Review: Vanessa Williams Makes THE DIAMOND SERIES At 54 Below Shine Bright As The Biggest Star In The Sky

Vanessa Williams is a star. There has never been a time when Vanessa Williams has not been a star. It was her fate, it was her destiny, it was her divine decree to be a star. An actress of note, a singer of regard, a dancer of skill, and one of the most impossibly unbelievable beauties of all time, there was no other choice for the universe than for Vanessa Williams to be star.

54 Below has spent ten years presenting the great stars of Broadway on their stage. The supper club dubbed Broadway's Living Room has welcomed stars from the film and television industries, stars from the music world, and up-and-comers that would become stars. But when the Tony Award-winning nightclub announced that Vanessa Williams would play their Diamond Series, there was a significant shift in the paradigm of New York City nightlife. This was a coup. This was a win. This was an ungettable get.

And last night, it was a triumph.

The Diamond Series at 54 Below is designed to be a special experience, one that is unforgettable and one that is worth the price one pays for it which (when first informed of) might seem rich but when considering what one gets for the monies paid, seems rather like a bargain. The extended evening at 54 Below features a four course supper made up of an exquisite specially-created menu, bubbles in a right proper flute, and ninety minutes with a huge star performing a nightclub act in an intimate setting. The intimate is where it's at, here. Any number of times, over the years, everyone has had an opportunity to see Vanessa Williams perform live - maybe on a Broadway stage, maybe on a concert stage, but this is a nightclub stage. This is a stage in a space so small that, from any spot in the venue, wherever a person is standing or sitting, they will have an intimate audience with Vanessa Williams. The six-time Broadway veteran enters through the house, singing as she makes her way to the stage, close enough for a person to observe the beadwork on her burgundy gown and to note the particular perfume she has selected for the evening. For ninety minutes she is close enough to her adoring admirers that she can look right into the eyes of her woman friends from POTUS with a loving smile on her face, or turn to someone who has just gasped and ask, "Do you know what I'm about to sing?" The powerhouse performer is so close that she barely even needs a microphone in the cozy setting where she expounds, jovially, about her work (like performing on The Oscars), her family (like the time her daughter sang in her tour), her role models (like the importance of the newly-named Lena Horne Theater) and her colleagues (like the diary she kept of Barbara Cook's profanity). Vanessa Williams is just at home on the stage, whether it's a sound stage, a Broadway stage, or an Arena Stage. This time, the stage just happens to be the cabaret stage at 54 Below, and the evening is one of the most exciting this writer has ever had.

Imagine being in a small venue and hearing that inimitable Vanessa Williams voice, as clear as a crystal bell on a cold winter morning, singing your favorite song from her first Christmas album. Consider being mere feet away from Vanessa Williams when the singing actress performs the most profound number from the Sondheim show that garnered her a Tony Award nomination. Think about sitting in a room and watching the star of Dance With Me show off the kinds of moves that she, first, displayed on Broadway in Kiss Of The Spider Woman. Envision the emotional response to listening to the Grammy nominee sing, live, the songs for which she earned those nominations. From start to finish, every moment of the Vanessa Williams show at 54 Below is one to be cherished and remembered, absolutely in keeping with the standard of quality the club offers and the provocative programming for which they strive.

Now, at this point, readers have probably noticed that I have discreetly (or obviously) avoided actually naming one song that Vanessa Williams sings in her show. Regular readers of mine know that this is something that I tend to do, in order to avoid spoilers for future audiences. The experience of sitting in a room and listening to a musician play their hits is a personal one to be savored, and it isn't fair to ruin the element of surprise that comes from hearing those first five notes that tell you that they are about to sing your favorite song. Since that happened to me more than once last night (especially with regards to one of the Christmas songs, a particular favorite on my holiday playlist), I would be loathe to ruin the spontaneity for the 54 Below patrons that will attend a performance during the next week of shows. What I can say is this - if a person is a fan of Vanessa's music catalogue, if a patron is a devotee of Vanessa's Broadway career, if an audience member is an enthusiast of Vanessa's Christmas albums, they will (all of them) get what they came for. Vanessa Williams has arranged her Diamond Series show in a manner that will make all the different factions of fans happy - nobody will leave disappointed. There will be no spoilers, here, today: paying guests at 54 Below deserve the whole experience, in real time, as Vanessa Williams takes them on the concert ride that she wishes for them to have.

It also merits saying that there is, in this show, the obligatory moment when the headliner introduces the band. Nobody, in all my years of club and concert going, has ever introduced their band as well as Vanessa Williams. Throughout the evening Vanessa is laid-back, funny, personable, and easy-going, but something happens when she takes the time out to talk about her colleagues, to put their artistry in the light (literally) with stupendous solos, and to say their names, loudly and clearly and proudly, so that the audience knows from whence cometh the glorious and magnificent musical support that elevates her own artistry to the highest of heights. It is an admirable moment (well, several minutes) in the performance, one filled with such incredible moments of musical mastery as to make a person burst out laughing with the kind of joy that only art can inspire.

Vanessa Williams is an artist. She is a Lady, and she is a star. And, for the next week, she is the best Christmas present of 2022. Don't miss out on the opportunity to see this diamond in the most perfect setting a person could wish for so priceless a gem.

The Vanessa Williams band is Music Director Leo Colon on piano and vocals, Keith Robinson on guitar, Alsamad Caldwell on bass, JT Lewis on drums, and Shelley Thomas-Harts on vocals.

Vanessa Williams plays 54 Below in The Diamond Series through December 18th. Read about the experience, see the menu, and make reservations HERE.

Visit the Vanessa Williams website HERE.

Photos by Stephen Mosher; Visit the Stephen Mosher website HERE.

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