Review: Tracie Thoms Takes the Soulful Route in Feinstein's/54 Below Debut

For her two-show debut engagement at Feinstein's/54 Below, the first of which took place on January 11, Tracie Thoms's set list was surprisingly short. In fact, on paper, it looked as though the concert might not even fill an entire hour. It speaks, then, to her performative nature as an equal parts entertainer-singer, that the show actually lasted for a full 90 minutes.

Those 90 minutes were, for the most part, captivating and soulful, loosely structured with each song representing a different phase in the lifecycle of a relationship. Thoms, clad in a white jumpsuit tailored specifically for her, evocative of the era towards which her voice also gravitates, was coming fresh off the run of Broadway's FALSETTOS revival, which had concluded just two days prior. Any fatigue Thoms was experiencing, however, was left by the wayside, as she was hell-bent to demonstrate music's ability to uplift.

In that vein, Thoms, who is politically outspoken on Twitter, also refused to dwell on the dire happenings outside of the sublevel concert venue, and instead only peripherally alluded to them, using toilet paper imprinted with the face of the President-elect to wipe her brow. And she did work up a bit of a sweat on tempo-heavy numbers including Michael McDonald's "I Keep Forgetting" and a mashup of Nina Simone's "Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair" and "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green.

The set included more sentimental and wrenching numbers, as well, derivative of the heartbreak portion of relationships. Thoms was demure but piercing on Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me" and the self-explanatory "Falling Apart," written specifically for her by Jeremy Schonfeld.

The evening's accompaniment oscillated appropriately between bouncy and melancholic, lead by musical director and pianist James Sampliner., and included Jakubu Griffin (drums) and Steve Count (bass).

To what was perhaps the disappointment of some, there was nary a showtune to be heard on this evening, save for a rather innovative take on Kander and Ebb's "Maybe This Time" from CABARET and RENT's anthemic "Seasons of Love" (Thoms famously starred in the film adaptation as Joanne, before playing the role in the closing cast on Broadway).

That absence was felt, but only fleetingly, as the show concluded in a manner that was both memorable and intentionally feel-good. Accompanied by her friend, Tony winner Billy Porter, the duo took on Marvin Gaye's all-too-timely "What's Going On?" before delving into the audience to have those in attendance croon the title refrain themselves (Thoms's young FALSETTOS co-star, Anthony Rosenthal, was one such participant, standing on a chair for added height).

Though there was at times a feeling of redundancy in the style of song performed, Thoms sounded wonderful enough while singing them that it doesn't render worthy of logging a complaint. Thoms' audience went home satisfied and thus, so, too, could she. With FALSETTOS' run complete, Thoms retreated after her concerts to Los Angeles, where she has resided in recent years. But with her equally smashing return to Broadway and Feinstein's/54 Below debut, New York won't soon forget about the belter but will sooner be ready to welcome her back with open arms, in whatever capacity she so chooses.

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