THE HANGOVER REPORT – At 54 Below, NATASHA YVETTE WILLIAMS raises the roof with her powerhouse vocals and riotous storytelling

Natasha Yvette Williams performs her solo show at 54 Below (photo by Adrian Dimanlig).

This week, Grammy-winning Natasha Yvette Williams returned to 54 Below with her lively solo show. Most theater fans may know her as the bandleader in the Broadway musical Some Like It Hot — a performance for which she was deservedly nominated for a Tony Award — where she nearly stole every scene she was in. For her cabaret act, she goes down memory lane, reliving her humble origins in North Carolina, subsequently chronicling her journey as a budding singer and stage actress (the story of how she landed her gig in the original production of The Color Purple was a trip, literally!).

To accompany her cabaret memoir, Williams has assembled an eclectic set comprised of material from the gospel, jazz, R&B, and show tune songbooks — each song selection fitting hand in glove with the episode of her life at hand. Musically, my personal highlights included Irving Berlin’s “How Deep Is the Ocean” and Aretha Franklin’s “How Deep Is the Ocean”. Both were performed as heartfelt anthems and ideally showcased the singer/actress’s big instrument, a combination of Ms. Franklin’s gravelly, sultry power and Nell Carter’s boisterous delivery. To conclude the show, Williams’ sang a trio of gospel standards — “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”, “Great Is your Mercy”, and “God Provides” — bringing emotional clarity and satisfying closure to her story (at least thus far). Fans of Some of Like It Hot, fear not — her renditions of “What Are You Thirsty For?” and the title track brought the house down with their energy and sass.

Equally as impressive as Williams’ roof-raising powerhouse vocals was her riotous yet generous banter. She manages to hit all the emotions with authenticity, and has an endearing way of meandering into tangents — the mark of a natural and ever present storyteller. Indeed, she had the audience all but in the palm of her hands. Throughout, Williams was expertly accompanied on piano by music director Deah Love Harriott and her band (Danielle Williams on drums, Michael Olatuja on bass), and soulfully backed on vocals by Willa Bost (Purlie Victorious) and Yolanda Wyns (The Color Purple). All in all, what a joy.

RECOMMENDED

NATASHA YVETTE WILLIAMS
Cabaret
54 Below
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Through July 12

Categories: Cabaret

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