Ellen started her career as a ballet dancer before a knee injury at the time forced her to do other types of theatre. She has performed in everything, from musicals to farce to drama to the classics. She is an extremely versatile performer as shown in this wide assortment of photographs. Pictured is Ellen as a young ballerina.
Ellen’s ballet portrait.
Ellen midstep in the ballet ROMANIAN RHAPSODY at an outdoor summer public performance.
This picture of Ellen is from a musical melodrama called THE DRUNKARD written by Barry Manilow (yes THE Barry Manilow!). She played two roles – one of this very stern Salvation Army woman (below) and the other a deranged tree eating girl.
It was performed at a dinner theatre. So every night Ellen would do the show, then serve food to her patrons and then get back on stage after the intermission. Waitress/singer/dancer/actress…..truly paying her dues!
This is Ellen as Bobbi Michele from Neil Simon’s famous comedy LAST OF THE RED HOT LOVERS. She plays a ditzy marijuana smoking actress from LA with a high squeaky voice.
This photo is ELLEN as the femme fatale (spoofing all those sexy dames from the 1940’s film noire genre) in the comedy THE MALTESE BLUE JAY. The musical director even gave her a special drum roll every time she entered. A “classic sexy comic” performance said the reviewers.
Ellen as the trumpet playing stripper MISS MAZEPPA in the classic musical GYPSY. This hilarious showstopping YOU GOTTA HAVE A GIMMICK brought the house down every night!
Here is a cast photo from the 1920’s musical NO NO NANETTE where Ellen played a busty, leggy gold-digger with a tight leopard skin jumpsuit and a blonde wig. The voice was very squeaky and the movements were very Jayne Mansfield/Marilyn Monroe…yes one of Ellen’s first major roles was as a blonde!
The reviewers and audience thought she was this character. They never recognized her when she came off the stage because she transformed herself into another character and era so well.
Ellen is the gal in the back with the leopard print outfit. Again, played to rave reviews!
This photo is from the classic tragedy A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN written by the genius EUGENE O’NEILL. Ellen plays Irish farm girl JOSIE HOGAN. This tour de force role is a non-stop challenge for the actress as it is extremely demanding emotionally. The performer remains on stage for almost the entire three hours. This part was a turning point in Ellen’s acting career. People started to take notice of the “statuesque actress brimming with talent who can convey so much with a single expression.”
This is a second picture from the famous play A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN by EUGENE O’NEILL. Ellen as Irish farm girl JOSIE HOGAN and her father PHIL HOGAN played by Irish actor Sean Mulcahy who also directed the production.
Ellen as TZEITEL the eldest daughter in the classic musical FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. This show was instrumental in her career in that she received her stage union card – Actor’s Equity Association.
She toured Canada with this show. The reviews called her the “sweetest and most natural of all the daughters”.
Ellen is in her hotel room getting ready to perform the show in the hotel’s dinner theatre.
Yes, believe it or not there is a musical version of DRACULA out there and this is the production. Ellen had an absolute riot doing the show. She told me it was hard not to break out into laughter during the show.
Ellen played a nymphomaniac French maid with a thick comedic accent. Her comedic solo song , however, was a spoof of Marlene Dietrich in a thick German accent.
Here is Ellen lounging with her pink duster.
Here is a photo from a University production of a classic Passion Play performed outdoors where the audience goes from one station to the other watching the various actors.
Ellen as Chastity. Yes, a very virtuous character!
Ellen as ditzy red headed Texan JUDY TURNER in one of her favorite musicals A CHORUS LINE. She received critical acclaim in this comedic role.
This is Ellen’s cast photo of A CHORUS LINE. Because she is the tallest gal , she is smack dab in the middle of the line!
Ellen as the plain spinster MISS CASEWELL in AGATHA CHRISTIE’S long running British play THE MOUSETRAP.
The audience would come to see her one night in BLACK COMEDY and the next in THE MOUSETRAP to marvel at her transformation. She loved to keep an audience on their toes with her chameleon-like roles.
Ellen as the classy sexy British stewardess CLEA in PETER SHAFFER’S farce BLACK COMEDY.
This play is unique in that it takes place in a blackout. So the audience sees the actors on a lighted stage but they are acting like they are in darkness bumping into each other and the furniture.
This show demanded a tremendous amount of physical comedy which Ellen adored. She played this role in repertoire.
One night she would perform Clea and the next night she would perform MISS CASEWELL in AGATHA CHRISTIE’S famous long running play THE MOUSETRAP.
This photo is from a musical called, “She Loves Me.” Pictured are David Rogers and Ellen Dubin.
