Kate Dimbleby has a passion for exploring the work of female singers. A decade ago, she toured her one woman show Fever! The Making of Peggy Lee internationally; her newest project, now having its US premiere at 59E59th Theaters, highlights the lesser known but extraordinary talents of singer/songwriter Dory Previn in Beware of Young Girls: Kate Dimbleby Sings The Dory Previn Story. Along with Naadia Sheriff (musical director, pianist, vocalist and occasional storyteller), Ms. Dimbleby, through song and excerpts from Ms. Previn’s autobiographies Bagtrotter and Midnight Baby, not only reveals the ups and downs of Dory Previn’s life but captures the zeitgeist of Hollywood during the 1960’s.

Dory Previn married conductor, pianist and composer Andre Previn in 1959, and the two collaborated, she as the lyricist, on several award winning film scores, including Valley of the Dolls. However, she is probably best known as the older wife who was cast aside when Andre Previn left her for a young, twenty-something Mia Farrow. Dory would later write the scathing song “Beware of Young Girls” about this betrayal. Though she struggled with mental illness and drug addiction in the 1960’s, Ms. Previn was still able to transmute her life experiences into song and became a hugely successful, critically acclaimed singer/songwriter in her own right in the 1970’s and beyond with her witty, deeply personal songs about love, loneliness, relationships and lost dreams.

Ms. Dimbleby and Ms. Sheriff are to be commended for weaving together, in collaboration with playwright Amy Rosenthal, Dory Previn’s fascinating life story with her stunning and poetical songs. In a voice that combines the sob/ache of Judy Garland and the verve of Carly Simon, Ms. Dimbleby sings with simplicity and honesty, drawing us into each song. The title song and “Lemon Haired Ladies” are haunting reminders of the invisibility of a middle aged woman in the presence of a young blonde; Ms. Dimbleby finds the humor as well as the pathos in each lyric. She rocks the house with “Did Jesus have a Baby Sister?”, whoops it up on “Twenty Mile Zone”, captivates us with “Angels and Devils” and is pin-drop riveting when she sings the circular melody and halting lyrics to “Valley of the Dolls”, written with Andre Previn and made famous by Dionne Warwick. It is in the very quiet introspective moments that Ms. Dimbleby is almost able to transform herself into Ms. Previn while still remaining faithful to herself.

Ms. Sheriff’s accompaniments are richly textured; she is a perfect musical partner. Cal McCrystal directs fluidly, complementing Ms. Dimbleby’s easy relaxed presence on stage. The stage projections, including an iconic portrait of Mia Farrow, provide a visual context for the story.

Dory Previn’s final lyrics for “Mythical Kings and Iguanas” express longing: "And I never learned to touch for real/Or feel the things iguanas feel/Down down down/where they play." Ms. Dimbleby’s artistry takes us down where the iguanas feel; she’s our gracious guide for Dory Previn’s remarkable story.