Image

November 20, 2015

Jennifer Walls is such an impressive musical impersonator,  Ben Vereen encouraged her to take her Liza Minnelli show to New York.

But when she hits the Victoria Playhouse stage Nov. 24, she says you won’t see Liza or Celine Dion. “It will be pure me,” says the Toronto-based singer/producer/voice actor.

This is Walls’ second season celebrating Christmas with Starbright. She heard about Petrolia through college friend Callendra Dendais – one of theseven other featured performers in the ensemble.

After her first Starbright, she sidled up to David Rogers and told him she really liked it here and what else did they have going on?

Walls ended up in what she calls a “life changing experience” working with Vereen in What a Wonderful World.

Vereen told her “don’t apologize for what you do – just do your thing.” And he encouraged her to consider going to New York with her killer Liza impersonation.

But Walls impersonation skills will stay on the shelf for Starbright Christmas and she’s happy to show the audience “pure me” in a show filled with hope and love.

“Alexis Gordon and I were practising His Eye is on the Sparrow the day after the (terrorist) attacks in Paris and it is apparent this is the sort of show which is important right now.”

And Walls, who once narrowly lost in her hometown beauty pageant, will get a chance to show her kooky side again in the 2016 season’s Little Miss County Fair. “Maybe this time I’ll win.”

Share This

Image
Front Page

Lambton councillors endorse Alberta to Sarnia pipeline project

September 18, 2026

Heather Wright/The Independent Lambton County councillors have thrown their support behind the Northern Shield pipeline. The federal and provincial governments have pledged to build a pipeline from Alberta to Sarnia’s petrochemical industries which would bring 500,000 barrels of crude oil a day to the region for refining. It’s an effort to maintaincontrol of Canada’s energy resources. The feds have promised

Read More

Image
Front Page

Lambton Kent School Board considers cutting 60 per cent of its meetings

September 18, 2026

Blake Ellis/The Independent A move to cut back on the number of public school board meetings in Lambton-Kent has failed. But administration will try again to convince trustees in September. The move, as explained Lambton Kent District School Board Chief Executive Officer Gary Girardi, would lead to more efficiencies with the board and would bring Lambton-Kent in line with other

Read More

Image
Front Page

Outgoing Petrolia mayor urges hospice donation

September 18, 2026

The Independent Outgoing Petrolia Mayor Brad Loosley wants taxpayers to support the new three-bed hospice being built by St. Joseph’s Hospice at Lambton Meadowview Villa. The province approved funding for three rural hospice beds in January 2025. In December, St. Joseph’s Hospice announced plans to build them in an area at Meadowview which was originally built as respite rooms for

Read More

Image
Front Page

Sting, Knights open new OHL season

September 18, 2026

Barry Wright/The Independent With the OHL preseason in the rear view mirror, the Sting is now preparing for its league opener against the Greyhounds in the Soo on Saturday night. Sarnia ended its exhibition schedule with a 7-1 win over the London Knights before 2,298 fans at Progressive Auto Sales Arena Friday. Matthew Manza and Myles Dunn each scored twice

Read More