Review: Headley's Heavenly On Stage With The Pops For ONE NIGHT ONLY: AN EVENING WITH HEATHER HEADLEY at Carnegie Hall

Heigh-Ho, My Merry Rainbow Tribe! Bobby Patrick, your RAINBOW Reviewer here. Putting the silent T in cabareT to bring you ALL the Tea!

On Friday night, my dearlings, we, once again, found ourselves back with the swells of Carnegie Hall for another evening of music with the New York Pops presenting AN EVENING WITH Heather Headley. This ONE NIGHT ONLY event was, indeed, a one-of-a-kind concert, as the Tony Award® Winning creator of (the character) Aida showed that all she needed was good music backing her up to perform the concert of a lifetime... well, that, and a stunning sky-blue sequinned evening gown (Act I) and an equally stunning eggplant purple crepe wrap-around with velvet trousers (Act II). This is, in no way, a sleight on Maestro Stephen Reineke, The New York Pops, or the contingent of backup singers sent from the marvelous Broadway Inspirational Voices that joined Headley for the second half of her magical performance. So, from this short paragraph, you, dear rainbow readers, have gathered a lot. Heather Headley came out on the Carnegie Hall stage with the Pops, looked fab, sang, took a break & changed outfits, came out again, sang some more (with some fantastic vocal and orchestral backup), and, in the vernacular of the show biz... she killed. So, let's talk about some highlights.

Opening the show with a few familiar acapella strains, it became clear the Trinadad-born diva was doing something we have, heretofore, held that no singer should ever do, and that is to sing Arlen & Harburg's OVER THE RAINBOW. Now, you all know Bobby has a literal obsession with that colorful, sky-born optical illusion, that borders on a mania that could rival our JUDY-ISM, except for one thing... Judy. Bobby has heard many singers take on this tune, and all but one have fallen short because... Judy. Michael Feinstein's version of the song, so simple, so warm, and so heartfelt, was the only rendition that we did not find offensive, until... Heather. Staying true to her own voice - one of the richest, most powerful alto sounds on our stages today - the lady gave it just a touch of R&B decor to make the song her RAINBOW without pushing it out of proportion. As the evening wore on, it became clear that, for all her impressive sound and range, the lady was not one to overindulge herself within the music, opting to sing with her pure power, using a grace note here, an arpeggio run there, leaving her impressive high notes for the simplest of decorations, when she felt the urge... And when we refer to her as an alto - make no mistake, there are soprano notes in that throat too, but her home, musically, is what you've heard on stage or on your cast albums of THE LION KING and AIDA. She is more than worthy to join anyone's list of the Greatest Pop Alto Singers Of All Time. A highlight of her first act came when she confessed to having always been afraid of Stephen Sondheim's music. Dubbing herself a C Major gal, Heather told us she had always run away from his music until she was cast in INTO THE WOODS. Singing her personal music director/pianist, Ron Colvard's arranged medley (which is what we used to call a mash-up, kids) of CHILDREN WILL LISTEN and NO ONE IS ALONE in a breathtaking duet with the extremely gifted principal cellist, David Heiss, one could feel the audience holding their breath, and the audible sigh that came at the end of the music. The other thrill of Act 1 came when La Headley wanted to test her voice and the Hall's famous acoustics by going off-mic for another moment of acapella magic (not listed in the program, mind you) as she sang some strains of the spiritual HUSH (SOMEBODY'S CALLING MY NAME) to the utter delight of all, including herself, as she fulfilled her own dream.

Act II Brought a stylish change of clothes, a dozen(ish) singers from the Broadway Inspirational Voices chorus on backup, and another Colvard arrangement on the Spector/Barry/Greenwich roof-raiser RIVER DEEP MOUNTAIN HIGH. Is it wrong to wish that someone snuck a video of this number and will post it on the YouTubes soon - because this song by this singer needs to be heard... trust little Bobby. Not forgetting she is a mom of a little princess, Heather dedicated Randy Newman's TOY STORY 2 love song, WHEN SHE LOVED ME, to her daughter, and Maestro Rieneke gave it the perfect follow-up, as he and the Pops played his own wonderful arrangement of Newman's YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND IN ME, from an earlier TOY STORY film. Demonstrating her generosity, Headley made space in her program for her good friend (and "Mann" behind the mask of the PHANTOM on the road), Chris Man,n who thrilled all with MUSIC OF THE NIGHT. The pair of besties dueted on the next number in the program, and those not in the know got to learn that Headley & Mann are songsmiths, when they sang their lovely BECAUSE YOU NEED ME (co-written with Keith Thomas and Liz Rose). Going solo again, Heather Headley sang another of her own songs, the gorgeous I WISH, composed with Keith Thomas and Iric Headley Jr., which she dedicated to her son, who was in the audience on the night, and, as the saying goes... Not a dry eye. Finally, Heather wrapped the entire gift that was this evening in the bow of Stephen Schwartz's most touching tune, FOR GOOD, leaving this writer to make only one note in our program - OMG!

That, dear rainbow readers, is just a taste of the work we experienced from an iconic voice that has graced our Broadway stages a few times and needs to give us a lot more of that grace if you ask Bobby. Heather Headley is also a consummate actress and was alive in each note she sang, truly acting the roles she was singing in ways that would make you lean forward, lean back, sit up straight, and, in all positions, listen and feel. In short, this ONE NIGHT ONLY concert at the very Carnegie Hall gave us a remarkable EVENING WITH Heather Headley and is most definitely one for the books. So we happily give this one ...

5 out of 5 Rainbows

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All Photos By Richard Termine

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