Jewish singer brings 'lost' popular, historic music to the Fringe

My mother loved Judy Garland and Deanna Durbin. She would have loved Melanie Gall.

My husband, Larry, and I first became acquainted with Melanie Gall, a Canadian chanteuse, in 2019, through our friends Mike and Teri Chaves. The three had met in a Cancun resort, where Melanie was on vacation the week before her performance at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. The Chaves, with whom we had already made plans to go to the event, insisted that we join the three of them for dinner.  

Over white wine and baked trout. I learned more about Melanie and about what we had in common. We both grew up Jewish in a small town. We both loved the Great American Songbook. We both loved Judy Garland, and in her Orlando Fringe show, Melanie was going to be performing several of Garland's songs, including "Over the Rainbow."

That weekend, we joined our friends to see her one-woman show, "Ingenue: Deanna Durbin and Judy Garland," one of 150 performances scheduled across Loch Haven Park and Lowndes Shakespeare Center. Melanie's one-hour tour-de-force told the story of the friendship and the Hollywood-created rivalry between Garland and Durbin, two 1940s superstars. 

We enjoyed her performance so much, we went back the next night to watch it again. Each time I heard Melanie sing Durbin and Garland songs, I kept thinking how my mother would have loved to be sitting in the audience.

Melanie's show not only played to sell-out performances, but won top prize for Best Solo Show, Musical. When we hugged goodbye, I promised to write a story about her before she returned in 2020 for next year's Fringe. Of course, that didn't happen. Nor did it happen in 2021. But two weeks ago, Mike emailed me: "Guess who is coming to Orlando! Melanie Gall!"

This May, Melanie will be back in a new production at Orlando International Fringe Festival, "A Toast to Prohibition," her fourth time at the festival. 

The four of us quickly bought tickets for both her shows.

The Fringe Festivals are arts festivals featuring alternative or experimental performances and exhibitions. The concept of Fringe Festivals began in Edinburgh, Scotland, when eight theatre companies turned up uninvited to the inaugural Edinburgh International Festival in 1947. With the International Festival using the city's major venues, these companies took over smaller, alternative venues for their productions.

There are now over 300 festivals held across Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and North America. Edinburgh remains the largest in the world with over 55,000 performances of 3,548 different shows in 317 venues. The second largest is held in Adelaide, Australia, and features more than 7,000 artists performing in 1,300 events. Edmonton Fringe, the first in North America, was held in 1982.

No matter where they are held, all fringe festivals have some common features. Acts invited to the event are not judged or juried, often chosen by lottery if size constraints are needed. The casts of the shows are small, with one-person shows common. Shows are typically one-hour, single-act productions, and the sets and other technical theater elements are also kept simple. The shortened time frame as well as the lower priced tickets allow audiences to attend multiple shows each day.

The Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival, the oldest fringe festival in the United States, is a 14-day annual arts festival held during the month of May at various venues including Loch Haven Park, Lownde Shakespeare Center, and Renaissance Theatre. Although a seasoned Fringe performer around the world, Melanie first performed in Orlando in 2011 with her show "My Pal Izzy," based on the early life of Irving Berlin.

Melanie grew up in St. Alberts, Alberta, the oldest child of Karen and Gerald Gall.

Growing up Jewish in St. Albert was, according to Melanie, "Dire." She recalled that only two Jewish families lived in the city, and several of her teachers were overtly antisemitic. "There was no reference to any culture aside from Christian/Catholic culture," said Melanie, "And my fellow students were taught in their churches on Sundays that Jews had killed their God."

Melanie found joy and solace in her musical family. Her great-grandfather had been a cantor, and one of her grandfathers was the frontrunner for the Jack Young Orchestra, a big band in the 1940s. Melanie's mother spent years as a cantorial soloist in their synagogue. "Music has always been a part of my life," Melanie recalled, "and I could sing before I could talk."

Her small high school did not offer ways to use her musical talents. Melanie took private voice lessons, and after graduating high school, she pursued her passion with her bachelors in music from University of Alberta. Melanie continued her musical education with professional diplomas from the University of Western Ontario, and the Glenn Gould School (formerly the Royal Conservatory of Music) in Toronto. She holds a masters of music degree from Brooklyn College and an advanced professional studies degree in Opera from Manhattan School of Music. She also studied at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. 

An internationally acclaimed vocalist, Melanie has traveled to Africa, South America and the Caribbean for both solo recitals and opera performances. Between 2013 and 2018, she performed in both English and French in several countries that had been under-represented theatrically, including Zimbabwe, Algeria, Morocco, Chad, Sudan, and Zambia. While there, she led outreach programs for children and young artists in local schools and orphanages. In addition, Melanie has worked with First-Nations Communities in Northern Manitoba, fostering a love of music and building performance skills in youth. Melanie has sung at both Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, and performed her Vera Lynn cabaret in London's Royal Albert Hall. Her voice and talent has led her to performances at fringe events in Australia and New Zealand. 

During the pandemic, Melanie's performances were curtailed, but it didn't stop her creative talents. Melanie's book, "Deanna Durbin, Judy Garland and The Golden Age of Hollywood," is the first-ever biography of 1940s superstar Durbin and her relationship with Garland. It will be released July 2022 by Lyons Press. She is now working on her second book about the history of house sparrows in North America and the people who have adopted these "wild" birds as pets.

Melanie has never specifically built a show based on her Jewish background, but she references Jewish composers and artists in every one of her shows, including Irving Berlin and Sophie Tucker. She also was pleased to make a connection between Durbin and Anne Frank, a fact she includes in her book. "Deanna was Anne's favorite star," Melanie said. "Anne pasted her picture on the wall of the family's hiding place, and it can still be seen today."

Melanie is a leading expert in historic knitting music from WWI and WWII. Her interest led to her recording several albums on the topic, as well as two shows: "More Power to Your Knitting, Nell!"  and "A Stitch in Time." For over 12 years, Melanie and her sister, Debbie, hosted the popular "The Savvy Girls Podcast" that offered "playful and thoughtful look at knitting, travel, and life," with a regular listenership of several thousand.

Melanie's goal? "My long-term goal as a recording artist is to make 'lost' popular historic music available once more, she said, "And to ensure that the popular music tradition from the early 20th century is not forgotten.

The Orlando International Fringe Festival will be held from May 16 through May 31.