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The Daily Utah Chronicle

The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

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Want your voice to be heard? Submit a letter to the editor, send us an op-ed pitch or check out our open positions for the chance to be published by the Daily Utah Chronicle.
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Judy Garland back in the spotlight

By Christie Franke, Red Pulse Contributor

Judy Garland is performing with the Utah Symphony next week.

“Is she still alive?” you ask. No, she is not. She’s been dead since 1969.

So how is she singing at the symphony? Well, scientists have finally figured out how to create zombies and Ms. Garland will be returning as the undead to perform. “Shaun of the Dead” has become reality.

Or not.

Actually, her performance is simple and doesn’t involve zombies or mad scientists. Garland will be singing, but it will be on the silver screen. The broadcast will include such well-known pieces as “Over the Rainbow” and “The Man That Got Away” (author’s note: most men do).

She’ll be performing on multiple screens on stage, and home movies, photographs and her own reminiscences will also be shown. Considering the life and career of Ms. Garland, it will be an interesting evening.

Garland was born in 1922, and spent all but two years of her life as an actress and singer. Her most remembered film is undoubtedly “The Wizard of Oz,” with the Scarecrow, Toto and the Wicked Witch of the West.

What was not as well-known was the fact that she had self-esteem issues from the start. Garland thought she was ugly and the studio, agreeing with her, did not help the situation at all. Garland plied herself with weight-controlling drugs for years in an effort to make herself beautiful; she struggled with an addiction for decades. Additionally, four of her five marriages ended in divorce, giving her a sense of infamy in the straight-laced society of the post-World War II era. Constant show biz and a poor handle on money caused further stress and grief, so that by the time of her death in 1969, Judy Garland had attempted suicide a number of times. The great tragedy of her life ended when she was found dead by her husband in London of an accidental overdose.

Overarching the sadness of her life, however, is Garland’s fame and success in the film industry. Despite everything that life threw at her, Garland was able to do what she loved8212;perform. She started as a vaudeville singer with her sisters and ended as one of the most famous movie stars of the 20th century. Some of her songs have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and she was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. These are the just rewards for a woman who worked so hard and who was knocked around so much in life.

The Utah Symphony will be host to Judy Garland in Concert for two nights, in shows featuring over two dozen of her greatest hits. The home movies, the recordings and the photographs displayed for the public will bring a unique perception of this remarkable woman to the audience, and give them an experience they won’t forget in a hurry. Tickets are not yet sold out, but they will be going fast the closer we come to the concerts, so be sure to reserve them while you still can.

Judy Garland in Concert will be showing at Abravenal Hall Sept. 26 and 27 at 8 p.m. Tickets for students are available at 801-533-6683, prices that are more reasonable than those otherwise available. For full program details, visit www.utahsymphony.org and take the opportunity to broaden your perspective on Judy Garland. It’s an interesting way to spend a Friday night.

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