Girls Like Us to perform 2 shows at Festival 56 in Princeton

Festival 56 and the Princeton Theater Group welcome Girls Like Us to the stage of the Grace Theater in April for two programs.

Chicago solo performers Laura Freeman, Beckie Menzie and Marianne Murphy Orland banded together in 2010 for a humorous look at Broadway and roles they were never destined to play (Miss Cast) and found that not only did their voices blend, but so did their senses of humor. The ladies discovered that creating arrangements unique to them was something they all enjoyed.

Since then, they have created six collaborations spotlighting their talents and will be bringing two of those shows to Princeton.

At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 11, with their tribute “Barbra, Bette and Bernadette,” Girls Like Us will highlight the music and lives of Streisand, Midler and Peters – the ultimate divas of stage, screen and popular music – with humor, history and song.

At 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 12, Freeman, Menzie and Murphy Orland blend their unique performing styles into a delightful evening dedicated to showcasing the music and stories of three singers who dared to break tradition and become what none had been before them – female confessors in song, rock superstars and adventurers of heart and soul.

After reading Sheila Weller’s book “Girls Like Us” and discussing how Carly Simon, Carole King and Joni Mitchell had had such an influence on them and their artistry, “Girls Like Us: the Music of Carole King, Carly Simon and Joni Mitchell” was born.

This show has taken Freeman, Menzie and Murphy Orland from private concerts in New York City to theaters and other venues throughout the Midwest, touching a chord in all who see it.

The Grace Theater is located at 316 S. Main St. in Princeton. The box office will be open from 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 10, to Friday, April 12, as well as an hour before each show.

Call 815-879-5656 or buy tickets online at festival56.com.