Start with four gifted singer-songwriters, add three-quarters cup married life, five kids, one piano, four guitars, a dollop of sharp social commentary and a wardrobe to die for. Fold-in one acclaimed folk musician-comedienne, herself a founding member of the group.
The result?
Folk troubadours Christine Lavin and the Four Bitchin’ Babes reunite for a pair of shows at Washington University’s Edison Theatre Friday and Saturday, March 26 and 27. The first evening will feature Lavin joined by the Babes. The second evening will feature the Babes joined by Lavin.
Performances begin at 8 p.m. both evenings. Tickets are $28 for the general public; $23 for seniors and students; and $14 for Washington University students and children under 12. Edison Theatre is located in the Mallinckrodt Student Center, 6445 Forsyth Blvd. Tickets are available at the Edison Theatre Box Office and through all MetroTix outlets For more information, call (314) 935-6543.
Hailed as one of the finest singer-songwriters in folk music today, Lavin has produced 13 solo albums during her 18-year musical career. Yet Lavin is not only a musician. She is a comedian, a performer, even a baton-twirler when the mood strikes her, able to weave witty observations and self-depreciating humor into sharply crafted story-songs such as “Sensitive New Age Guys” and “Prisoners of their Hairdos.”
|
WHO: Christine Lavin and the Four Bitchin’ Babes WHAT: Edison Theatre OVATIONS! Series WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 26 and 27 WHERE: Edison Theatre, Washington University, Mallinckrodt Student Center, 6445 Forsyth Blvd. COST: $28. Available through the Edison Theatre Box Office, (314) 935-6543, and all MetroTix outlets |
The New York Daily News raves that, “Christine Lavin puts delightful melodies behind witty, perceptive observations about life.” The Boston Globe agrees, adding that, “She has become the classic American troubadour. People find their lives in her music.” In 2001, Backstage Magazine named Lavin Best Singer/Songwriter of the Year.
The Four Bitchin’ Babes — which Lavin co-founded in 1990 — also combine musical and comedic elements in songs ranging from the exquisite, crystalline folk of “Ladies Lunch” and “This Town” to the saucy satire of “Not Bad for a Broad,” “Viagra in the Waters” and “Dave’s Holiday.” Although Lavin retired from the group in 1997 to concentrate on her solo career, the current line-up of Debi Smith, Camille West, Sally Fingerett and Suzzy Roche continues to perform for audiences around the country.
To date, the Babes have released six CDs, including Buy Me, Bring Me, Take Me, Don’t Mess My Hair (1991); Fax It, Charge It (1995), Gabby Road…Out Of The Mouths Of Babes (1997) and Beyond Bitchin’ (2000). In 1997, they were included in the Random House anthology Creme de la Femme: The Best of Contemporary Women’s Humor.
The Chicago Tribune writes that the Babes “tell humorously observant tales of modern urban life, and harmonize like a heavenly chorus.” Billboard agrees, noting that the Babes’ “stirring acoustic sets stir the heart as well as the funny bone.”
Edison Theatre’s OVATIONS! Series serves both Washington University and the St. Louis community by providing the highest caliber national and international artists in music, dance and theater, performing new works as well as innovative interpretations of classical material not otherwise seen in St. Louis. Focusing on presentations that are interdisciplinary, multicultural and/or experimental, Edison Theatre presents work intended to challenge, educate and inspire.
Edison Theatre programs are supported by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency, and the Regional Arts Commission, St. Louis.