Bristol Riverside Theatre continues its summer-long trip down memory lane featuring songs popularized by jazz great Duke Ellington and his contemporaries in Ellington By Starlight, the second installment of BRT's Summer Musicale Series running July 5-15, 2007, at the theatre, 120 Radcliffe Street, in Historic Bristol Borough.

From Jazz to Big Band, Gospel to Musical Theatre, Duke Ellington preferred to think of his music as "beyond category," and there is no denying "The Duke" was a prominent force in shaping the entire American musical landscape for nearly 50 years. His rise to stardom at the Cotton Club in 1927 led to a lifetime of memorable hits including "Solitude," "Sophisticated Lady," "Take the 'A' Train," "Black Beauty," and "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good." Ellington By Starlight pays homage to the elegance and sophistication this musical genius provided the world of song.

BRT Artistic Director Edward Keith Baker who creates, writes and directs the production has a cast of four BRT Musicale veterans who will be returning for Ellington By Starlight. Demetria Joyce Bailey, Ellen Bullinger, Philip Chaffin and Keith Spencer will be backed by a five member band including accomplished jazz pianist David Alan Bunn.

BRT annually presents three Summer Musicales (musicale, defined by Webster as "a social affair featuring a musical program"). This year's series covers over 50 years of popular American music from the 1920s to the 1970s. The style of the programs fall between a concert and a musical revue, and generally feature three to seven singers with a three to five piece band, depending on the musical style presented. Each Musicale is based around a theme, whether Broadway or Hollywood songs, the music of specific composers like Andrew Lloyd Webber or Leonard Bernstein, or a past era, such as the 1930s or 1940s.

Performances of Ellington By Starlight are Thursday, July 5 through Saturday, July 7 at 8:00pm, Sunday, July 8 at 3:00pm, Wednesday, July 11 at 2:00pm, Friday and Saturday, July 13 and 14 at 8:00pm and Sunday, July 15 at 3:00pm. Tickets for all Summer Series 2007 events are available online at www.BRTstage.org, to walk-up customers at the BRT Box Office, or by calling at 215-785-0100. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more by calling Meaghan Crawford at 215-785-6664.