Cinema Sweethearts

Songs of the serenading, and sometimes sparring, Sweethearts of the Silver Screen!

From the classic vocal give-and-take between Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire in "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," to the upbeat tunes of Singing in the Rain and the Rock and Roll courtship in Grease, singers Laura Ellis and John Adkison bring to stage the fun vocal sunshine –with a few scattered clouds - of cinematic lovebirds through the decades.

National touring artists, Laura Ellis and John Adkison delight in singing the songs of decades past – songs with melody, feeling, and of course, humorous vocal repartee. Accompanied by Emmy-nominee pianist John Rodby and percussionist John Harvey, the Singers bring the RAL audience an evening of nostalgia and musical mirth as they channel the singing heart-throbs of big-screen romance.

About the Artists

Laura Ellis is known for her beautiful voice, vintage vocal styling, and sparkling stage presence. She embraces many musical styles – from songs of silver screen sweethearts and sirens to favorite tunes of early Rock and Roll. Born and raised near the great jazz town of Kansas City, and mentored by The Manhattan Transfer’s Alan Paul, Laura has criss-crossed the nation performing theatrical shows of retro music – from the sultry songs of 40s-50s film noir, to 50s-60s Rock and Roll, to the One Hit Wonders of the 60s-90s. With artistic flair, she has graced cabaret stages such as the famed Jazz Alley in Seattle, Feinstein’s at the Nikko in San Francisco, and the Moonlight Amphitheatre in Vista, CA. Hailed as the “Noir City Nightingale,” Laura has been a frequent guest performer at Eddie Muller’s internationally-known Noir City film festivals in San Francisco, Oakland, and Los Angeles. Her CD, Broken, Lovely, reached the first round of consideration for the 2016 Grammys. She is proud of creating and performing in her latest production, The Paul Williams Songbook, fulfilling her dream of collaborating with the prolific American songwriter himself. Laura looks forward to bringing the sweetness and sauciness of Cinema Sweethearts to Ripon, having previously twisted the night away in RAL’s 2017 presentation of Rock & Roll show Kit and the Kats.

John Adkison is an Actor, Singer, Musician, and documentary Film Producer who splits his time between California and New York, when not on national tour. His starring roles in regional and national performances have included Walter in Elf the Musical, John Hancock in 1776, and Harold Hill in The Music Man. John and Laura Ellis have a long-standing rapport from their years of annual professional Christmas carolling gigs, singing together each holiday season across Los Angeles. John’s starring portrayal of media personalities from the 60s to the 90s brought the house down in Laura Ellis’ production of One Hit Wonders – the Songs you Hate to Love. (No one can teach the Macarena like John can!). Of John’s singing style in The Paul Williams Songbook, Paul Williams wrote: “There's a solid emotional connection and it's not a ‘performance.’ He lets us in instead of coming out and working us. That's what I love about what he does.” John joins Laura for Cinema Sweethearts after completing nearly 18 months on the road as Colonel Pickering in the Lincoln Center Theatre tour of My Fair Lady, directed by Barlett Sher.

John Rodby - Music Director, Arranger, Pianist, Recording Artist - is an Emmy-nominated commercial musician by vocation and a composer of classical music by avocation. Most of his career has been in TV and Film. He was musical director for both Dinah Shore and Al Martino, and a keyboardist-arranger for Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli, Rita Moreno, Tiny Tim, Connie Francis, Peter Marshall, and Carol Lawrence. John Rodby’s music was a part of TV shows including Mitzi Gaynor’s productions, Dallas, Bob Newhart, Hart to Hart, Quincy, The Gong Show, and The X-Files. An Emmy-nominee for Musical Direction for Disneyland’s 30th Anniversary celebration, John also coordinated the music for Macy’s annual Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City, for many years. He has performed with and arranged music for a long list of jazz and rock legends. John’s numerous CDs feature his original symphonic and jazz compositions. His pandemic project was completing a new Opera, Mountebank, about infamous medical quack and broadcaster John R. Brinkley, with musical styles ranging from Ragtime, Jazz, and Mariachi, to Tango, Swing, and R&B. John Rodby lives in California and continues to compose classical music when nobody's looking.

John Harvey, the man with the beat, is an ace Percussionist who is not a fan of long bios. On Broadway, he performed for 5 years in the production of William Finn's In Trousers. In Southern California, he performs and teaches theater percussion and jazz. His experience, musical versatility, and personality have made him a popular member of Southern California theater ensembles and bands. John is the percussionist for all Laura Ellis productions, bringing the rhythm to every premiere and touring show. When not crossing the country on Laura Ellis tours, he’s in the pits in Los Angeles area theaters, playing percussion for shows like Anything Goes, Altar Boys, Chorus Line, and way too much Sondheim.

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Photo credit: Iconic Pinups