Step ONTO our stage and get up close and personal with Joan Curto
On stage with...Joan Curto with Beckie Menzie | Shaking the Blues Away
Saturday, June 27 at 8 p.m.
Tickets to our popular On stage with...Summer Cabaret Series are limited. Our VIP section for Joan Curto is already sold out. The rest of our stage is still available for $50.
Ask about subscription packages and group discounts for 6 or more.
ORDER TICKETS IN THREE EASY WAYS
Phone: 312.922.2110 ext. 300
Online: 
Box office: Auditorium Box Office, 50 E. Congress Parkway (open Monday-Friday noon-6pm)
Q&A with Joan Curto, continued...
ATRU: Tell us about what we'll be hearing during your Auditorium debut.
JC: The show, Shaking the Blues Away, is a bit of an eclectic offering with songs ranging from Irving Berlin to The Beatles. Many songs will be from the Great American Songbook including songwriters Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Harold Arlen, Richard Rodgers. Some of these songs will highlight the humorous or serious side of these fantastic composers and lyricists. I don't think the Great American Standards ended in the 1950's. There are great songwriters today who have written songs which I also think are just terrific, although maybe not as familiar to audiences. I am always so thrilled when audiences hear and appreciate some of our best new composers of today. I like to intersperse humor into my shows, and hopefully I have included songs that will touch the funny bone as well as the heart. Beckie Menzie and I have also tried to take some new approaches to familiar songs and give them a twist. Beckie is one of Chicago's best musical directors, a fantastic performer in her own right. Together, we have come up with some great interpretations and new approaches to familiar material. But we feel we always remain true to the greatness of these songs.
ATRU: What is your funniest performance experience?
JC: In live performance, anything can happen. Going with the flow has always provided my best performing moments and memories. Recently, at the end of the show, I tripped and and literally fell on my face as I was leaving the stage. I could hear the audience gasp. Not the way you like to leave the stage, but these are moments where you go with the flow. So, I just stood up and said, "From now on, you can call me Grace." Later, I had several audience members ask for "Grace's" autograph.
ATRU: How did you get your start as a professional musician?
JC: I have been singing my whole life. I know that may sound cliche, but it's true. I majored in theatre at St. Mary's College in South Bend Indiana, but took a little break when my children were young. I decided as I was getting to a "cough, cough" certain age that if I didn't try to do this professionally, I never would have the opportunity again. So I auditoned at a club in Chicago and got my first "gig." Since then, I have been singing whereever they will have me. Over the years I have worked really hard at the craft. Not just the singing, but also building a show as well as an audience. I have been very fortunate over the years to be invited to sing in some amazing venues, including Lincoln Center. And I am excited, nervous, thrilled, scared and energized every single time I step on stage. I truly have the best job in the world.
ATRU: What other types of music do you listen to or draw inspiration from?
JC: I love all kinds of music. Besides standards, I am very drawn to folk and country music. There is so much creativity and humor in a lot of the music from both genres. I love a song that tells a story and many songs from those genres are also stories. Great lyrics are also a big draw to me, much more than the melody. So when there is a song that has the combination of great lyrics, a good story AND a terrific melody, I am a sucker for it. As far as inspiration, any song or piece of music that moves me is an inspiration. We draw so much from music, it can soothe, entertain, heal, make us laugh, make us remember and help us forget. Music can be powerful.
ATRU: Do you have any other special talents?
JC: I am a pretty good mimic. My problem is that I can do great imitations of people who are not famous. But I do a mean imitation of my childhood neighbor. I can sound just like her!
ATRU: What do you find interesting about Chicago's cabaret scene in comparison with other cities in which you've performed?
JC: The Chicago cabaret scene has seen explosive growth in the last decade. Some of that can be attributed to the work of a terrific organizaiton in Chicago Cabaret Professionals (CCP). I am a member of this group as well as part of the Board, and our mission as an advocacy group for professional performers is to preserve and promote the art of Cabaret performance. As a result, we see terrific performances being held all over Chicago, and the audiences have completely embraced it. Many other cities I have performed in don't offer this type of entertainment on a regular basis, so often there is limited availability. But, no matter where I go, audiences are overwhelmingly appreciative. I think it is the intimacy of the experience, especially between the performer and the audience that makes it special. I am so thrilled that the Auditorium has continued offer this Series, and that it continues to grow every year as audiences discover the variety of performers, the great music and, of course, when it comes to the Auditorium Theatre, the amazing venue.
ORDER TICKETS IN THREE EASY WAYS
Phone: 312.922.2110 ext. 300
Online:
Box office: Auditorium Box Office, 50 E. Congress Parkway (open Monday-Friday noon-6pm)
