L aurette W illis’ IDEO TestimoniesStory BELOW:Click here for: « HOME « BIO « Recommendations « STORE « PraiseMoves « Keynotes/Seminars « Shows « Storytelling « PowerMoves Kids (Character Ed. & Fitness!) « Alternative Education Residencies « “Under the Cherokee Moon” « FAQ « Fitness for His Witness « Ascential Nutrition Products « CONTACT US
The Nutty ‘40s Radio Show! From review by Jean Hagen, Tahlequah Daily Press Listen up all you “hep cats,” ‘cause this is “Solid, Jackson!” The Fabulous Forties comes to life with Laurette Willis starring in The Nutty ‘40s Radio Show! It’s 1945 and America’s No. 1 variety show is “The Radio Variety Hour” broadcasting LIVE from New York City. The program’s hostess is the lovely Miss Katherine St. Clare, “star of Broadway stage and screen.” Actually, it’s the setting for The Nutty ‘40s Radio Show, the hilarious comedy written by and starring Laurette Willis of DoveTale Productions. This one-woman show features “The Woman of 101 Voices” in a tour de force that will leave audiences laughing and asking themselves, “How did she do all that?” Big Band music ushers the audience back in time to east coast radio station WAKY (pronounced “wacky”) only moments before America’s favorite variety show is broadcast live into millions of homes throughout all 48 states. This particular evening, however, there is one slight problem. All of the actors, announcers and technicians have just gone on strike – even the sound effects man and the orchestra, “Winky McFarland and the Eyesores!”  So – it’s up to Katherine, portrayed by Willis, with help from the audience, to keep the show on the air. With all the pluck and bravado of a Judy Garland-Mickey Rooney classic, volunteers help out by reading hilarious scripts for commercials and serials “on the air.” Willis surprises the audience with a seemingly limitless variety of voices to cover for the numerous actors on strike – everything from a Brooklynese mobster to jungle bird calls; a police siren to cartoon character Betty Boop. Willis’ rich contralto voice keeps things moving with such toe-tapping melodies as “It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing” and “Dixie Melody.” Her “solo duet” as both Katherine and Betty Boop is a hoot. Willis, who has performed on the New York stage, in Asia for the U.S.O., as well as for television and films, says The Nutty ‘40s Radio Show is one of her favorite shows. “I wrote this show to be able to showcase some of the great ‘40s songs I love to sing, as well as highlight the wonderful nuttiness of ‘40s ‘screwball comedy,’” said Willis. “I get to be ‘wacky,’ doing some of the off-the-wall voices and sound effects I’ve done since I was a kid – like the jungle bird calls that used to drive my mother up the wall!” Laurette says 1940s comedienne Betty Hutton is her inspiration for the character of Katherine St. Clare – “singer, dancer, actress, and wonderfully wacky!” The Nutty ‘40s Radio Show is truly a “blast from the past” full of entertainment, delightful surprises and fun. One-Woman Shows: Laurette’s original one-woman shows and seminars are available for matching funds from the Oklahoma Arts Council or the Mid-America Arts Alliance (search under Willis) for Public non-profit groups and schools. • Great Women of the Bible • Susanna Wesley: LIVE! • The Nutty ‘40s Radio Show! • Great Women of the Frontier • Historical Hysterics • The REAL Belle Starr • Storytelling Shakespeare • Introducing: Miss Emily Dickinson • Great Women of the Oil Fields • Folktales of Scotland • Sister Aimee (Aimee Semple McPherson) • Reflections: Letters from World War II Click HERE For Descriptions of Keynote Presentations and Seminars Including: Fitness for His Witness (featuring PraiseMoves™) Personality Puzzle, Leadership Skills, Drama & Storytelling Workshops For information on how to bring Laurette to your town for The Nutty ’40s Radio Show or any of her other shows or seminars, please CONTACT us. IDEO TestimoniesStory BELOW:Click here for: « HOME « BIO « Recommendations « STORE « PraiseMoves « Keynotes/Seminars « Shows « PowerMoves Kids (Character Ed. & Fitness!) « Alternative Education Residencies « “Under the Cherokee Moon” « FAQ « Fitness for His Witness « Ascential Nutrition Products « CONTACT US		“Welcome to W-A-K-Y (Wacky!) Radio!!!” Laurette is “Miss Katherine St. Clare,” your charming hostess for 1945 America’s #1 Radio Show – LIVE from New York!