Jenna Pastuszek Bringing Judy Garland To Cheney Hall

MANCHESTER, CT — Jenna Pastuszek, featuring music direction by Kyle Branzel, is bringing "GET HAPPY!: A Tribute to the World’s Greatest Entertainer, Judy Garland" to The Little Theatre of Manchester at Cheney Hall next month.

The performance is slated for Sunday, Sept. 15 at 2 p.m.

Head here for tickets.

Here is the official billing for the show:

"It’s been 85 years since the world first heard Judy Garland sing about a place “somewhere over the rainbow,” and her star power remains just as potent as it was then. Why? What is it about Judy that continues to build new generations of infatuated admirers? What can we learn from her resilience and determination to forget her troubles?

"Join nationally acclaimed performer Jenna Pastuszek, her band (led by Kyle Branzel on piano, Meghan Doyle on drums, and Sean Murphy on bass) and special guest Tim Russell in this 102nd birthday celebration of the world’s greatest entertainer. With “lavishly clever arrangements”, and “witty, endearing personal stories”, this isn’t a traditional Judy Garland tribute — there will be no impersonation here. Instead, lifelong Judy fans will love the cleverly curated playlist of beloved classics and forgotten gems while millennials and Gen Zers will discover an artist who transcends time.

"Pastuszek is thrilled to return to Cheney Hall after a wildly successful debut earlier this year with a special Mother’s Day performance of ME, MYSELF & BARBRA. To celebrate, this one-night-only event will also feature New York City’s critically-acclaimed singer and performer, Tim Russell, as Jenna’s special guest, who actually got his start performing at Cheney Hall as a kid. One thing is for certain, Judy loved a duet! “Judy famously sang with people like Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and Mickey Rooney. It only made sense to bring Tim Russell, Connecticut born and raised, my dear friend from grad school at NYU, and my business partner (we co-founded Innovative Voice Studio), with me back to Cheney Hall.”

"Matt Silva, Artistic Director of Delaware Theatre Company said, "Get Happy! should be the title of Jenna's memoir, not just this incredible show. She is a ray of sunshine and her positive energy is infectious and is only overshadowed by her talent! Jenna has a powerhouse voice that she knows how to use to move an audience. Jenna endears herself to the audience from the very start and everyone feels like they are in terrific hands for the entirety of the show. One song flows beautifully into the next thanks to this carefully curated gem of a piece."