeNY critic Steve Weinstein proclaimed, "If the real Linda had half of Stevie Holland's charms, it's easy to see how a gay man of discernment would remain smitten with her for a lifetime." NYTheatre.com's Sarah Whalen wrote, "Holland's incredible delivery and Gary William Friedman's musical arrangements bring Cole Porter's music to life in a very exciting way." And JB Spins' Joe Bendel called LOVE, LINDA "an elegant fusion of forms... an effective hybrid of solo theater and jazz."
Born June 9, 1891, Cole Porter composed such beloved songs as "So in Love," "In the Still of the Night," "Love for Sale," and "Night and Day" which are included in the score for LOVE, LINDA. Woven through the compelling narrative of the musical, these songs, and lesser-known
Porter gems, unite to tell the story of Linda and Cole's unconventional relationship and great love for each other. Since its initial run, the book and musical numbers have been expanded and
additional songs have been added.
LOVE, LINDA is directed by Ben West, whose direction of the musical HOW NOW, DOW JONES at the 2009 New York International Fringe Festival earned much critical praise and a FringeNYC Excellence Award for Outstanding Direction. Arrangements and Orchestration are by award-winning composer Gary William Friedman (THE ME NOBODY KNOWS, PLATINUM).
Costume Design is by Pamela Dennis, well known and celebrated for her stylish red-carpet creations for celebrity clients such as Angelina Jolie, Madonna, and Sharon Stone. Jewelry for LOVE, LINDA is by Verdura, whose designs were worn by iconic women of taste including Katharine Hepburn and Greta Garbo. Cole and Linda Porter were among the designer's top clients and helped to put Verdura on the map in the
1930's.
