Review: BARBARA COOK'S SPOTLIGHT: TERRI WHITE at The Kennedy Center

"Starting Here, Starting Now" resonated throughout The Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater as Broadway star TERRI WHITE took the stage for her second BARBARA COOK'S SPOTLIGHT performance. White, dressed in a dramatic purple pantsuit, immediately demonstrated a voice that spans across genres, with a power she makes look easy. She also had a lot of fun with tap shoes and spoons.

White's Broadway and off-Broadway career has spanned the decades, including roles in FINNIAN'S RAINBOW, FOLLIES, and BARNUM. Having seen her (I'll admit multiple times) in the VHS recordings of NUNSENSE and NUNSENSE II with Rue McClanahan, I was thrilled to be able to see her in her own crafted show.

The joy of seeing performers' cabarets is that it is truly their show. It is their time to pick songs they love to sing, or have never gotten to sing at all. It's also the challenge of it - how do you fill the time? How many emotional songs, how many should be funny? What will the anecdotes be?

White's performance worked to answer all of these questions, and spanned many a genre. "Old Devil Moon", "Summertime" and "It Don't Mean a Thing" showed her jazz and swing chops, and "If Money Talks" from THE CLUB got the audience laughing and White's tap shoes working. She also incorporated props, playing spoons along Maker's Mark bottles and metal tumblers as piano player and Musical Director BOBBY PEACO sang Under the Sea" from THE LITTLE MERMAID and "Maxwell's Silver Hammer". Having understudied for NELL CARTER on a few occasions, White impersonated Carter with "Mean to Me" from AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' to thunderous laughter.

White also discussed a performance she gave during a 9/11 fundraiser before singing "Bridge Over Troubled Water". Songs such as "Everything Must Change" and "Nobody Knows You" seemed particularly emotional, bringing tears to her eyes and raw feelings that moved the audience with her.

As the show progresed, it truly seemed to be telling her story, the victories and the struggles. While I appreciate all of the numbers, some of them felt cut down or oddly arranged, and her rendition of "Being Alive" felt too forced, considering it's a resonant enough song on its own. Overall, however, it was a very well put together evening.

White surprised the audience towards the conclusion of the show by announcing that this would be her final performance. She displayed a 1972 Kennedy Center medal, thanked her wife and family, and the audience. It was a beautiful series of moments, further enhanced by one of the final songs, "Here's to Life", and her words, "here's to you."

Having followed the updates on White's announcement since the performance, I am glad to see that she has not retired from the stage completely. With her sense of humor, powerful voice and genuine love of life and Broadway, Terri White remains a delightful, captivating performer.

The BARBARA COOK'S SPOTLIGHT: TERRI WHITE performance was a one time event on October 16, 2015 in the Terrace Theater. For more information on the series and purchasing tickets, visit the Kennedy Center website.

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