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Debbie de
Coudreaux
Majestic,
when she moves. Aristocratic, when she appears. Mesmerizing, when she sings.
Pulverizing, when she act. And Loving warmth touching your very soul when she
talks to you.
Selected Reviews: For
the Moulin Rouge-Paris, France "…Debbie de Coudreaux is the spectacle's
reigning goddess, a pleasing vision, charming and adroit in all she does… " Variety
. "...she has the feathers, the voice and the culture…" France Soir ."
…Debbie de Coudreaux has been enchanting the cosmopolitan public for eight
years…From show to show, by her voice, her allure and her finesse she
incarnates at the music hall the 'queen of the night'. Although she is
American, Debbie represents…the image of Paris and France, like Josephine
Baker before." Gaultmillau For Hal Prince's Show Boat.
"Debbie de Coudreaux…delivers a lively "Can't Help Lovin' That Man of Mine"
and a beautifully phrased, poignant "Bill". San Francisco Examiner-Robert
Hurwitt.
Born
and raised in the San Francisco-Bay Area, Ms. de Coudreaux showed an early
aptitude for music and dancing. However, having attained her present height of
six feet in her mid-teens, she changed her
career objectives.
Abandoning her dreams of showbiz, she turned her energies toward studies in
pre-law. She attended the University of California in Los Angeles and received
her B.A. in Political Science. She was preparing to enter Law School when a
friend told her about auditions in Las Vegas for tall dancers. She attended
the audition, was hired on the spot and has not looked back since. While
working at MGM Grand Hotel-Las Vegas, she came to the attention of the
legendary producer/director
Donn Arden.
With his encouragement and direction, she advanced from the dancing chorus to
principal singer in his new show Jubilee.
It was during a
holiday in Europe that her fortunes took a turn for the better. She was
informed that the
Moulin Rouge
was looking for a new
star. Ms. de Coudreaux auditioned and again, was signed on the
spot
to star in the Moulin's new show scheduled to
open the following
year. Using the interval to learn French, Debbie performed in Vive les
Girls and For Ladies Only at the Loews Hotel in Monte Carlo
before taking up the reins at the Moulin Rouge where she performed in
Frenesie, Femmes-Femmes-Femmes and finally, Formidable
which was created around her talents.
During her European
career, Debbie appeared frequently on television. Some of her credits
included: Michel Drucker's "Champs Elysees", Jacques Martin, Les Uns
et les Autres, Patrick Sabatier (France), the award-winning Gino
Bramieri
Show
for three seasons (Italy),
Essence-The Program,
The Today Show with Bryant Gumbel, Entertainment Tonight (USA),
also The Wogan Show (England), Kenny, Live! (Ireland) and the
Gala of the Century filmed at the Moulin Rouge with such stellar
personalities as Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, Jerry Lewis, Anita Baker,
Charles Aznavour and Lauren Bacall.
Debbie
also appeared in two Robert Altman movies, Beyond Therapy and Aria,
has performed at the American Embassy and the Ministere de la Culture in
Paris. She co-hosted a radio show, Europe 1, recorded an award-winning
soundtrack to the show Formidable, performed before the Prince and
Princess of Wales, the Queen of England, Princess Caroline and Prince Rainier
of Monaco, then Vice President Bush, the Russian Cosmonauts, Dustin Hoffman,
Patty Lupone, Peter Ustinov, Liza Minnelli, Frank Sinatra, The Artist
Formerly Known As[ and
Once Again Known As] "Prince", Mick Jagger to mention just a few.
Returning to the United
States to audition for Tommy Tune, Debbie was cast in a leading role as
Raffaela
in the international tour of Mr. Tune's Tony-winning Grand Hotel.
The article
continues on the following pages.
HERALD ON LINE DAILY EDITION