Imitation is supposed to be the sincerest form of flattery but Carol Channing was so unimpressed with cabaret artist Daryl Nitz’s impression of her, she didn’t even feel it was worth discussing.
“Carol Channing said something like, ‘Rich Little did his impression of me for me and I didn’t think it sounded like me at all.’ That’s all she said,” Nitz recalled.
It should be noted that Nitz related this entire episode in Channing’s voice. We were impressed.
Nitz remains a huge fan of the iconic performer. That’s why he assembled five of his favorite female singers to present “Hello, Carol! A Centennial Birthday Celebration of Carol Channing” on Oct. 24 at the Skokie Theatre.
“Nobody has that star power,” Nitz declared. “Her record-breaking performance in ‘Hello, Dolly!’ is iconic. Carol Channing is like this larger-than-life persona that we don’t have anymore. I hope that she’s always remembered.”
The five female performers are equally big fans of Carol Channing.
“She was an American treasure,” said Carla Gordon. “She could tell jokes, she could dance, she could sing. Obviously, she was iconic in ‘Dolly.’ She had half a century of entertaining with grace and joy.”
Gordon will perform Jerry Herman’s “Put it Back On,” about an over-the-hill stripper, and another comedy song, “Calypso Pete.”
“Carol Channing is Broadway and more royalty,” said Denise McGowan Tracy. “There’s a charisma and there’s an energy for live performance that she exuded. That smile. That almost reaching out. ‘Hey, look at the fun I’m having and I’m inviting you all to come.'”
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McGowan Tracy will Sing “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” and a mix of “Bye Bye Baby” and “So Long, Dearie.”
“She would be celebrating her one-hundredth birthday and she is an icon of Broadway, but on television as well and movies,” said Laura Freeman. “There’s Ethel Merman, there is Mary Martin, and there is Carol Channing. Those are the three hugest icons of the Golden Age. Those were the belters.”
Freeman was particularly impressed with Channing’s work ethic, citing the example of “Hello, Dolly!” “From what I hear and read, every single person who saw that — whether they saw the very first show or whether they saw the last one — got the same performance,” Freeman said.
Freeman’s selections will be the Gershwin tune, “Do it Again,” and “Nelson,” a comedy song about Nelson Eddy.
“She was one of the most dynamic icons of the Broadway stage,” said Judy Rossignuolo-Rice. “I was fortunate, meeting her in person many, many years ago at the Chicago Theatre when they were here to promote ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie.’ She was positively breathtaking in person. Her personality was unlike anyone else’s.”
The bonus for Rossignuolo-Rice is that “I could sing her songs. They’re all in my key.”
Rossignuolo-Rice will perform “Before the Parade Passes By,” from “Hello, Dolly!,” and “One Hundred Easy Ways to Lose a Man” from “Wonderful Town.”
“She was 100% authentic at a time when that was not an easy thing to be,” said LJ Bullen.
Bullen will sing, “Jazz Baby” from “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” and “Little Girl from Little Rock.”
Nitz will perform “Motherhood” from “Hello, Dolly!” with accompanist Andrew Blendermann. He will also be showing some video clips because, he said, “Only Carol Channing could have ever pulled these songs off.”
‘Hello Carol! A Centennial Birthday Celebration of Carol Channing’
When: 7 p.m. Oct. 24
Where: Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln Ave., Skokie
Tickets: $30
Information: 847-677-7761; skokietheatre.org/hello-carol.html
Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.