[Dixielandjazz] "Sisters of Swing" previewed

[Robert Ringwald]

A Return to Stoneham -- and Sisterhood
Trio form bond in retelling Andrews story
by Joel Brown
Boston Globe, July 1, 2011
They've been singing and dancing together for years. Backstage they laugh and cry
and argue and tease. They're the Andrews Sisters onstage -- and more than a little
bit offstage, too.
At the Stoneham Theatre through July 24, Laura DeGiacomo, Kerri Jill Garbis, and
Kimberly Robertson don wigs and classic mid-20th-century American garb to play the
Andrews Sisters in "Sisters of Swing."
"I play LaVerne, and I'm the most important one," Garbis says, and all three crack
up. "I'm really bossy -- and by I, I mean Kerri Jill Garbis."
"Patty is more of the clown, and she's the baby. She tends to get the big silly moments
in the show," says DeGiacomo, who plays her.
"And then there's Mackie," Robertson says, using the nickname for her character,
Maxene. "Mackie just wants to be noticed. So Mackie does what she can to get that."
Sitting in a basement rehearsal room a week before the opening, in T-shirts and sweat
pants, the actresses form a very modern kind of sisterhood. All three cop to being
well suited to their roles. They first appeared in "Sisters of Swing" here in 2008
and made it the theater's best-grossing musical ever, until a recent production of
"42nd Street." They remained friends after the run and took occasional outside gigs
as the Andrews Sisters at corporate events, fund-raisers, and even a parade or two.
Now they're thrilled to be back together in a remount of the production.
Garbis compares the Andrews Sisters to the Destiny's Child or Spice Girls of their
day.
"And American as apple pie," says Robertson. "They stood for so much."
The real-life trio was as big a singing group as America had in the 1930s and '40s,
with hits like "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree." They
were especially popular during World War II, often performing for the troops overseas.
But the actresses say the real-life sisters were also ahead of their time in their
independence. The show includes a scene in which they stand up against racism in
the military.
"Don't you think if they were here today they'd be all out for equality and equal
rights?" asks Garbis. "Absolutely," say the other two.
The production also includes Steve Gagliastro in multiple roles -- Carmen Miranda,
for instance -- and an eight-piece band conducted by musical director Mario Cruz,
who plays piano onstage.
The three had never met before their auditions in 2008, but as the show went on,
they bonded. Just after the end of the run, a vocal coach connected to DeGiacomo
arranged a conference call for them with the real Patty, the only surviving Andrews
sister, who lives in California.
DeGiacomo: "I said, 'I'm Laura, and I play you.' And she said, 'Well, do you have
a lot of personality?' And I said, 'Well, Miss Andrews, probably not as much as you,
but I try.'"
Having worked hard to master the harmonies transcribed for the show, Garbis asked
Patty Andrews if the sisters ever wrote down their vocal arrangements. "She's like,
'Oh no, I'd pick a note, and Laverne would pick a note, and Maxene would pick a note,
and then we'd all sing.'"
The last three years have brought a flood of additional Andrews Sisters material
to YouTube, the actresses say, so instead of the handful of clips available when
they started, they can now see actual performances of the 20 songs in the show. But
that's not the most important change.
"What's different for us is now we have a three-year-plus relationship and we all
have more life experiences that we can bring to the table, and as an actor that's
invaluable," says Garbis.
Those experiences include a cancer diagnosis for one's mother and other personal
and professional challenges they prefer not to talk about publicly. They all live
north of Boston now, so they save that talk for shared dinners. And they hope that
the end of "Sisters of Swing" won't end that.
"The very final scene we have together, I can't get through it, I'm just like a disaster,"
says DeGiacomo, tearing up. "The monologue I have is [Patty] just talking about the
war and her relationship with her sisters, that that's what she's really holding
on to more than anything..."
Tears, laughter, and teasing briefly take over the interview.
"This is what rehearsals are like," says Robertson.
"I just can't imagine not having such great friendships," DeGiacomo says, wiping
her eyes. "Friendships that have come unexpectedly and have meant a lot to me over
the past few years. It's much more emotional getting through that last monologue.
It's a tough one to get through. This time around it's much more about the connections
we've made and how lucky I feel. And the last song is called 'Count Your Blessings.'"


--Bob Ringwald
www.ringwald.com
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