Out actor Tommy Femia didn't initially want to impersonate stage and screen legend Judy Garland. But it was the insistence of his choreographer friend Hal Simons (who was quite adept at impersonating MGM tap dance queen Ann Miller himself) that steered Femia to take the plunge in the summer of 1992 when he and Simons both starred in a double drag act that eventually ran for nine months.
Femia proved to be so successful at channeling Garland that it has essentially taken over his performance career. Chicago audiences get to see the artistry of his live vocal Garland impersonations when he returns to Davenports Piano Bar and Cabaret for a run of "Judy Garland Live! Starring Tommy Femia" Aug. 25-28.
"I've loved Judy Garland ever since I was a little kid, of course with The Wizard of Oz like everybody else," Femia said via a telephone interview where he was performing his show in Delaware. The now-42-year-old out performer acquired her albums and sought out Garland's TV show appearance on video while he was in high school at New York's School of Performing Arts (Femia's classmates included Suzanne Vega and Ving Rhames).
"I just made some kind of connection with her, like I felt what she felt and like I understood her," Femia said. "And it's hard to explain, but you've got to let your character take over for what you're doing. She's just such a fascinating, over-the-top singer—it's just irresistible."
Garland's heartbreaking vocals were a touchstone for gay men living under more difficult and closeted during the 1950s and early '60s. And since Garland's funeral will forever be tied with the 1969 Stonewall Riots, she will always have a place in the Gay Rights movement.
"[Gay men during Garland's lifetime] identified with her because she constantly burned out and came back," Femia said. "It's funny because [Garland's daughter Liza Minnelli] was once asked, 'Why is your mother so loved by the gay community?' She says, 'Because they have the best taste.'"
In fact, Minnelli once attended one of Femia's Garland concerts at a club called 88's. According to Femia, Minnelli remained incognito by having a friend stand in front of her while she sat under the stairs.
"I was maybe three feet away and did this whole Judy set and then I found out she was there all the while and loved it!" Femia said, pointing out that he wouldn't have been able to sing a single note if he knew Minnelli was in attendance.
"[Minnelli has] been very nice to me through the years," Femia said. "One time we spent an hour and a half in her dressing room just going over different songs and arrangements. She really respected my opinions, and to me she's just a goddess."
Far from being a disappearing gay icon (as once predicted in a 1994 The New York Times gay pride piece on modern-day divas), Garland retains an affectionate place among succeeding generations of gay men. Of course, Femia acknowledges gay singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright for recently helping to turn younger gay fans' attention back to Garland by his recreation of her iconic Carnegie Hall and London Palladium concerts. But like many, Femia prefers Garland's brassy originals to Wainwright's lethargic take on the material.
"Judy's timeless. There's nothing dated about her performances," Femia said. "You watch any of those numbers from her television show and you lose your breath. It's just unbelievable."
Of course, singing in Garland's take-no-prisoners style can take its toll on anyone's voice, as Femia has discovered through the years.
"It is not easy to do her," Femia said, adding how he has to get a lot of vocal rest and live like a hermit when he has a string of Judy performances.
"I've done many off-Broadway shows where I didn't do Judy and you can do eight shows a week," Femia said. "But with Judy it's all belting and a different placement on the larynx because I'm doing somebody else's voice."
Naturally, Femia's show features Garland songs that everyone expects like "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," "The Trolley Song," "The Man That Got Away" and "Rockabye Your Baby." But Femia also makes a point of adding newer standards that Judy never got to sing like "50 Percent" and "The Greatest Love of All."
"I turn pop songs around and make them into Judy-esque standards and it works," Femia. "Had she lived, I definitely believe she would have performed ['50 Percent']."
Although Femia's audiences are typically mixed among gay and straight, it's the younger 20- and 30-something crowds that he is particularly happy to see in attendance.
"[Judy Garland] died decades before they were born and, for many of them, they're discovering her," Femia said. "So it's really something when they wait to talk to me after the show. It's thrilling because it's them having seen 'Judy' for the first time in their lives."
Judy Garland Live! Starring Tommy Femia plays 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Aug. 25-27, and 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 28, at Davenports Piano Bar and Cabaret, 1383 N. Milwaukee Ave. Tickets are $22-$25 plus a two-drink minimum. Call 773-278-1830 or visit www.davenportspianobar.com .
