I Just Need A Little Jo Anne Worley

Saturdays in Washington usually mean one thing, and that’s Showtunes at Jrs!  As someone who loves the theatre but unfortunately can't perform in shows anymore because of my travel schedule between Portland and Washington, this 3 hour weekly romp through musicals of old and new fills a special void for me.  

Showtunes at Jr's

Whenever I go to New York City, I frequent a little basement establishment in the Village called Marie’s Crisis which features a live piano player, singing bar tenders and a jam packed crowd of Broadway hopefuls.  Marie’s Crisis even tops the weekly Jrs show because it’s live.  One of my best friends Chad is on special assignment in New York City and loves Marie’s Crisis as much as I do – well maybe not quite as much but suffice it to say he enjoys it.

Marie's Crisis in NYC

I called Chad this afternoon to see if was enjoying all that the Big Apple has to offer, and I was shocked to hear that after being gone for almost 3 weeks, he hadn’t been to Marie’s Crisis yet, but that it was on his to do list.

Chad and I met through mutual friends several years ago on an outside patio on 17^th Street and despite our respective political views in the nation’s capital mirroring James Carville and Mary Matalin, we’ve been terrific friends ever since.  What I like most about Chad is that we travel really well together and on our sojourns, we always try to get in some sort of musical performance be it a show or singing karaoke into the wee hours of the night.

Chad and I en route to Hawaii

It was during Chad’s first trip to visit me in Maine that he imparted the magic of Jo Anne Worley to me.  With the top of the Jeep down and sunglasses donned, Chad belted at the top of his lungs, “I just need a little Jo Anne Worley,”  en route to Ogunquit for yup, you guessed it, an evening of showtunes at the Front Porch.  Not familiar with Jo Anne Worley, I asked Chad to explain, and his description of Miss Worley went something like this, “You know her Boo.  She’s the warbling singer with the over the top voice from Laugh-In fame.”  It became a trademark saying between us and I would always beg for Chad’s “I just need a little Jo Anne Worley” whenever we traveled after that.

Jo Anne is indeed over the top.  She’s full of life, she’s super funny, she’s got moxie and maybe even a little touch of crazy – the good kind.  That’s why I like her, and that’s how I like my Showtunes – over the top. 

So here’s to you Chad and the city that never sleeps.  You just need a little Jo Anne Worley, and I bet you can find it at Marie’s Crisis.  When I visit in April,  it will be a part of the required itinerary complete with a hot dog from Papaya around 4 am. 

Until then, I will have to settle for my weekly Showtunes fix on 17^th Street.  The magic begins around 5 pm and while you might not see Jo Anne Worley there, you might be lucky enough to hear an impersonation of her from Blaise toward the end of the evening.

Blaise or Jo Anne Worley?