Doris Day Gets Her Due At UES Tribute Show
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Nellie McKay is performing at Feinstein's at the Regency on Upper East Side to promote her new CD "Normal As Blueberry Pie," which is a tribute to Doris Day.
"Doris Day recorded so many wonderful songs, it was really too much to choose from," says McKay. "I think that standard of songwriting is pretty unbeatable and she covered them in such a lovely way. It was a dream project but it also took a lot of chutzpah."
Doris Day was perhaps most famous for a series of romantic comedies that she did in the 1960s with Rock Hudson, including "Send Me No Flowers" and "Pillow Talk." She also starred with Jimmy Stewart in "The Man Who Knew Too Much," which was directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Yet McKay does not admire Day for her movie roles.
"She's just kind of the ideal. She's bridged art and activism, and I love that about her," says McKay. "She really lives it and she's just a beautiful human being."
McKay is no stranger to acting having played Clara, Hillary Swank's younger sister, in "P.S. I Love You."
"I probably have undiagnosed ADD. I kind of like to bounce around from thing to thing," says McKay.
Feinstein's at the Regency is the type of room McKay likes to play.
"You feel like you're in a movie, you know? This is what performance spaces are supposed to look like," says McKay. "It's a beautiful room and such a lovely and lively house."
McKay will be at Feinstein's at the Regency through Saturday, June 12. If you can't catch her live, check out her CD, which is also on vinyl.