BWW Reviews: LACHANZE Brings Cool Rhythms, Stellar Vocals to Kennedy Center Cabaret Debut

LaChanze, probably best known for her Tony Award-winning turn as Celie in The Color Purple, made her cabaret debut at the Kennedy Center this past weekend. Like several others that have come before her in Barbara Cook's Spotlight Series - a multi-year series featuring the best of Broadway vocalists and beyond - she, for the most part, eschewed standard showtune fare. If her act - appropriately titled LaChanze: Feeling Good - is any indication of where else her musical passions lie, it's largely in the area of "classic" rhythm and blues with a bit of contemporary pop music thrown in for good measure. Like the performer, I was also feeling quite good after the show because the performance certainly showcased her ability to deliver exceptional vocals mixed with authentic emotion. Add to that her charm, seemingly natural ability to draw the audience in as if the event is an intimate music sharing experience among friends, and strong accompaniment by five other stellar musicals, and you have a winning combination.

LaChanze got the cool and relaxed vibe going with her strong opener, "Feeling Good," which continued throughout the night. With some help from her music director (and at times arranger) Michael O. Mitchell on piano, Chris Parks on bass, Eric Brown on drums, the excellent Michael Ciro on guitar, and the rhythm genius that is Steven Kroon on percussion, the audience was transported to a night club of sorts. While at times the often "island jazz" influenced arrangements got a bit tiresome and made several selections in the middle part of the show blend together sonically, she and the musicians are so talented that everything still sounded really, really stellar.

LaChanze can pretty much sing anything and do it really well, but several moments stood out to me as the most interesting.

First, when is the last time that you ever heard an arrangement of Bill Withers' "Use Me" and Stephen Sondheim's "Losing My Mind" from Follies? Probably never, right? LaChanze herself even pointed to the oddity after singing the songs, but it proved to be a match made in heaven. Not only did her powerful and sultry vocals lend themselves well to the songs, but the arrangement she used for "Losing My Mind" - featuring rhythms not found in the original - made it seem fresh, new, and wholly original.

LaChanze also paid tribute to Diana Ross, covering "It's My Turn" among other familiar fare. She slayed and strutted her way through every number, putting her own spin on every one while still paying homage to her self-admitted idol. However, it was her rendition of "Be a Lion" from The Wiz - a song that Ms. Ross sang in the Hollywood film version - that stood out to me the most. Admittedly, I am an unabashed musical theatre geek so my ears perked up upon the first note. It wasn't only memorable because of the theatre connection though. Simply put, it was one of the best sung renditions I have heard - powerful, yet restrained when needed. The lyrics weren't thrown away, either. The end result was most satisfying.

LaChanze and 'raise the roof' kind of vocals go hand and hand. One need not look farther than her take on Celie's 11o'clock number "I'm Here" as evidence of that. Just as she did it on Broadway in The Color Purple, her encore performance of that number was the perfect blend of emotional intensity - made more so by her wonderful attention to dynamics - and simply flawless, vocal technique and controlled power. I've seen many take on the role of Celie since she did it on Broadway and none have come close to hitting this song as well as she does from a vocal and lyric interpretation standpoint. Yet, on the flip side, she can use her voice to create an intimate setting like the best of folksy singer-songwriters. Her take on Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" was proof of that.

She can do it all.

Running Time: 80 minutes with no intermission.

LaChanze: Feeling Good, played at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, February 13, 2015. Next up in the Barbara Cook Spotlight Series is Malcolm Gets on Friday, March 27. See the Kennedy Center website for ticket information.

Photo: Courtesy of Kennedy Center website.