The Story
A hybrid of theater and film, the performance uses dramatic narration, live music, sound effects, and projected digitized media and visuals in its storytelling. Staged in one act, it has a running time of approximately 75 minutes. Ten of Kitt's signature international hit songs are appropriately woven into the show. The narrative is accompanied by an immersed, interactive trio--piano, bass, and drums. Pianist/arranger Marco di Gennaro is the music director. Scenery and staging are minimal. The production requires professional lighting, sound, and video projection capability. This flexible one-woman show is self-contained, and can be performed in an intimate nightclub setting, on a proscenium, thrust, arena, or platform stage. The timeliness, relevance, and portability of this work render it a viable work that can be presented to broad, diversified, and inclusive audiences. The Green Room 42, Broadway's premier destination for live music, nightclub performances, and special events, recently presented EARTHA--From Cotton To Caviar to a more than enthusiastic international crowd! Here are some highlights from that event!
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Conceived, written, and performed by Sandhi Smalls Santini, EARTHA--From Cotton To Caviar is a one-woman show inspired by the life and times of the indomitable Eartha Kitt. This narrative tells the story of the lows, peaks, and challenges endured by Kitt during her journey from a South Carolina Cotton field plantation to international stardom.
Sandhi Smalls Santini
Playwright / Performer
Performances Events Engagements
On February 13, 2025, The International African American Museum (IAAM) in Charleston, South Carolina featured EARTHA--From Cotton To Caviar, selected and curated for the TD Bank Program Series at IAAM.
The Green Room 42 presents...
EARTHA--From Cotton To Caviar
Champagne Taste-La Vie En Rose-C'est Si Bon
Uska Dara-Everything Changes-I'm Still Here
St. Louis Blues
Women Doers Narrative
What people are saying...
The Playwright/Performer
Sandhi Smalls Santini is a NYC-based playwright/performer/author/correspondent. A native of Edisto Island, South Carolina, she is the author of EDISTO ISLAND: Seaside Stories From A Geechee Gal. She (aka Sandra L. Smalls) received her BA in Communications & Theatre Arts from Howard University, Washington, DC. Subsequent studies in human rights were obtained from Columbia University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, NYC. She has headlined internationally as a cabaret singer in numerous 4- and 5-star hotel and resort chains including the world-renowned Bamboo Bar at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand; Constance Lemuria & Constance Ephelia Resorts, Seychelles, Africa; and hotel chains and nightclubs throughout Italy, Turkey, Germany, Hungary, Austria, Greece, the USA, and the Caribbean. She is a member of The League of Professional Theatre Women; SAGAFTRA; Harlem Tourism Board; and the Society for the Preservation of Theatrical History. She is the author of the science fiction fantasy novel "SH+AGUAR, The Night Huntress", (Vanguard Press/Pegasus Publishers).
"Men have always wanted to lay me down, but they never wanted to pick me up."--Eartha Kitt
More about the story...
It's Washington, DC. 1978. An elegant cabaret venue. More than 10 years have passed since EARTHA KITT, world-famous performer and activist was blacklisted by the Johnson Administration following an impassioned Vietnam War debate with then First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson, at a White House luncheon. Kitt returns to America and Broadway, triumphantly, starring in Timbuktu! This fun-raising concert is the first of her "Back In Business" tour. The house is packed to the rafters with loyal fans and admirers. The event takes place a day after Kitt has ceremoniously dined at the White house as the guest of President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter, where she was officially welcomed back to the USA. During the course of the evening, Kitt sings, shares unforgettable memories, reminisces, and reflects on her life that has come full circle.
