\nPhotography courtesy of Lasting Reflections Photography by Donnette <\/p>\n
\ud83c\udfad NEW! Tampa Theatre Newsletter<\/p>\n
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\nPhotography courtesy of Lasting Reflections Photography by Donnette
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Onstage tonight through June 21 is End of the Rainbow at the Catherine Hickman Theater in Gulfport, a fierce, funny, and heart\u2011rending look at Judy Garland<\/a> in the final year of her life. Gulfport Community Players brings the story to the stage with Tammy Lukas stepping into the role of the legendary performer – a role she has, in many ways, been preparing for since childhood.<\/p>\n \ud83c\udfad NEW! Tampa Theatre Newsletter<\/p>\n \u201cThe Wizard of Oz when I was 3,\u201d she says. \u201cWatching that movie for the first time is one of my earliest memories. That started my lifelong love and obsession with all things Oz and Judy Garland<\/a>.\u201d Her first time onstage was as Dorothy, and in her twenties she worked in New York as a Judy Garland<\/a>\/Liza Minnelli<\/a> impersonator. When the show appeared in the GCP season, she immediately began preparing for \u201colder Judy.\u201d<\/p>\n Lukas is quick to lift up the people surrounding her in this production. \u201cMy fellow castmates are all marvelous in their roles: Brian Jacoby as Mickey Deans, Phillip Hubler as Anthony, and Bill Shideler as the Radio Interviewer, Porter & ASM,\u201d she says. She also extends gratitude to director Myles Thoroughgood \u201cfor this amazing opportunity to play my icon,\u201d and to the crew\u2014Rose Gillespie, Donnette Romero, Kathleen Hall, Alicia Merel, Bob Rowand, Eileen Navarro, Jay Gendron, Peter Villa, Rachel Fennell, Stacie Steinke, John Herrick, and Jeff Lukas – “for all of your contributions to making this show a success.\u201d<\/p>\n To inhabit Garland in 1968, Lukas immersed herself in the era. \u201cI did a deep dive into her last years,\u201d she says. \u201cI have repeatedly watched every interview, performance and recording available on YouTube\u2026 now I was watching in a new way – her facial expressions, how she moves, vocal and speech patterns.\u201d<\/p>\n Her castmate Billy Shideler helped unlock Judy\u2019s humor. \u201cHe pointed out that Judy has drag queen sarcasm and wit and that was a game changer,\u201d she says. \u201cNow I knew how to play it.\u201d<\/p>\n The contrast between Garland\u2019s public radiance and private exhaustion feels familiar to Lukas. \u201cNo imitation required. I can totally relate,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s exhausting, but you still must go out and shine onstage like you\u2019ve got all the energy in the world. I need the stage just like Judy did.\u201d<\/p>\n Studying Garland\u2019s voice reshaped her own. \u201cI have learned SO MUCH about phrasing, breath support, and song acting from Judy,\u201d she says. \u201cI was very surprised to discover how strong my lower register is\u2026 now I think this role has revealed my true wheelhouse.\u201d<\/p>\n Her understanding of Garland\u2019s relationship with Mickey Deans also deepened. \u201cTo Judy, he was her miracle,\u201d she says. \u201cThe knight in shining armor who would fix everything in her life. Judy longed to be loved as herself, not the persona of \u2018Judy Garland<\/a>.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n A comment outside rehearsal sharpened her sense of Garland\u2019s emotional cost. \u201cShe was tired of being pushed and controlled,\u201d Lukas says. \u201cShe was overworked, overwhelmed, and exhausted\u2026 Judy wanted to do things on her own terms.\u201d<\/p>\n Physicality came from intense study. \u201cI intensely studied her gestures, so now I just let Judy take over my body,\u201d she says. \u201cThe emotional connection running underneath prevents any overshadowing.\u201d<\/p>\n Performing Garland\u2019s most iconic songs carries its own weight. \u201cIt is equally thrilling and a great responsibility to do my best to honor her memory,\u201d she says. The final number, \u201cOver the Rainbow,\u201d is the hardest. \u201cReminds me of my mother who also died at 47. She introduced me to Oz and encouraged my love for the stage.\u201d<\/p>\n What she hopes audiences notice are the quietest shifts. \u201cThe stillness. Judy\u2019s humanity,\u201d she says. \u201cThe little girl who just wanted to be loved for her and not just the icon onstage\u2026 History views Judy as this tragic figure but she didn\u2019t see herself that way. She was a fighter and gave everything she had to the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Leaving the stage doesn\u2019t fully release her from the role. \u201cExhaustion!\u201d she says. \u201cHowever, I don\u2019t know if I ever truly step away from Judy.\u201d Her director, Myles Thoroughgood, once told her, \u201cYou ARE Judy Garland<\/a>.\u201d She calls it the greatest compliment she could receive.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n A twice-published author, multi-time award-winning playwright, magazine writer, theatre reviewer, and newspaper journalist with 30+ years in journalism and business copywriting, Deb is not one to shy … (read more about this author)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n
\nPhotography courtesy of
\nLasting Reflections Photography
\nby Donnette
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