Laura
Ainsworth and Michael Gott have created the ultimate romantic
"date show," the witty and sophisticated retro revue, Cole
Porter:
Elegance and Decadence. Since their sold-out debut in 2006
at
Dallas' Stone Street
Threatre, Laura and Michael have gone
on to delight audiences at a variety of venues, from historic theaters
to two
state Christmas galas at the Arkansas Governor's Mansion, where
then-Gov. Mike Huckabee declared them "terrific" and said if he becomes
president, "they for sure get the White House gig!"
Critic
Joseph Melnikoff of BroadwayWorld.com
raved that Laura Ainsworth is both "a
gifted comedienne" and "a fine
singer with an outstanding range and genuine wit" who delighted the
audience, while Michael Gott
is "dazzling," a masterful pianist and a superior
vocalist whose
"musical artistry added romance, wit
and sophistication." He declared the show "a sublime
evening" that "truly was
magnificent entertainment!"
Offering an array of the chic composer’s
greatest standards and wittiest comic rarities; from
the
aching
“Night and Day,” "Love For Sale," and “Ev'ry
Time We Say Goodbye” to the outrageous wit of “The Physician,” “The
Tale of the Oyster” and "Let's Do It" (which Gott updates with his own
hilarious lyrics), Ainsworth and Gott promise the perfect night on the
town for
adults of all ages. They transport the audience back in time to
the great days of sophisticated,
Manhattan showroom revues of the '30s and '40s; to Cole Porter's world
of penthouse soirees, clever bon mots over cocktails at Broadway
opening night parties, and torrid affairs among the highest of high
society...Or as one critic put it, to "a
time
when
popular music was clever and witty and romantic and sexy and
written for grownups."
"...Made
us
feel
like we'd been transported back to Porter's time, enjoying
masterful but not-too-fussy
performances of some of the best songs in
the American canon. It was a "De-Lovely" evening indeed." --Mike
Orren,
PegasusNews.com
Ms
Ainsworth, a slender, vivacious
redhead,
has
made a name for herself in several
fields. As co-writer of her own internationally- syndicated radio
service,The
Comedy Wire, she provides
witty one-liners and parody
songs to top DJs worldwide. She is also an accomplished
singer/actress with countless plays and musicals to her credit.
Her musical lampoon of ageism and beauty
obsession, "Keep Young & Beautiful" (AKA “My Ship Has Sailed”),
performed with pianist
Brian Piper,
has appeared in major theaters, clubs and corporate events and earned
her a
Comcast cable special. a national TV appearance and terrific
reviews. TotalTheater.com raved that she
is “a fine
lounge singer with comic flair, who delivers her songs in a beautiful,
sultry voice.”
Mr. Gott's sublime
vocal
and
piano skills on the
standards have prompted comparisons to many great performers such as
Michael
Feinstein, but his uniquely varied background in pop, musical theater,
classical, jazz, opera and gospel resulted in a style all his
own.
For over 10 years, Gott was the reigning song
stylist of the posh Mansion Bar at Dallas' internationally-famous
Mansion Hotel, but
he has
also played top cabaret showrooms and megachurches nationwide, recorded
eight albums,
shared
stages with major celebrities, and composed the
critically-acclaimed musicals "Split Ends" and "All Stressed Up
With Nowhere To Go." His most recent
albums include "Live At The Mansion," "Surrender" (an album of his
inspirational piano compositions), and a romantic
Christmas CD.
Ms Ainsworth said, "Having
grown up watching my dad (late big
band
sax legend Billy Ainsworth)
accompany my idols, Ella Fitzgerald and Tony Bennett, at the famous
Fairmont Venetian
Room, I
can’t tell you how excited we are about bringing a little of that
sophisticated
sound back, both for older fans of this great music
and for
young people who have yet to discover it.”