Celebrate the season as Debbie Wileman makes her San Francisco debut with her tribute, Judy Garland: We Need a Little Christmas, to A.C.T.’s Strand Theater for two performances only.
Fresh off the release of her new holiday album, A Christmas Garland (out at the end of November), Wileman brings the holiday spirit and command the stage in a holiday show featuring Judy’s famous holiday songs, as well as old and new songs of the season that she would be performing if she were with us today. Judy Garland: We Need a Little Christmas is produced by Scott Stander.
Debbie was born and raised as a working-class Londoner. As the only child of a professional rock musician father and her schoolteacher mother, she excelled musically and artistically as a young girl. Debbie’s nana (her dad’s mother) a wonderful pianist, singer and mentor, introduced her to musicals and her love for Judy’s music. At 12, she started performing Judy for her nana and an ever-growing world. Following her secondary education, Debbie attended The University of Salford in Salford, Greater Manchester, England, where she completed her performing arts degree. During her years at Salford, she acted and sang honing her exceptional natural talents.
Her story is far richer than her magnificent voice alone. She is the ultimate “down-to-earth” Londoner who values hard work and family. A talented woman who was blessed with a fabulous talent and a vision to bring happiness through her music to a wide-spectrum of people.
As she posted her daily musical selections on her social media accounts, ranging from singing as herself or as Judy Garland, Dusty Springfield, Patsy Cline, Liza Minnelli, Shirley Bassey, Karen Carpenter and many other luminaries, her band of admiring followers began to grow, indeed explode.
Her growing recognition and acclaim is an accident of fate. She put her love of family in front of pursuing her musical career. The isolation and despair of the world-wide pandemic became an improbable catalyst to provide Debbie with a platform to inspire hope and joy across the globe. Sometimes unintended consequences have wonderful results.
Debbie Wileman’s uncanny recreation of the sound of Judy Garland has gained over 1 million online views and she is now, direct from London, onstage to dazzle Judy’s fans as well as her new followers.
