“In the Mood” for some swingin’ tunes? Smile Theatre proudly presents vocalist Jill Diane Filion and pianist John Hughes in a celebration of hits from the Big Band Era. Reminisce to some of the melodies made famous by Glenn Miller, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, and Benny Goodman, and be sure to sing along to such classics as Chatenooga Choo-Choo, Stardust and Blue Champagne. Enjoy!
The Artists
Jill Diane Filion, vocals
Jill grew up in Vancouver where she studied piano, voice and dance. She appeared in her first musical Oklahoma at age 13 and hasn’t left the stage since! From feature dance roles Jill quickly moved on to leading ladies, favourites include Eliza in My Fair Lady, Marion in The Music Man and Valencienne in The Merry Widow. Jill toured British Columbia with the Vancouver Opera Touring Ensemble for three seasons, as Musetta in La Boheme, Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, and Josephine in Pinafore! She appeared as guest soloist with the Kelowna Symphony and the Vancouver Chamber Ensemble and hosted the television show The Performers. Jill arrived in Toronto in 1994 to join the cast of The Phantom of the Opera. In 1996 she became an original cast member of Ragtime. Recent credits include Nimue in Camelot, Frenchie in Cabaret, and Fermina in Man of La Mancha. In the summer of 2006 Jill played Rachel Lynde in Drayton Entertainment’s Anne of Green Gables and Susan in the world premiere of Simon Joyne’s Animal Magnetism at the Georgian Theatre Festival. For Smile Theatre Jill choreographed Home for the Holidays and Everything’s coming up Rosie. Last season she sang her way into many hearts in Smile Theatre’s Moonlight Serenade.
John Hughes, keyboard
John was recently pianist for Forever Plaid at Stage West and musical director for Dads at Theatre Orangeville. In the fall of 2004, he toured with Real Live Girl, which played London and Winnipeg. Before that, he was a rehearsal pianist for Guys and Dolls and Anything Goes at the Stratford Festival. His recent credits as musical director/pianist include Guys and Dolls, A Grand Night Fo-r Singing, Me and My and Lady Be Good. As pianist, his theatrical credits include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Hello, Dolly, 42nd Street, Anne of Green Gables, Dames At Sea and South Pacific. Other credits include Sunset Boulevard, Falsettos, Nunsense II, Fiddler On the Roof and Closer Than Ever. John has worked extensively as a rehearsal pianist on various productions. He is one of the city’s busiest vocal coaches and is seen frequently as audition accompanist for Mirvish Productions, the Stratford and Shaw Festivals, Disney and many other theatre companies. He has been a coach/accompanist at the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts since 1993.
For more information about Smile Theatre and about booking In the Mood please contact Kevin Etherington, by phone: 416-599-8440 or by email: kevin@smiletheatre.com