Photos courtesy of Central Alabama Theatre
Miss Alabama 2019 Tiara Pennington, left, and Miss Alabama 1984 Tammy Little, right.
Miss Alabama 2019 Tiara Pennington, left, and Miss Alabama 1984 Tammy Little, right.
Two former Miss Alabama winners will take the stage again to bring the songs and stories from their years in pageants to life during “The Ladies Who Lunch.”
Central Alabama Theater (CAT) will host the cabaret concert on Feb. 21 at 7:30 p.m. at Steeple Arts. Modeled after the cabarets of New York City, the event brings the talents from the former Miss Alabama winners to the heart of Crestline Village.
Tammy Little Haynes, Miss Alabama 1984, and Tiara Pennington, Miss Alabama 2019, will perform songs and share about their experiences competing in pageants, said Carl Peoples, executive artistic director of CAT.
“It’s a one-of-a-kind event, and it’s never been done anywhere in the state of Alabama that I know of,” Peoples said. “You’ll get to see several Miss Alabamas tell behind-the-scenes stories and sing the songs you haven’t heard them sing in a while.”
Both former winners will perform the songs from the talent portions of their Miss Alabama competitions, with Haynes singing “Hit Me with a Hot Note” and Pennington singing “Nessun Dorma” — along with performing some of their other favorite tunes.
Host Tresa Hardin, who retired from Sony Music Publishing, will talk with the former winners, and they will also share photos and videos from their competitions. Attendees can enjoy refreshments during the concert, and there will be a surprise guest during the show.
“It should be a really great evening of stories and songs that will give people insight from behind the green curtain that you don’t normally get with Miss Alabama,” Peoples said. “You’ll never look at pageant girls the same again.”
Peoples also has ties to the Miss Alabama program, having served as an usher and performer several years ago when the event was held at the BJCC. He also met Haynes when the two performed in a show together at UAB, and Pennington was on CAT’s junior advisory board when she won Miss Alabama.
CAT holds cabaret events about once a month, and Peoples said they plan to hold a second “The Ladies Who Lunch” concert in April with more former Miss Alabama winners. He said CAT has wanted to do an event with past Miss Alabamas for a while, so they’re excited for everyone to come and enjoy the concert.
“It’s just a great night of music and community. It’s intimate enough that it feels like you’re there in their living room, but the space can hold up to 140 people with standing room,” Peoples said. “We hope the community comes out to support it.”
Before the cabaret event, Lisa Jones Meadows, a preliminary title holder who also traveled with the Miss Alabama Revue, will host a reception in the back studio for all past title holders.
“The Ladies Who Lunch” will be held Feb. 21 at Steeple Arts, which is located at 36 Church St. in Mountain Brook. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m., and tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite.com through a search for CAT Cabaret.
