Review: Broadway's Jessica Vosk Honors the Songwriters of Laurel Canyon at OC's Segerstrom Center

Originally scheduled to be performed in the Fall of last year, acclaimed Broadway star Jessica Vosk's new solo concert entitled CALIFORNIA DREAMIN' – THE SONGWRITERS OF LAUREL CANYON finally made its rescheduled West Coast premiere last Friday, January 26, 2024 to an adoring, almost sold-out crowd at OC's Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa.

It is certainly a fitting venue for her outstanding talents and her ambitiously-themed show. For 90-plus solid minutes, a blissfully ecstatic Vosk—basking in a sunny-yellow dress to match her giddy mood—gave a standout, full-bodied concert experience that mixed her undeniably powerful, gorgeous vocal talents with her naturally charming, quite engaging storytelling prowess—which was first previewed in-person to OC audiences during her impressive Segerstrom Center Cabaret Series debut back in November of 2022 (a review recap of that concert can be read HERE).

Of course, this should not come as a surprise to those who came to this concert who were already familiar with Vosk's well-documented musical reputation and sassy personality. From her noteworthy start on Wall Street up to her star-making turn as Elphaba on both the national tour and Broadway companies of the hit musical WICKED, Vosk continues to confirm that she definitely belongs as an entertainer on a stage, whether performing in a musical theater role (as she has on THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY and FIDDLER ON THE ROOF) or singing songs peppered generously with extraordinary riffs as herself in large symphony halls or, as she did in the OC, an intimate cabaret stage.

This time around, Vosk was centered on a much larger stage compared to the smaller, more intimate one she had for her OC cabaret debut. First commissioned for The 92nd Street Y for Tisch Music's Lyrics and Lyricists Concert Series, Vosk's show—which she conceived with music supervisor Mary-Mitchell Campbell—is a curated tribute/history lesson that recounts the unique, creatively collaborative community that formed in Laurel Canyon, a posh Los Angeles-area neighborhood located in the Hollywood Hills, about an hour-plus drive north of Costa Mesa.

Sprinkled in between some of the most spectacular live covers of classic hits you'll ever hear, Vosk offered long stretches of humorously-delivered historical factoids and behind-the-scenes "hot goss" about the incredibly talented men and women that once called this community home, and how they all began to harmoniously create some of the most recognizable, critically-acclaimed musical compositions that collectively defined the pop music sound of its era. Through chance neighbor introductions and, really, by simple geographic approximation, the collaborations that were birthed within these hillside homes are astonishing.

This seemingly magical enclave of coincidental musical genius became a constant thing back in the late 1960's/1970's. And among its residents is a who's-who list of music royalty: Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, David Crosby, Linda Ronstadt, The Eagles, The Mamas & The Papas, Stevie Nicks, and Carole King, to name just a few. Many in attendance at the concert —a mixture of both Vosk fans and fans of the genre she was singing—instantly knew the music (I, myself, knew all but, perhaps, a couple) which turned into a night of reverent nostalgia interpreted through a modern lens.

On stage, the performers were fire. Vosk—who sounded in absolute fine form and armed with wow-inducing vocal control that many in awe—was accompanied onstage by musical director Matt Perri on piano (who also had a lovely singing voice), Jared Schonig on drums/percussion, Jon Cornell on bass, Pathik Desai on guitar, Leah Zeger on violin, and background vocalists Abigail Sparrow and Molly Stilliens.

But, of course, it wasn't just her singing that had people cheering.

Since the show does reference a specific era and genre that has a storied, legendary history behind it, there was a built-in expectation that a few explanations needed to be weaved into the concert. The amount of talks she gave in between songs, though, was certainly much more than your average songs-and-stories cabaret concert, but she often adorably acknowledged this and, at one point, even asked if all of her expansive info-dispensing was "too much"—which was, naturally, totally encouraged by the rapt audience who, perhaps, just wanted the evening to go on longer than its promised run time.

Funny enough, she claimed to not be formally working with a script (she endearingly flubbed at one point when she gave an unscheduled "talk" before a song that surprised even Perri, apparently), but she did, however, come with a big book on stage that occasionally found her sitting in a chair or kneeling down stage reading from it out loud like it was "story hour" from our sassy Auntie Jess. The audience, of course, loved every second of it.

To be honest, I for one actually appreciated all these additional facts and background info, because it provided a necessary context and sometimes really interesting (read: juicy) tidbits on how and why these songs were crafted.

Describing the Laurel Canyon artists as, primarily, great storytellers, Vosk considers their songs to also rightly belong in the Great American Songbook—alongside the expected songs composed by the likes of the Gershwins, Rodgers, Hammerstein, Berlin, and Porter. This was her reasoning and motivation to pay homage to these late 20th Century California-based artists when she was asked to create a new show.

She stunned the audience right at the top of the show by starting Joni Mitchell's "California" a cappella off-stage before walking out to thunderous applause as her backing band joined her for the remainder of the song. It will be one of several Mitchell songs she covered during the evening, each one more impressive than the one that came before.

As many of her fans have anticipated, her incredible singing voice was just simply extraordinary throughout the evening, as she gave each cover song her own unique, signature interpretation that reminded older fans of the original hits, but gave her younger fans the chance to hear the effortless modern riffs and controlled nuances they've come to love about her (She threw her musical theater fans a bone briefly by recalling the moment she created her infamous Elphaba "Defying Gravity" riff that she sang during her final night on tour in Cincinnati, which she gladly recreated on the spot for us—just a welcome crumb from her WICKED past she inserted in the concert).

Vosk was especially brilliant in her heartfelt interpretations of the songs made famous by the women of Laurel Canyon—specifically Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, Carole King, and Stevie Nicks (but, no surprise, she was pretty damn great doing songs by the Canyon's boy bands, too). Vulnerable and emotionally piercing, the songs created and refined in this creative safe space spoke about truth, heartache, longing, love, and passion—which Vosk delivered with remarkable, effortless panache.

Early highlights included a beautiful, heart wrenching take on Raitt's "Love Has No Pride" (which was also later recorded by her fellow Laurel Canyon pal Ronstadt) followed by the more upbeat "Something To Talk About" (also by Raitt), which, Vosk admits, came from an early influential Raitt album that helped her learn how to sing harmonies growing up.

She next paid tribute to Ronstadt herself with a hauntingly lovely version of "Desperado" (written by future Eagles founding members Don Henley and Glenn Frey), followed by the Eagles' own hit "Hotel California." Not knowing a lot about the mystique of Laurel Canyon, I was surprised to learn—according to one of Vosk's many truth bombs of the night—that the Eagles simply began as the "backing band" for Ronstadt before becoming one of the biggest selling groups of all time! She then ended this section with possibly my new favorite interpretation of Ronstadt's "Blue Bayou," which was just so, so pretty.

Up next, she paid tribute to Carole King via "It's Too Late." King, coincidentally, remains, thus far, the only Laurel Canyon musician to have her own Broadway bio-musical about her life. Vosk personally thought that any of these musicians deserved the same solo Broadway treatment, especially knowing what she discovered about each of them during her research.  I was also floored to learn that King's groundbreaking album Tapestry (which included "It's Too Late") actually featured none other than Carly Simon and Joni Mitchell as backup singers!

And speaking of Mitchell… what followed was, perhaps, the most touching moment (of many) in Vosk's concert, which featured one of Mitchell's most revered songs performed by a special guest artist with a new, more layered perspective: TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney, who sang a beautiful, sincerely-felt rendition of "Both Sides Now," which spoke volumes of her truth, particularly as a trans woman.

Vosk sang back up vocals, looking on at Mulvaney—who had a previous background in musical theatre before gaining her online following— like a proud mom.

For Mulvaney—a current resident of Laurel Canyon herself—the song inadvertently reflected her transition, realizing first-hand what it meant knowing and accepting "both sides," which is reiterated in Mitchell's poignant lyrics. She hoped that the message one takes from the song now is that "healing can come from curiosity… from fascination" rather than being judgmental and closed-minded. The lovely moment drew many tears and sniffles from the audience (including myself).

But this being Orange County, I did notice the expected shock, a few perplexed looks, and even some annoyed comments that came with Mulvaney's participation and honest testimony. But to my delighted surprise, the negativity was whispered and very isolated, proving that this songbook attracts people from all walks of life, even those with less than welcoming perspectives. After the song, Mulvaney received a well-deserved standing ovation from most of the audience.

Next up, Vosk returned center stage to sing "Don't Worry, Baby" by The Beach Boys, which was written by Brian Wilson and Roger Christian to be a sort of sequel/response to the Ronettes' "Be My Baby," which they flatly turned down. She followed with Don Henley's 80's solo hit "The Boys of Summer."

Musical Director Perri next joined Vosk in a charming duet of Crosby Stills Nash and Young's "Our House," a song penned by Graham Nash that was inspired by his living situation with his then girlfriend Joni Mitchell. Again, highlighting how interconnected all these musicians were during this songwriting boom, Vosk played an audio clip through her phone of Mitchell and Nash singing an early demo recording of the song, complete with a "mistake" that Mitchell called out.

This transitions to Vosk's gorgeous take on Mitchell's "Case of You," which seems to be a frequent go-to for many musical theater artists on their own solo concerts, followed by a superb version of Fleetwood Mac's "Gypsy," written by Stevie Nicks.

Vosk, naturally, wondered out loud… why did this songwriting era of Laurel Canyon eventually come to an end? Hilariously, she recalled an audience response she received at one of her shows: "Honey, it's all the acid!"

The show ended with a celebratory mash-up of the Mamas and the Papas' "California Dreamin'" with "Make Your Own Kind of Music" which prompted an invite for us to sing along. As an encore, Vosk offered up a lovely tribute to the recently departed Christine McVie via an understated "For You."

One of the most entertaining shows I have ever experienced at this concert hall, Vosk's impressive vocal styling and her amazing rapport with her band and the audience alike made for a truly wonderful evening that was met with multiple standing ovations and some of the loudest cheers for a solo show here at Segerstrom Center.

In our brief conversation after the concert, Vosk admitted that she was extremely happy with the positive responses the evening received that night, which may bode well for the rest of the show's run in other cities. Considering that this Costa Mesa concert marked only the second (!) time the show had ever been performed other than the first show at the 92nd Street Y, I found it hard to believe she hadn't done this concert more throughout her career. She felt very much joyfully at home doing these covers, and it showed.

Part of me hopes that Vosk releases a live or studio-recorded album of her amazing covers of these songs in the very near future. And, if we're talking blue-sky here… I envision this being released on a streaming service or even on PBS's Great Performances as a documentary-concert hybrid, a sort of Ken Burns-esque treatment that cuts in with Vosk and company performing the songs in her style. Because judging from the fascinating backstory Vosk shared in her unique, tongue-in-cheek storytelling cadence throughout the evening, paired with her awesome renditions of the songs, CALIFORNIA DREAMIN'—the concert experience—should be enjoyed by as many people as possible.

* Follow this reviewer on Twitter / Instagram / Threads: @cre8iveMLQ *

Photos of Jessica Vosk by Matthew Murphy, courtesy of Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

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Visit jessicavosk.com for upcoming additional performances of CALIFORNIA DREAMIN' – Jessica Vosk SINGS THE SONGWRITERS OF LAUREL CANYON.

Tickets to upcoming performances at Segerstrom Center for the Arts can be purchased online at www.SCFTA.org, by phone at 714-556-2787 or in person at the SCFTA box office (open daily at 10 am). Segerstrom Center for the Arts is located at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa.

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