New play dwells on Ella Fitzgerald’s troubled teenage years

By Doug Doyle

Published June 21, 2024 at 3:08 PM EDT

The cast of Ella the Ungovernable now running at the Theater for the New City in Manhattan — The cast of *Ella the Ungovernable* now running at the Theater for the New City in Manhattan

This week a new play about Ella Fitzgerald opened at the Theater for the New City in Manhattan.

The cast of Ella the Ungovernable — The cast of *Ella the Ungovernable*

Ella the Ungovernable from playwright David McDonald (running through July 7) tells the story of Fitzgerald being incarcerated at the age of 15 in a New York State institution for girls. It happened in the mid-1930’s.

WBGO’s Jon Kalish has the story…

David McDonald's Ella the Ungovernable runs through July 7 — David McDonald's *Ella the Ungovernable* runs through July 7

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Doug Doyle

Doug Doyle has been News Director at WBGO since 1998 and has taken his department to new heights in coverage and recognition. Doug and his staff have received more than 250 awards from organizations like PRNDI (now PMJA), AP, New York Association of Black Journalists, Garden State Association of Black Journalists and the New Jersey Society of Professional Journalists.

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