‘It’s About Family’: Lauren Ambrose Talks Needham Connection, Repertoire Ahead of Local Concert

September 7, 2026
• The TV and theatre star is set to perform a collection of songs at Town Hall next weekend as part of the Great Hall Concert Series.

Before Lauren Ambrose graces the Powers Hall stage this month, her daughter Wild already beat her to the punch.

Coming off of a Hudson Valley production as the titular role in “Annie,” Wild Handel joined members of the Needham Community Theatre’s cast of “Annie” on stage last September to sing with Andrea McArdle, who originated the role.

It was the first time Ambrose had attended a concert there, though her connection to the space, and Needham itself, extends far beyond that: her father-in-law, Moe Handel, worked on restoring the hall in 2011 and co-founded the Great Hall Performance Foundation, and her husband Sam grew up in Needham. After several years of scheduling conflicts, Ambrose will open the concert series this year with a performance on Sept. 19.

“It’s about family,” Ambrose said, “because that’s really why I’m here doing the concert and what really motivated me to make it happen.”

Ambrose — best known for her television roles in “Six Feet Under” and “Yellowjackets,” as well as several Broadway stints, including in “My Fair Lady,” for which she earned a Tony nomination — plans to perform a collection of bucket-list songs and ones she’s sung and recorded before.

She recalled watching McArdle on stage and the “great feeling in the hall.” Ambrose, who lives in the Berkshires, said she views her upcoming performance as a way to connect with the Needham community.

“The people running the Great Hall series, they’re so lovely and passionate about it, and their passion for it was really pretty inspiring to me,” she said. “They really just love bringing music to this community, and so I’m happy to help and happy to be asked to be part of it.”

In his part, Moe Handel said he recused himself while the foundation formed its schedule — “for purposes of harmony in my life on the board, I stayed completely out of it,” he said. He made the initial inquiry to Ambrose, who he knew “would have been delighted if she could pull it off,” he said.

The concert series began in 2012, with four shows of varying genres and styles each season. Gloria Greis, also a co-founder, said they expect to host their 50th performance this year.

On adding Ambrose to their lineup, Greis pointed to her talent “as a singer, as an actress, in multiple performance fields,” as well as the uniqueness of the show.

“She’s not on tour. She’s not doing multiple shows at multiple venues. This is a one-and-only that she’s doing for us,” Greis said. “It’s going to be a special show that’s not going to be replicated.”

The Great Hall Performance Foundation, as its motto indicates, aims to bring high-quality music directly to Needham.

“We’re trying to bring to Needham music that’s world class that people might not otherwise be exposed to because they’re going to be hearing it in Needham, so it’s accessible to them,” Moe Handel said. “It also resonates with the school’s music program, because some of those students get to perform with those performers as an opening act, and it gives a broader range of students access to be able to do that if we can line up the discipline of the school program with a particular performance.”

Also featured in this year’s lineup is Peter Noone, lead singer of the 1960s British pop band Herman’s Hermits, as well as classical ensemble Seraph Brass and instrumentalist Adrian Galante.

Following her time in “My Fair Lady,” Ambrose moved back to TV, working on “Yellowjackets” in Vancouver and a new show with Stephen Fry in Spain. She will star in “The Unbelievers,” a new play by Nick Payne, this fall in New York. She has also fronted her ragtime jazz band The Leisure Class.

Ambrose said she’s typically content performing in character, which makes a cabaret-style evening somewhat “nerve-wracking.” What may assuage those nerves is her family, who she hinted may have some part in her Needham act. Her son also attends Berklee College of Music.

She looks forward to embracing the slight departure, she said, in a community that’s become quite familiar to her.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to do an evening of this kind of storytelling, which is a little different for me,” Ambrose said. “I’ve spent many a Thanksgiving in Needham, and really look forward to coming back and singing some songs for you all.”