Northlight's 'Ella' captures iconic songstess perfectly

If E. Faye Butler wins the 2008 Jeff Award for lead actress in a musical, she has Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn to thank.Butler plays Ella Fitzgerald in Northlight Theatre's marvelous "Ella," director Rob Ruggiero's musical about the "First Lady of Song" that opened Wednesday at Skokie's North Shore Center for the Performing Arts. More homage than imitation, it's a masterful performance from the charismatic Butler that reaches its emotional climax in her haunting rendition of Ellington and Strayhorn's "Something to Live For." The song, which comes late in the second act, reflects the weariness and regret of a woman who achieved everything except the love she desperately desired (a recurring theme in the bio-musical conceived by Ruggiero and Dyke Garrison and written by Jeffrey Hatcher). Melodramatic and somewhat contrived, it's a scene that comes dangerously close to a clich#233;. Butler's vulnerability, inherent honesty and her vocal command make it more. The time is 1966, a few days after her beloved sister's funeral and a few hours before Fitzgerald's concert in Nice, France. The first act unfolds as a rehearsal, during which her manager Norman (David Parkes) encourages the singer to add patter between songs. That prompts a series of recollections of her unhappy childhood, her professional debut with Chick Webb's big band, her subsequent solo career, ill-fated romances and her emergence as a jazz icon. It is her life chronicled in song with the glorious tunes by Gershwin, Porter, Berlin, Mercer and others recorded by Fitzgerald serving as the score. The first act is very good. The second, which unfolds as a concert, is better. Admittedly, Hatcher's book is negligible. The strength of this show rests with the music, arranged by Danny Holgate and played by a razor-sharp quartet comprised of conductor/pianist Anderson Edwards, trumpeter Ron Haynes (who does a terrific Louis Armstrong impression), drummer Walt Kindred and bassist John Whitfield, each of whom plays a significant man in Fitzgerald's life. Then there's the versatile Butler. She doesn't recreate Fitzgerald's sound. No one can. But with a voice that goes from lush and satiny on the lovely "I'll Never Be the Same" to bold and brassy on Fitzgerald's signature "How High the Moon" to ferocious on "That Old Black Magic," she has the talent to take on a legend.And steal a show. Then again, it's not stealing if you already own it. "Ella"3 1/2 starsout of fourLocation: Northlight Theatre, North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie Times: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays; 1 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Fridays; 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2:30 Sundays through Jan. 6, also 7 p.m. Dec. 30 and Jan. 6Running Time: About two hours, including intermission Tickets: $38-$58Box office: (847) 673-6300 or www.northlight.org Rating: For all ages