‘Love, Marriage, Children & Liposuction’ at Bickford
Naomi Miller admits that she has yet to experience liposuction.
But she does know about love and marriage and children. So that means that at least 75 percent of her current one-woman show is based on direct experience.
That program – “Love, Marriage, Children and Liposuction” – mixes anecdotal storytelling and songs to create Miller’s autobiography.
“It’s a musical theater piece that has comedy and drama,” says Miller. “It has funny moments. It has serious moments. By the end, people will know who I am.”
Miller started performing “Love, Marriage, Children and Liposuction” more than 15 years ago. The initial production in New York City earned her a nomination in 2000 as best female debut act from the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs.
Over the years, the show has continued to evolve. Miller will bring “Love, Marriage, Children and Liposuction” to the Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum this Sunday, Nov. 22.
Miller says that every time she performs the show feels fresh. “I do a lot of ad libbing and kibitzing,” she says. “I’ve tweaked it with my wonderful husband, Harvey Miller. I’ve added songs and patter to reflect the events that have happened in my life.”
The act touches on such topics as the fact that her parents are both Holocaust survivors, her occasional battles with her weight (hence the “liposuction” reference), and the challenges of raising a son who is hearing-impaired.
The songs are drawn from a variety of sources.
For example, she sings a medley associated with Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Some numbers are originals, including her own composition, “You Cut It Too Short.”
The format is ideal for autobiography, according to Miller, “Cabaret is intimate,” she says. “There’s no wall between the singer and the audience.”
“Love, Marriage, Children and Liposuction” also reflects Miller’s skill with other languages. One medley is primarily in Yiddish, which was her first language. She also sings in Hebrew, French, Russian, Greek, Spanish, and Italian.
Miller was born in a displaced persons camp in Germany after World War II. She and her parents moved to the United States when she was less than two years old.
From an early age, she knew she wanted to perform. She grew up in Paterson and listened to radio programs.
As a teenager, she and two friends started to perform folk and Israeli music in cafes in Greenwich Village, as well as colleges and clubs. She expanded her repertoire to include pop and Broadway material.
For several years, Miller was the featured performer at the Wallington Exchange in Wallington. She took master classes and studied with various artists, including the award-winning actress Tovah Feldshuh.
Miller developed the idea for her own cabaret show with Linda Amiel Burns as director and Richard Hanley as musical director. The work debuted in 2000 at Don’t Tell Mama, a Manhattan club.
“I was honored to be nominated for an award by the Manhattan Association for Cabarets,” she said. “I didn’t win, but Liza Minelli announced my name as a nominee, and that was a thrill.”
Since then, Miller has developed several other shows around such topics as Yiddish theater and the international appeal of Broadway.
But “Love, Marriage, Children and Liposuction” may be the show closest to her heart. She has found that audiences seem to embrace the personal nature of the show.
“What I do is personal, but it’s also universal,” she says. “I hope audiences come away saying, ‘You know, I’ve felt that way, too.’ ”
LOVE, MARRIAGE, CHILDREN AND LIPOSUCTION
WHEN: 2 p.m. Sunday
WHERE: Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum,
6 Normandy Heights Rd., Morristown
TICKETS: $40 ($35 for seniors and museum members, $20 for students age 18 or under or with valid college ID)
INFO: 973-971-3706 or www.bickfordtheatre.org