By Judy Shields
Judy Garland impersonator Debbie Wileman is spreading holiday cheer nationwide with her enchanting new concert experience, Judy Garland – We Need a Little Christmas. She’ll bring the show to The Plaza Theatre in Palm Springs, Friday, December 26, and the El Portal Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, December 28.
Blending rich storytelling, sly humor, and plenty of holiday magic, Judy Garland – We Need a Little Christmas showcases Wileman’s extraordinary ability to channel the voice and spirit of the legendary Garland. The result is a nostalgic and heartwarming journey through Hollywood’s golden age, wrapped in the glow of the season.
The tour arrives alongside Wileman’s acclaimed new holiday album, A Christmas Garland, which imagines the Christmas record Judy herself never had the chance to make. Featuring lush orchestrations by Tony-nominated arranger Steve Orich (Broadway’s Jersey Boys), the album offers a joyful mix of holiday classics and contemporary favorites from “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” to Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and Wham!’s “Last Christmas,” all beautifully reimagined in Garland’s signature style.
The album is out now. You can preview Debbie Wileman’s stunning rendition of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” here.
Enjoy our conversation about this upcoming tour and how she was discovered as a Judy Garland impersonator.
About Debbie Wileman
Debbie Wileman is a 38 year-old suburban mum living in North Essex, England with her husband and four-year old daughter. She has also become a social media singing sensation during the global pandemic, capturing world-wide attention as a modern-day Judy Garland phenomenon.
Humble Beginnings. Talented Origins
Debbie was born and raised as a working-class Londoner. As the only child of a professional rock musician father and her school teacher mother, she excelled musically and artistically as a young girl. Debbie’s nana (her dad’s mother) a wonderful pianist, singer and mentor, introduced her to musicals and her love for Judy’s music. At 12, she started performing Judy for her nana and an ever-growing world. Following her secondary education, Debbie attended The University of Salford in Salford, Greater Manchester, England, where she completed her performing arts degree. During her years at Salford, she acted and sang honing her exceptional natural talents.
An Accident of Circumstances
Debbie initially performed professionally, for several years after graduating from the University. A lack of regular work and a need for a regular paycheck meant that Debbie had to get a full time “proper” job (she had many ranging from alright to awful). At the dawn of the pandemic she was happily married and a full-time stay-at-home mum in the suburbs with a beautiful 2 year old daughter (now 4).
Ironically, this life transition, would have a profound influence upon Debbie and her artistic outlook and fortunes. While caring at home for her daughter, and watching the world she and others knew “get turned-up-side down” from the ravages of a world-wide plague, she decided to use her singing talents to initially help cheer-up friends and relatives and eventually a larger group of followers.
The Explosion of an Admiring Following
Initially, Debbie committed to singing and posting on Facebook a video of a new song for 100 consecutive days to help bring joy and inspire her friends. Days turned into weeks, then into months and now it is two years+ later.
As she posted her daily musical selections on her social media accounts, ranging from singing as herself or as Judy Garland, Dusty Springfield, Patsy Cline, Liza Minnelli, Shirley Bassey, Karen Carpenter and many other luminaries, her band of admiring followers began to grow, indeed explode. With more than one million views later, she became an internet phenomenon with a global fan base.
Celebrating Judy at 100 in 2022!
Debbie’s singing has also caught the attention of music professionals given her remarkable voice and uncanny ability to imitate the incomparable Judy Garland. She came to the United States to celebrate Judy’s 100th Birthday and on June 10th, Judy’s actual birthday, she released her debut album, I’m Still Here and kicked off her widely acclaimed multi-city tour. Her new songbook features many of Judy’s classics as well as other contemporary hits that she believes Judy would be singing today.
Debbie completed a multi-city United States tour to rave reviews celebrating Judy Garland’s 100th Birthday. Debbie also debuted her new album, I’m Still Here, conducted and produced by Grammy Award Winner Steve Orich, to commemorate the legendary icon. Debbie received standing ovations before sold-out audiences in Fort Lauderdale, FL, Orlando, FL, New York City’s iconic Carnegie Hall, Provincetown, MA , and Los Angeles, CA.
The Lady Behind the Voice
Debbie’s story is far richer than her magnificent voice alone. She is the ultimate “down-to-earth” Londoner who values hard work and family. A talented woman who was blessed with a fabulous talent and a vision to bring happiness through her music to a wide-spectrum of people.
Her growing recognition and acclaim is an accident of fate. She put her love of family in front of pursuing her musical career. The isolation and despair of the world-wide pandemic became an improbable catalyst to provide Debbie with a platform to inspire hope and joy across the globe. Sometimes unintended consequences have wonderful results.
