Westport Country Playhouse will present actress, singer, and dancer Jean Louisa Kelly in “Anything Can Happen!,” a Mic in Hand event, on Thursday, April 4, at 7 p.m. The show takes the audience on a journey through the serendipitous story of Kelly’s life in and out of show business, from small-town New England to Hollywood and Broadway. With songs from “Gypsy,” “The Fantasticks,” “Next to Normal,” and “Company,” Kelly’s story is uplifting, moving, and fun, leaving the audience with the belief that truly, “Anything Can Happen!”
Kelly, who lives in Westport, CT, as Jean Pitaro, is a stage and screen star from the original Broadway cast of “Into the Woods,” and the movies “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” “Uncle Buck,” and “Top Gun: Maverick.” Her other film credits include “The Fantasticks,” “Call of the Wild,” and “Malignant.” She also starred in the long-running CBS sitcom “Yes, Dear” and had a recurring role on “Mad About You.” Additional theatrical productions include Reprise! musicals “Company,” “Applause,” “Pippin,” and The York Theatre Company’s “The It Girl.”
Kelly made her New York concert debut at The Laurie Beechman Theatre in 2023. She composed and performed all the songs in her EPs, “Willing” and “Relax, Nothing is Under Control,” and her children’s album, “Color of Your Heart.” Two of her original singles, “Don’t Give Up” and “Valley of Fire,” were written for and included in feature films in which she acted. Her most recent album of standards, “For My Folks,” is available on Amazon and across digital platforms.
Musical director and accompanist is Paul Bogaev, a Fairfield, CT, resident. He has received Grammy Awards for Broadway’s “Aida” and the film “Chicago,” and an Emmy for ABC-TV’s “Annie.” He was musical director for numerous Broadway shows including “Sunset Boulevard,” “Les Misérables,” and films including “Dreamgirls” and the animated “The Lion King.”
Tickets are $40. Proceeds will benefit education programming at Westport Country Playhouse.
Running time is 90 minutes; no intermission. For full details click here.
Mic in Hand started last year as a spin-off of the Playhouse’s Script in Hand series, which offers intimate storytelling as professional actors bring a play to life without sets or costumes. The first Mic in Hand presentation was “Ari Axelrod – A Place for Us: A Celebration of Jewish Broadway” in May 2023.
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