To listen to Heather singing "Slow Boat To China" with Daryl Nitz, please click HERE

To listen to Heather singing "Sisters" with Marymonica Thomas, please click HERE

"...Even if she hadn't been evoking the style and era of Clooney, Heather Moran would have deserved the ovations she received for the bloom of her tone and the nuance of her interpretations..." --Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune

Please visit Heather's newest Clooney review from the Tribune HERE

Heather Moran makes Rosemary Clooney’s music come alive again at Skokie Theatre!

“Rosemary Clooney. An American musical treasure and one of the best friends a song ever had.”
HMC Productions is proud to announce the opening of “Rosie! A Tribute…”, written and performed by Chicago singer and actress, Heather Moran, running at Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln Ave in Skokie on November 1st, 2008. Showtime is 8:00pm.

“Rosie! A Tribute…” is a loving and well-told musical adventure spanning the 40 year career of the great Girl Singer, Rosemary Clooney. Heather Moran has deftly created a musical tapestry from the colorful life of Clooney, spanning from her birth in Maysville, Kentucky, through her nervous breakdown in the late 1960’s, her mid 1970’s comeback, all the way to her death in 2002. This show will run in May to memorialize Rosemary Clooney birthday on May 23, 1928. This is an anticipated second run of the show. Heather performed “Rosie! A Tribute…” at Davenportsin 2005 and 2006 to sold-out audiences. The Sun Times named it “One of the Ten Cools Things to Do in Chicago.”

The talented Damian Espinosa will be serve as accompanist and arranger through this musical exploration of Clooney’s magnificent music career. Other fantastic musicians include Kevin Woods in bass, Jim Gifford on drums and Jeff Hedberg on horns. Heather is also thrilled to have two guest singers performing with her: Marymonica Thomas and Daryl Nitz.

Heather Moran is no stranger to performing. She has been an actress and a singer in Chicago for many years. She attended Carnegie Mellon University for opera, the University of Colorado for musical theater and graduated from Columbia College with a degree in Theater. She has been seen in numerous theatrical productions in the city and has been an ensemble member of the critically acclaimed, Factory Theater Company for seven years.

Heather states, “This is a project that I had wanted to do for years. After her death, the need to memorialize her amazing career and life became a priority for me. She inspired me as a young singer and I feel that if I can remind my generation of her music and the music of her counterparts, then we can keep the torch flame glowing forever. Preserving her music and exposing younger generations to this genre is one of the primary goals of the show. My biggest goal right now is to expand the sound up to an 18 piece orchestra and eventually tour the show around the US.”

For over 40 years, Rosemary Clooney's simple, exquisite singing style has defined her career. Her dynamic career also includes movie roles and a star turn in her own television show. She was an interpreter of music, with fine timing, who executed her work with grace and skill. Please come and pay tribute with Heather Moran to the ultimate Girl Singer – Rosie Clooney.

For ticket sales
www.skokietheatre.com

For press more press information, please contact Heather at

heather@heathermoran.com

****************PAST ROSIE REVIEWS*************** CABARET SPOTLIGHT by Jeff Rossen "There's only one way to sing a song. The words have to mean something." That principle seems so simple that one might think it doesn't even need stating; alas, it's a concept that so many singers fail to grasp. But when Rosemary Clooney said it, it capsulated exactly what made this woman such an extraordinary force in the world of music and why her recordings stand high in that elite group that bear the stamp of "timeless." And Heather Moran sure follows Clooney's advice in her marvelously entertaining tribute to the late singer in "Rosie! A Tribute ... " Mixing some of Clooney's best-known songs with a few less-familiar gems, Moran delivers an exuberant and beguiling performance that is instantly captivating as she opens with a lightly romantic Tenderly and gives a brief but informative overview of Clooney's personal and professional life before bringing the hour to a close with a moving and deeply effective Count Your Blessings. In between, she makes good on the lyric of "... singing my heart out for you" in I'm the Big Band Singer and lays it wide open on the powerfully poignant How Will I Remember You (from one of, if not the finest album by Clooney, 1963's "Love"). Joined by guest Daryl Nitz for playful takes on Slow Boat to China and Ya Got Class, with Nitz adding his vocal impersonations of Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, and then a knockout blend of "Carol Channing" and Moran for Sisters, Moran has fun as well with a song Clooney at first refused to sing, her monster hit Come On-A My House, and plays a quiet solitude in Blues in the Night. But it's on one of Clooney's most popular hits that Moran shines brightest, with her redefining interpretation of Hey There; this is not a woman who is handing out advice "like a mother," she's obviously in love herself with the man with the stars in his eyes, and Moran's portrait of this woman is a marvel. With Steve Carson's fine arrangements and accompaniment supporting her, Moran delivers both a glowing "Tribute" and what will rank as one of the year's very best creations. (****) Heather Moran performs "Rosie! A Tribute ..." on Sunday, May 29, at 5 p.m. at Davenport's, 1383 N. Milwaukee. 773-278-1830.

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Heather Moran Pays Homage to Rosemary Clooney at Davenport’s When she smiles, Heather Moran looks like the late Rosemary Clooney. Nevertheless, Rosie…a Tribute! is not an impersonation show. What Heather captures on May Sunday evenings at 5:00 at Davenoprt’s Cabaret (1383 North Milwaukee, Chicago, 773-278-1830) is the essence of Rosie. Her lower range is rich like Rosie’s. Her interpretations are open-hearted. Above all, Heather, like Rosie knows how to get to the kernel of a good tune. As I watched Heather’s show, her affection and empathy for Rosemary Clooney’s often uphill life made us connect well to both the living performer and much missed honoree. Heather introduces “Come on-A My House” by telling the audience how Rosie didn’t want to perform the seemingly nonsensical song and did so only at the insistence of her then producer, Mitch Miller (yes, the one who later became recognized as sing-along guru). Heather carried that touch of edginess into the tune which made it sassier and sexier. When she sang “I’m gonna give you candy”, we knew it wouldn’t be long before that candy would turn into “I wanna give you everything”. The sensuality of both song and singer was fun. Steve Kimbrough joined Heather early in the program for a lively medley duet combining “You’ve Got Class” with “Slow Boat to China”. Steve’s rich baritone and relaxed style combined with Heather’s lilt, recalled the warm duets of Rosemary Clooney and Bing Crosby. Who can help but be delighted when fine singers give us great tunes? Another show highlight was a duet of “Sisters” shared with Chicago favorite Mary Monica Thomas. It’s a sly tune with a funny, true message. Sure, we love our family, but when romance walks in the door, the rules just might walk out. Heather and Mary Monica get the message of that song right on the nose. They gave us both the sibling rivalry and the sibling love with equal gusto. Rosemary Clooney was unlucky in love. Heather shared with her audience the story of Rosie’s rocky marriage and divorce from actor Jose Ferrer as well as her doomed romance with arranger Nelson Riddle. Preceding “Blues in the Night” with those stories enhanced the bittersweet nature of that tune. Indeed, men can be worrisome things whether we are in pigtails or in high heels. In delivering ballads with graceful simplicity, Heather took the right tip from her idol. “Hey There” is a remarkable song that is spoken to one first learning the ups and downs of love from a veteran of the ups and downs of love. Heather took us on that journey effectively so we reflect on the truth of that sage advice “offered like a mother.” Accompanist Steve Carter backs Heather with grace and the occasional much appreciated one liner...Heather closed Rosie…a Tribute with a wistful rendition of “Count Your Blessings”. Heather’s presentation reminded us well to appreciate life’s gifts large and small. Among our recent blessings is the delightful opportunity to revisit the talents and tunes associated with Rosemary Clooney. With one more homage to Clooney’s signature tunes, Rosie….a Tribute, allows us all to regard two lovely vocalists, Heather and Rosemary…..tenderly."

-Carla Gordon