I’M NOT FAMOUS A Musical Journey With Barbara Minkus   by Carol Kaufman Segal

            Who says Barbara Minkus is not famous?  Not I, for sure!  This adorable and talented actress has been around for quite some time, and if you don’t know who she is, you are missing a lot!  She has personality-plus, a terrific voice, and you can find out all about her in her one person musical, entitled I‘m Not Famous, A Musical Journey With Barbara Minkus  at the Santa Monica Playhouse..

            Originally from Chicago, Barbara began performing in Julius Monk’s New York review, Bits and Piece, followed by touring as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl to rave reviews.  She was the original Lucy in the recording and Off-Broadway production of You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown.  She also performed on Broadway in The Education of Hyman Kaplan directed by George Abbott.

            You may know her from television as she was on Love American Style for six seasons and also performed as Gittle the Witch in Curiosity Shop on ABC.  She was a guest on The Merv Griffin Show twenty times, and appeared numerous times on The Tonight Show and the Danny Kaye Show.        

            Barbara married and took time off to raise her family.  She finally returned to the theater to play in Funny You Don’t Look Like a Grandmother at the Santa Monica Playhouse, then later starred there as Molly Picon in Picon Pie, which she reprised Off-Broadway.  She starred as Jennie Grossinger in Stephen Cole’s Saturday Night at Grossinger’s in Los Angeles, Florida, and Off-Broadway.      

            This is just an inkling of Barbara’s outstanding career.  Now appearing again at The Santa Monica Playhouse in her one-person musical biography, you will delight at her performance.  Her story is interesting, she tells it with passion, her voice is beautiful, and she is charming.  Barbara is accompanied by talented keyboardist Ron Barnett.  The show is directed by Susan Morgenstern.

            The show plays Sundays at & 7 PM, through May 28,  In June, it will play Saturdays at 7 PM, and Sundays at 3 PM, through June 25^th, at The Santa Monica Playhouse, 1211 4^th Street, Santa Monica.  Reservations are available online at http://SantaMonicaPlayhouse.com/im-not-famous.html, or by calling the Playhouse Box Office at (310) 394-9779.

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