Play It Cool
Lea DeLaria, who already enjoyed a career as a Broadway singer and stand-up comedian, made her recording Warner Bros. debut in 2000. Hailed by the Times as 'the Best Jazz Album of 2001", Play It Cool confirmed Lea as one of the best jazz singers of our time. Q magazine commented "Lea DeLaria is blessed with one of the most beautiful voices around", while Time Out claimed "the gal can certainly swing", and the Guardian summed her up as "talks like a coffee grinder, and sounds like a cross between Ella Fitzgerald and a Broadway diva."
Double Standards
Her second album, Double Standards, received rave reviews in the UK and US press, and from ‘Call Me’ and ‘Philadelphia' from this recording get regular radio play on both sides of the Atlantic.
Live Jazz !
Lea’s UK jazz live dates have included the London Jazz Festival (2001), Brighton’s Komedia (sold out), as well as several sold-out residencies at Pizza Express, and Pizza On The Park. She has also appeared at the New York City JVC and Montreux Jazz Festival, and as the featured vocalist of THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL TOUR.
Muff Diva - Best of The Fest!
The first openly gay comic to appear on national television in the United States ( Arsenio Hall, 1993) from this point forward she has toured the world with her one-of-a-kind blend of cool jazz and in your face comedy, often creating stirs (The United States Congress officially "criticised" Lea in 1993) but always winning accolades (MUFF DIVA - BEST OF THE FEST Edinburgh 1993
DeLICIOUS DeLARIA
Wellington 1994 / DeLIGHTFUL DeLICIOUS DeLARIA- Best Live Performance Backstage Award 1999). Lea has recorded two live comedy albums (Bulldyke In A China Shop and Box Lunch) and developed specials for HBO, SHOWTIME, COMEDY CENTRAL, CBC, and CHANNEL 4 including work for which she received a 1994 regional Emmy (THE WORLD ACCORDING TO US, Lifetime).
Ms. DeLaria's work in television is as unique as it is varied. She has created strange characters for daytime soaps (ONE LIFE TO LIVE ), Primetime (WILL AND GRACE, FRIENDS, and would you believe it MATLOCK ) and has appeared on every talk show from THE TODAY SHOW (NBC morning show), CHEF DU JOUR (FOOD CHANNEL) ROSIE O'DONNELL ( National Syndication ) POLITICALLY INCORRECT ( ABC Late Night ) She's even is the voice of Helga on the dark comedy cult hit THE OBLONGS "
GLAMA AWARD
The small screen gave way to the big screen for Lea as she plays bit parts in major motion pictures (THE FIRST WIVES CLUB, MAJOR BILKO) but more often leads in independents (RESCUING DESIRE, MERCURY IN RETROGRADE, HOMO HEIGHTS AND EDGE OF SEVENTEEN-for which her version of Irving Berlin's ‘Blue Skies’ won a 1999 GLAMA AWARD- Best Jazz Performance- and the soon to be released FAT ROSE AND SQUEAKY in which she plays the title role along side Academy Award winner Louise Fletcher and 4 time Emmy winner Cicely Tyson.
BOTTOM
Like all singing comics Lea's greatest desire was to stand downstage center and hold a Broadway audience captive. Her dream came to fruition in 1997 with The Public Theater's revival of ON THE TOWN. Directed by 2 time Tony Award winner George C. Wolfe in the role of Hildy she stopped the show 8 times a week and received Obie, Drama Desk, Theater World and Fanny Awards. She became a Drama League Honoree and the recipient of the most notorious snub of recent Tony history. The notoriety pushed Lea into the limelight of the New York theater scene, making her one of the few openly gay actors in the world to cross boundaries playing straight ( Hildy-ON THE TOWN, Broadway / Cinder-LITTLE FISH, off Broadway / Winnie-HAPPY DAYS, off Broadway / Joy-CINDERELLA, NYC Opera ) and playing gay ( Mama Morton- CHICAGO, National Tour / Jane-THE MOST FABULOUS STORY EVER TOLD, off Broadway, a role written especially for her by Paul Rudnik, ) and even portraying men! ( Eddie and Dr. Scott-THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, Broadway / Marryin Sam-LIL ABNER, Encore Series ) .Lea is set to play the role of Bottom in a non-gender specific urban musical interpretation of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM in the Spring of 2006.
AND NOW...
As a result of all these musical comedy turns, Ms. DeLaria's singing career blossomed. She toured night clubs and concert halls. ( JUDY GARLAND TRIBUTE, MY FAVORITE BROADWAY-THE LEADING LADIES, BILLIE HOLIDAY TRIBUTE, JAZZ SALUTE TO SONDHEIM, HAROLD ARLEN 100 BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION all at Carnegie Hall / END OF THE MILLENNIUM CONCERT, BILLIE HOLIDAY TRIBUTE at The Hollywood Bowl ) It was at one of these that Lea was spotted by Warner Jazz and signed the deal. Her first record PLAY IT COOL was named Album of the Year by the London Times, with the single THE BALLAD OF SWEENEY TODD remaining at #1 on Jazz radio in the U.S. for 2 months. Her second, DOUBLE STANDARDS leapt onto the Billboard Jazz Chart at #6. The singles CALL ME and PHILADELPHIA from this recording are regular spins on Jazz radio through out the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Lea has toured most of the large Jazz Festivals including LONDON, NEW YORK CITY JVC, and MONTREUX, culminating in her appearance as the featured vocalist of THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL TOUR.
