Kara
DioGuardi was catapulted into the public eye when she became the “4thJudge” on American Idol back in 2009. If you were at all music industry
savvy then her name would have stood out to you in an instant with the plethora
of credentials she has earned from a lot of hard work and self belief;
songwriter, producer, singer, co-owner of Arthouse Entertainment, Senior VP of
Talent/A&R at Warner Bros LA. The list goes on. Unbeknown to
the general public and not publicised on Idol, Kara DioGuardi was the most
qualified at that judges table and it’s a shame she had to fight to prove
herself on the show. Still American Idol, despite being a pleasure and a
pain, has pushed her to new levels both personally and in her career and she
has found herself working on projects she would only have dreamed of in the
past.
Kara
has always had a voice and a passion for singing. It was clear she was
gifted, as a young child she would sing for her family around the dinner table
and at various functions. She enjoyed the singing but suffered terribly
with stage fright, something she has had to work hard to overcome through the
years and still does today. From her early career as an aspiring artist,
as a songwriter, as a woman in power in the industry, as a modern day
celebrity, Kara has constantly pushed herself to achieve and worked
relentlessly to reach her goals. This talented young woman truly deserves
all the success he has achieved and it sure hasn’t been an easy road but then
success tastes so much better when you know you’ve worked your ass off for it!
Her
latest success sees her branch out to the bright lights of Broadway! Kara
was born to perform! Listen to her singing at the age of eleven and
you’ll wonder why her name hasn’t shown up on a “Playbill” you own before
now!
29
years later, it’s hard to believe she’s 40 I know, Kara is taking Broadway by
storm in the lead role of “Roxie Hart” in the hit musical “Chicago.” Now
I’m fairly sure the press were waiting in the wings on her opening night,
poised to take a snipe at her all over again after their unnecessary and often
unsavoury reporting during her Idol years. But what could they
criticise? Absolutely nothing at all because Kara is simply sensational
up there on stage at the Ambassador Theater and to report otherwise would be a
sin! Watching her get her Roxie on you would never guess she wasn’t
theatre school trained. She performs like a seasoned pro! I’ve
seen a few actresses and celebrities take on the role of Roxie over the years
and Kara is by far the best I’ve seen. Now I’ve known the girl can sing
for years, her vocal is phenomenal but musical theatre singing is a different
style entirely. It’s a far cry from Kara’s comfort zone of soft lighting,
a stool and a guitar for back up where she can close her eyes and just
sing. In a musical theatre world you have to work so much harder on
delivery, annunciating every word whilst acting and keeping in character.
Kara does this 110% It’s crystal clear she’s worked hard on her vocal
delivery and the same can be said for her dancing skills. Kara’s not a
dancer but she’s put in the practice and it shows, she’s got some fancy
footwork going on and seems to really enjoy herself too! As for acting,
who needs training, she’s a natural! She stays in character from start to
end, living out the highs and lows of Roxie's tumultuous and highly emotional
rollercoaster of a life. She’s so believable and the audience will and
does relate to that hugely. It is possible to warm to a murderer! I
also like to see that she’s crafted her own personal traits in Roxie too,
adding a bit of DioGuardi feist and fun to the mix. Kara is naturally
expressive and has an inbuilt humility that can't be "created."
Her "The Gun" puppet court room scene is hilarious and can I just say
her "tiger" and "crushed butterfly" faces are priceless! :)
Kara
compliments the cast perfectly, especially vocally with Amra-Faye Wright, who
I've seen perform before on a couple of occasions in London. A Roxie with
a voice had become a rare thing but this Roxie sure has it all, Kara’s a triple
threat! Billy Flynn, currently being played by Tony Yazbeck, another
vocally strong presence, has incredible charm and comic timing which are
qualities only strengthened by Kara’s convincing performance. In fact the whole cast are strong on all
levels and are visibly tight throughout.
It’s clear to see that Kara has a deep admiration and respect for the
cast she works with and rightly so but you can bet your bottom dollar they have
total respect for her too. They recognise her talent and commitment and
this is the reason why the whole cast gel so well up on stage and it definitely
transcends to the audience! I went to the show on a couple of occasions
whilst in New York and on each night the audience were lapping it up! I’m
always nosey in the restrooms, listening out to what people are saying about
performers. It’s a form of immediate public feedback. The toilet goers had some very positive
comments about Kara, I’ll share a few that I can remember. “That Roxie
girl, she’s so awesome!” “The idol girl, she really can sing, who
knew!” “The girl playing Roxie Hart, she’s killing it up there!” And the
best one I heard, “Finally a celebrity that deserves to be on Broadway.
That Kara DioGuardi can sing, act and dance!” They took the words right
outta my mouth...so true! Let me tell you, the theatre goers love Kara,
some of them may not have known who she was but they sure do now. In my
opinion Kara deserves all the praise, she’s earned it and I for one feel
privileged to have seen her perform on Broadway. She should be very proud of herself right
now!
So
what are you waiting for, if you want be razzle dazzled then catch Kara DioGuardi
as foxy Roxie Hart in Chicago through October 30th !
Click on the below link to check out Kara's "Road to Broadway" on Youtube:
Chicago
plays at the Ambassador Theater, 219 W 49th Street, (Broadway/8th)
New York.
Read
about the show here on Chicago’s official website: http://www.chicagothemusical.com
You
can book tickets direct at the Box Office or by calling Telecharge on 212.239.6200
or book online http://www.telecharge.com/behindTheCurtain.aspx
Follow
Kara DioGuardi on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kara_dioguardi
If you like Kara DioGuardi then check out my review of her memoir, "A Helluva High Note; Surviving Life, Love and American Idol" here:
http://livelifeinsongs.blogspot.com/2011/04/review-of-kara-dioguardis-new-memoir.html
*All
pictures used in this review with the exception of the title image were taken from Kara’s Twitter feed. No copyright infringement intended.
