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Que faites vous le 19 décembre?

11/13/2015

Edith Piaf and Frank Sinatra turn 100 in 2015

Everyone knows Bastille Day, right? July 14th! But do you know about December 19th? December 19th 2015 to be exact? Let me give you a hint. One hundred years ago on that same day, a baby girl was born on the steps of the Parisian slums to a circus performer and a drug addicted chanteuse. She started singing in the streets for money to pay for food and later booze, was discovered by a well-known night club owner, then later became the highest paid female singer of her time. No? Shall I sing you a little hint? “Quand il me prends dans ses bras, il me parle tout bas, Je vois la vie en rose”. Oui oui! EDITH PIAF is celebrating her centenary December 19th! Happy 100th!

The “Little Sparrow”, the French icon, Edith Piaf, the voice of a nation, whose music is the soundtrack for many a lover lost, would have celebrated her 100th birthday December 19th 2015 and fans around the world have already been celebrating. It has been 52 years since her death in Paris, and here in Las Vegas, it has been 63 years since she sang at the Sands Hotel. Promoter, Jack Entratter invited Piaf to be a part of the hotel’s opening year of star studded artists which included Lena Horne, Danny Thomas, Tallulah Bankhead, Tony Bennet, and of course Frank Sinatra. Did you know that Piaf was born only one week after the Las Vegas icon, old Blue Eyes himself? The two legends have long moved on, but their music and voices live forever in the hearts of fans worldwide.

So, what are you doing December 19th? Hopefully finding yourself in a cozy bistro somewhere being serenaded by the voice that cried from the heart with songs of passion that shattered the world. Edith Piaf’s story is a true tale of courage and above all love. She lived to sing. Her life and songs were interchangeable. Her place in history irreplaceable and she deserves a toast! A votre santé Edith et bonne anniversaire!

Que…faites…vous… le 19 décembre?

Tone Poet Productions, a Las Vegas based production company and The Winchester Cultural Center will be presenting the Off-Broadway one woman theatrical tour de force “Piaf: Love Conquers All” starring Naomi Emmerson for two shows only at The Winchester Cultural Center March 4th and 5th 2016. Visit www.piafloveconquersall.com for details.

@piafLCA

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EDITH PIAF IN LAS VEGAS!

11/2/2015

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Edith Piaf at The Sands in Las Vegas 1953

Yes, the "Little Sparrow" from France did perform in Las Vegas! In the days when the Las Vegas Strip was home to just a handful of Hotels and Casinos, there was a competitive fervor among the owners to book top acts of the time to draw more patrons into their establishments (hmm, sound familiar?). In 1953, The Sands resort wanted to make a big splash for their opening year. Their strategy? To pay for the world's top talents to perform at the "Place in the Sun". But, how to get to these performers? Las Vegas wasn't a very hospitable place for artists - dry desert air reeked havoc on vocal cords and black artists like Nat King Cole and Dorothy Dandridge were welcome on stage but not in the rooms of the hotels in which they performed. The artists would need to be wooed by someone they could trust. The Sands operators turned to impresario Jack Entratter of New York's famed Copacabana, to handle the entertainment booking and publicity. Entratter later became Vice President then President of the Sands. In that opening year, alongside Entratter's headliners like Danny Thomas, Jimmy McHugh, Judy Collins, Chuck Nelson, Lena Horn and the Copa Girls, Edith Piaf had a six week run. One could say Edith Piaf in her plain black dress, who stood only 4'10" was the antithesis of the glam and glitz Las Vegas was associated with, but her powerful voice and passionate songs were drawing top dollar bookings all over the world. Entratter in later interviews admits the run was not as successful as hoped, "people just want to see folks they have seen on TV" (again, sound familiar?)

Today, Edith Piaf is almost a household name across the globe and definitely her music is the soundtrack of a nation. Most people when asked, have some memory of hearing her music or voice either from a grandmother's stereo, in a cafe in France or even in a TV commercial. Las Vegas receives the world everyday and is now ready to say "bienvenue" to a "vielle amie" - La Mome, Edith Piaf!

Naomi Emmerson will reprise the role of Edith Piaf in a Las Vegas premier of Piaf: Love Conquers All in March 2016 at The Winchester Cultural Center.

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Naomi's Thoughts on Playing Piaf

8/7/2013

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The most captivating thing about Piaf for me is her insatiable need to be loved and her unrelenting desire to sing, against all odds. I am fascinated by her obsessive passion for her art. Singing was like food or air to her. She often said: “If I could not sing, I would die.”

The fact that I have been performing this legendary icon for 5 years, allows me to really get into her skin each night. I never get tired of it, or bored.

It is the music that inspires me every night; to share this tragically moving story to the public is what keeps me going. When I see myself in that wig and little black dress, my whole body changes, and I am ready for the two hour roller-coaster ride that is this woman’s life.

Each night, when the lights go to black after the last song, I say a little thank you to Edith for having sacrificed everything to bring the world such magically, spell-binging music. I love being able to live, at least just for those two hours, the passion that she did her entire lifetime.

All those who knew her were completely wrapped up in her spell. That is the kind of approach I take when performing this piece. When I am up there, I feel like a boxer and his coach. All eyes are on me, but the audience is in good hands because I have my coach in the corner - Piaf and her music - who is always on my side and who believes in me and is cheering me on. I really do feel like she would be happy that her music continues to get the attention it deserves in the 21st Century.

For Piaf, it was all about the lyric. I really try to keep true to that passion by getting lost in the words of each song. It’s easy to be transported to that place because of the piano’s luxurious accompaniment and the powerful poetry. Even if you don’t understand French, you can be transported by the music and invent your own story.

I feel like the show is more of a three person play; myself as Piaf, the pianist who is on stage almost the whole show and who is paramount to the story because of how important Piaf’s composers were to her, and then, of course, there is the audience, who was the only Lover in Piaf’s life that never abandoned her.

Why you should come and see it? You should come, because this music needs to be kept alive in the memory of generations to come. Piaf’s uniqueness and her place in history is akin to say, Elvis or even Michael Jackson, and her life was just as intriguing and tragic.

If you want to be moved, inspired and transported by the music and story of a true icon, who lived her life with a passion and fervor only seen in those artists who sacrifice everything for their art, then you will have no regrets in sharing a night of live theatre that is meant to leave you wanting more.

For those people who know Piaf and love her music, they will be reminded of how much they missed their old friend, and revel in re-acquainting themselves with her songs and sharing in her stories of intimate desire and fear. For those who have yet to discover Piaf and her music, they will be eternally grateful for the introduction, and will no doubt leave the theatre wanting more!

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Some Press and Peers in Ottawa, Ontario

8/7/2013

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Naomi Emmerson

Naomi Emmerson star of Piaf Love Conquers All - the one woman musical about legendary French singer Edith Piaf. She has performed over 200 times for audiences across Canada and the USA and once in Indonesia. The set and costumes are also her creation. Naomi grew up in Montreal Quebec in an anglophone family. She went to French school from 2nd to 6th grade. She loves brie, baguettes and makes a mean crepe Nelson (apple,bacon,sharp cheddar and maple syrup)

Que faites vous le 19 décembre?

EDITH PIAF IN LAS VEGAS!

Naomi's Thoughts on Playing Piaf

Some Press and Peers in Ottawa, Ontario

Naomi Emmerson

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