Photo: Mary Donnelly Haskell.
On Saturday, April 12 the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts will welcome actress and singer Mary Donnelly Haskell along with Mary Lane Haskell, Marilu Henner, Guy Hovis and the Mississippi Delta’s Buford Family for an evening of classic songs and scores from Hollywood and Broadway.
Kate Meacham, marketing director for the Ford Center, said she is looking forward to the show.
“It is going to be a great performance and a celebration of stage and movie musicals,” she said. “There will be some great pieces from classics like ‘Oklahoma,’ ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ ‘The Sound of Music,’ ‘Annie Get Your Gun’ and ‘Wicked.’”
Mary Donnelly Haskell, a University of Mississippi alumna, has thus far had a successful career in theater as an actress, singer and dancer. She has performed across the country and won an LA Theater Critics Award. Most recently, she played the role of Dolly Levi in the Oxford Shakespeare Festival’s production of “Hello Dolly!” alongside her daughter, Mary Lane Haskell, who was named one of Broadway’s Rising Stars in 2011.
Rene Pulliam, chair of the Ole Miss theater department, directed Mary Donnelly Haskell this summer in “Hello Dolly!”
Pulliam said that Haskell serves as an inspiration for theater students at Ole Miss and has an incredible work ethic, which students were able to see.
“It was infectious,” Pulliam said. “And she loves people. She has been a big supporter of our students — attending shows and encouraging them in their careers.”
Accompanying performer Marilu Henner is also a dynamic thespian. A Golden Globe-nominated actress and singer, Henner is best known for playing the role of Elaine Nardo in the TV series “Taxi.” She has performed alongside the likes of John Travolta, Steve Martin and Burt Reynolds in various movies and productions.
Musician Guy Hovis, an Ole Miss alumnus and Tupelo native, will also be performing. Hovis was a regular artist on “The Lawrence Welk Show,” and has been a guest on programs hosted by Johnny Cash and Merv Griffin, among others.
The Mississippi Delta’s Buford Family musical company has performed various concerts and events throughout Mississippi, including numerous sold-out concerts at The Alluvian Hotel in Greenwood.
Kristen Rhodes, a sophomore elementary education major, is looking forward to the upcoming performance.
“It is so exciting for such prominent people to be performing at Ole Miss,” Rhodes said.
“Sounds of Stage and Screen” will start at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at the UM Box Office. Student, staff and faculty tickets are available at a discount with an ID.
— Mary Virgina Portera
mvporter@go.olemiss.edu
