Review: Ben Vereen's STEPPIN' OUT at the Hillman Center Provides Magical and Mesmerizing Experience

Before Ben Vereen even walked out onstage to begin his show, STEPPIN' OUT, at the Hillman Center, you could feel a very specific energy in the room. There was an eagerness, an excitement that was silently pulsing throughout the audience. Everybody was on The Edge of their seat. It was as if we all were aware of the fact that what we were about to watch could potentially change our lives. And then Ben appeared.

Immediately, he received a very long standing ovation, which is understandable. In the presence of the greatness, respect and gratitude must be displayed. I didn't even grow up watching Ben Vereen and I felt absolutely honored and in disbelief that I was four rows away from him.

From the moment he stepped onstage, his face was glowing. He just oozed charisma and charm. It was very obvious that he was so full of joy and so thankful and gracious to be performing what he was about to perform that it was infectious. You couldn't help but smile and feel warm inside.

He started his show off singing one of his most recognizable songs, Magic to Do from Pippin. The Leading Player earned Vereen a Tony Award in 1973 and even though 43 years have passed since then, it was extremely evident as to why. He moved with an eel-like delight. There was ease behind all of his movements, an air of cool watch-ability.

He moved through many of his early Broadway hits to start the show. He hit Hair, singing Aquarius sensationally. His Corner of the Sky screamed 70's. It sounded nothing like the recent Broadway Revival rendition of the song, but instead felt more relaxed and laid back and bliss. He touched on stories from his career and the people he worked with all throughout his time on Broadway to endearing and effective results.

For being 69 years old, Vereen displayed an impressive amount of vocal strength and stamina throughout STEPPIN' OUT. He sang Defying Gravity from Wicked and absolutely nailed it. I cannot imagine many other people his age who could still sing as powerfully and with as much gusto as he did consistently through the night.

Through much of the show, he emphasized that STEPPIN' OUT is a show about giving thanks. With this show, Ben intended on giving thanks and gratitude to all of his fans and the people that have been inspired by him and stuck by him through the years. He went on to tell the audience that he would have nothing without us. It was beautifully transparent, as was everything that he did. He was genuine, and came off as honest and truthful. Other celebrities or artists could get up and do a similar cabaret and claim that it was to thank the audience, but it wouldn't come off as that because they would proceed to make the show about them. At every moment, Ben made the show about his audience and it was extremely refreshing.

He did a medley dedicated to both Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra, citing them as very obvious influences and artists that inspired him. You could truly feel his admiration and love for his idols pour out of him through the music. The audience very clearly adored his song choices too, giving excited feedback at the end of each song, or thrilled "Ah's" every time he would begin a new song in the medley.

One of the most memorable moments of the entire show came from the end of the Sinatra medley. He sang My Way and to say that I got chills from it would be an understatement. Ben was getting very clearly emotional singing the song, and it resonated extraordinarily with the audience. It was so honest, so open, that it was hard to not be completely enthralled and engaged in what he was doing.

There was a line that stuck out to me in the song that I have to mention and it was, "To think, I did all that." I sat back upon hearing those words, nodded my head in amazement, and just beamed because honestly, when thinking about everything Ben Vereen has accomplished and how he went about accomplishing it, it's truly mind-boggling. Ben knows it too, and that carried into the way he sang the song. He approached the end of the song and took a long pause before singing the final line and it was breathtaking. The silence floated and hung in the air beautifully. When he concluded the piece, he received an immediate standing ovation with thunderous applause and he had to take a moment to breathe and compose himself so that he could thank everybody. I thought the show had concluded. I would've been more than satisfied with that ending. It was one of those theatrical moments that I will never forget and I don't think I will ever be able to truly put into words how many emotions it made me feel.

Ben's show wasn't just all serious and somber though. Vereen has a lot of personality and there were many lighthearted and funny moments sprinkled throughout the show. Before he started his mash-up of Memory and Touch Me from Cats, he joked with his band and the audience how he didn't remember the words perfectly. It was very humorous and we were all laughing. That's because it didn't matter that he didn't know the words. We didn't care. We were all on his side and rooting him on, without a care for the words he was singing and if they were right or not.

Ben did something else throughout the course of his show that has to be mentioned. He took about a twenty-minute-long interlude from him singing solo pieces so that he could properly bring attention to his fabulous band members and give them their moment to shine. He started with his drummer, Marc Dicianni, who banged out rhythms so smoothly and effortlessly that it was mesmerizing. Then he gave his bass player, Thomas Kennedy, a chance to display incredible dexterity and sharpness via his hands, which he did, performing My Funny Valentine. Perhaps most impressive was his conductor/keyboard player, David Loeb, who played At Last with such dazzling speed and precision that it left my jaw dropped. Normal artists thank their musicians. Normal artists don't give their musicians their own set list. But Ben Vereen is not a normal artist and his compassion and willingness to give was on display with everything he did.

He got political, singing his own rendition of Stand By Me, which would've been appropriately titled Stand Up For the Arts, right after he brought a high school student up onstage with him to sing a song together, forever impacting that kid's life. He got the entire audience up on their feet at this point in the show and had them grooving and jiving along with him. I may have been the only who saw this comparison, but watching Ben Vereen's show made me actually think of Bernie Sanders. Bernie was the type of candidate who, though old, spoke and expressed himself with such vigor and passion that he came off as young and lively. That's how Ben was. Sure, he was 69 years old, but he moved and performed with such zest and energy and enthusiasm that I would've believed somebody if they told me he was under 30.

Ben's penultimate song, Both Sides Now by Joni Mitchell was similar to My Way in that it was so incredibly emotionally charged that it was poignantly painful to watch. During the performance, Ben got emotional to the point that he was unable to continue singing and had to stop. The musicians stopped playing and all that was left was Ben, holding back tears as he was choking up. He then managed to catch his breath and whispered "Thank you" four times, each growing in intensity. It culminated into everything that his show and his message was about: Giving thanks. To be 69 years old and still feel that moved when he's onstage performing what was essentially his greatest hits was just superb.

Ben closed out his show with a beautiful speech about overcoming adversity and the trials and tribulations that he endured throughout his career, whether it be his stroke or his car accident. He left his audience with the message to never quit or give up and know that there are always people out there supporting you and to have faith in yourself and your abilities. It was tear-inducing. Frankly, Vereen made me tear up long before this moment, but by this point I was very emotionally choked-up by the beauty of what he was saying. He finished the show singing For Good from Wicked, a fitting way to cap off a brilliant night.

After the show, I had the pleasure of chatting with Ben at his post-show reception. He was every bit as kind and generous and endearing off the stage as he was on, thanking me for my presence and the kind words I had shared with him during our interview earlier this month. He genuinely cared about each and every single person in the audience, and that's what made him special. It wasn't that he could still dance better than most 22 year olds at age 69 or that his range and unique vocal quality still resonated through the halls of the theaters he sang at: It was that he was constantly emotionally transparent and present, open, and connected with everybody he encountered. He sang every note with passion and verve, displaying incredible vocal stamina and endurance. He never let his charisma and that twinkle in his eye waver, and he always gave back. At the start of his show, he declared that STEPPIN' OUT was his tour to give thanks. And yet again, along with showing his gratitude for everything that his audiences had given him over the years, he left us all with an encapsulating, monumental, and unforgettable experience.

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