MARGO BROWN and LISA DELLAROSSA make their duo DON’T TELL MAMA debut with YOU’RE NOTHING WITHOUT ME on March 25 with additional shows on April 25 and May 13 at 7 pm.The show is a musical answer to the question, “Can two women of a certain age do a show together without driving each other crazy?”  The ammunition is an eclectic song list from yesterday and today, from Kander and Ebb to Carole King, Stephen Sondheim to Billy Stritch, and from Tom Lehrer and Garth Brooks to Cy Coleman and David Zippel.  The spotlight is focused on the good, the bad and the ugly of friendships and all their dynamics with Music Director JOHN COOK, Arranger/Pianist and direction by JEFF HARNAR.

The duo spoke with Theater Pizzazz recently.

1 – How and when did the two of you decide to do your upcoming show in New York together as a duo?

(Lisa) We became friends when I was still living in Florida, but it wasn’t until after I moved to PA that we reconnected-most likely through Facebook, it’s been so long I forgot! – and we just said we should do a show together.  We couldn’t figure out a theme but then we said-Hey we’re friends so let’s make that the theme.  That’s when all the ideas began swirling around because it’s such a broad subject and then we got creative and thought, there’s so much more to that subject than just being good friends.  There’s ALL kinds of friends!

2 – Who brought what material to the table? Was it easy or challenging?

(Margo and Lisa) We both brought our different ideas to the table as to what we thought might work.  For our solos it was easy because we are complete opposites so we each came up with different ideas according to our personalities.  For the duets we had some songs picked and Jeff and John also shared some wonderful, clever ideas and songs that we put into show.  

3 – Without divulging too much about your show, can you tell us the essence of what the show is about? Any surprises?

(Margo and Lisa) Friends-all kinds! . . . two legged, four legged, good and bad, here and unfortunately gone.  The show has an edge to it!  Just because we’re friends doesn’t mean everything is nice all the time!  Through the good, bad and ugly we are still here for each other.  

Being so different gave us the ability to come up with our own interpretation of the theme and we respected each other’s choices. What differentiates our show is that it is not centered around a specific genre of songs.  We have standards, Broadway and pop songs all included so it should appeal to a broad audience.

– Can each of you give us a little background on yourself.

Lisa – I am a Veteran of the military and have a degree in Music and Broadcasting Television and Production.  I sing, dance and act, have been performing which is my true passion in shows, musical theatre and private events for about 25 years. As a music lover and the diverse nature of my job, my repertoire has a wide range, from Standards, Broadway, Pop, Italian and almost everything else.  I recently started working at a retirement community where I am studying to become an Activity Director.  From working in communities with seniors, it gives me the opportunity to perform the older songs from The Great American songbook.  I perform twice a week there with their pianist.  Being in PA, I’m close enough to be able to perform cabaret in NYC.  After many setbacks due to the pandemic, Margo and I are looking forward to finally being able to bring our show to life.

Margo – Singing and dancing all my life and majoring in Musical Theatre in college, I ended up pursuing a career in the computer industry in Silicon Valley where I worked for 25 years in Management, Marketing in Sales.  After retiring I decided to peruse my passion for music and performing starting in Florida.  After connecting with Jeff Harnar and Tedd Firth we put together the Broadway World Award winning show “Margo Sings Mercer” in 2018.  I have performed in various venues around the country including Jazz at Lincoln Center.  My music consists of mainly standards and Broadway songs.  I also am a competitive ballroom dancer and interior designer.  All these have been lifelong passions and I am thrilled to be able to live my dream.  Lisa and I can’t wait to perform our show You’re Nothing Without Me at Don’t Tell Mama.