Staff Reports | Happenings & Events
The Phoenix Theatre Company will present Tenderly: The Rosemary Clooney Musical, an intimate production tracing the life of the American singer, from March 4 to May 3, 2026, in the Judith Hardes Theatre.
The musical looks back on Clooney’s career and personal challenges, according to a press release.
Before she was widely known as actor George Clooney’s aunt, Rosemary Clooney rose from a small Kentucky town to become one of the mid‑20th century’s most recognizable recording artists. Behind her public success, she faced personal struggles, periods of instability and a later‑career return that reshaped her legacy.
Tenderly tells Clooney’s story through the structure of therapy sessions, moving between memories, flashbacks and the music that defined her career. With two performers onstage, one actor portrays Clooney while the second plays more than a dozen people from her life, including her psychiatrist, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, José Ferrer and members of her family.
“I think myself, much like many other people, have heard of Rosemary Clooney and seen White Christmas,” Director Jodie Weiss said. “But reading her memoirs and doing research, I realized she was a very complex human who went through a lot of adversity starting from a very young age. Her ability to overcome those things and reinvent herself is so inspiring. I think everybody could use that right now.”
Featuring songs such as “Come On-a My House,” “Hey There,” “Sisters,” “Paper Moon” and “Tenderly,” the production incorporates a mid‑century‑inspired set designed by Douglas Clarke. The Hardes Theatre’s small venue places audiences close to the action, with a live band performing onstage.
“Audiences will recognize many of Rosemary Clooney’s songs,” Ms. Weiss said. “Her music lives on in commercials, in movies, in remakes. This show is charming, poignant, and delightful, a lovely stroll down memory lane that also reveals the real woman behind the voice.”
The cast features Tony Blosser* and Gina Guarino*. Understudies include Lindsay Decoste and Rob Watson.
*Courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association
