Review: Jenn Colella Electrifies With OUT AND PROUD At 54 Below

When one hears that Jenn Colella is doing a show called “Out and Proud” at 54 Below, one may not automatically think “I Could Have Danced All Night” is going to be part of the setlist. It was, and it was deliciously queer. So were all the songs, and universally relatable. 

Colella has that unique quality that simply emanates from every fiber of her being like active electricity. The first thing she said to the audience after her opening, “Knock on Wood” was, “Well, it’s lesbo hour,” and the lesbians and straights all roared with delight. Jenn made sure to include the heteros in her outward appreciation, acknowledging that “We couldn’t do it without you.” Another unexpected song in the set was “It’s Raining Men,” which Jenn dedicated to her male lovers of the years past, an experience she would go through about every seven years or so. 

As Colella combed through her own experiences and personal history with anecdotes such as “baby dyke” stories,  she made the songs her own with unique interpretations that weren’t at all indulgent. Her approach to each song was deeply personal, deliberate, and brave. Colella, between numbers like “Piece of My Heart” and “Never Never Land” (she’s played Peter Pan 4 times), shifted between the musical moods with simplicity and ease. She maintained a laid-back vibe as she jammed with her incredible band and grooved on vocals with Ally Bonino and Monica Tulia Ramirez. This writer does not want to call the vocalists “backup singers” because Jenn never treated them that way, instead acknowledging their voices as integral and sharing many moments with them. 

The musicians in the show are all worth mentioning: Music Director Chris Ranney on the keys, Carl Carter on Bass, Jessie Linden on Drums, Dillon Condor on Guitar, Kristy Norter on Reeds, and Caitlin Warbelow on Violin. The group played together seamlessly, and it was clear how much they all enjoyed jamming with Jenn in the uptempo energy they maintained between sets. 

Colella shared many heartfelt moments, including a song she dedicated to her wife, “To Make You Feel My Love,” which, coincidentally, is the same song she proposed with. There was also a song, “Joyful Noise,” about finding faith, which can be especially hard for members of the queer community who can often grapple with a lack of acceptance from organized religion. 

The night held so many various kinds of queer tributes, to the universal struggles, to the shift of finding love and growing older (an owl lesbian). There were also songs by the legendary Brandi Carlile, ”The Climb" and “Angry Anymore” by rocker Ani Difranco, about coming to peace with your family and complicated past. 

Colella brought pride to a month that marks the turning of the seasons, daylight savings time (for one more year, anyway), and the general back-to-school pumpkin spice days that don’t often denote rainbows. Rainbows resound, however, and the message is this: one should be out and proud all year round, just like Colella is.

Find great shows to see on the 54 Below website HERE.

Follow Jenn Colella on Instagram HERE and book a voice lesson with her through Broadway Booker HERE.