“We love to smash musical barriers,” said a smirking Jamet Pittman
in her opening salvo, only after the trio of voluptuous beauties belted out an
astounding, barrier demolishing, rendition of "Quando M’en Vo" from the
opera of La Boheme.
“And we have fun doing it,” chimed in the elegant and
deep chorded Mezzo-Soprano Laurice Lanier. They were not the only ones enjoying
themselves.
The Denver Center Theatre Company’s production of 3 Mo’
Divas is part concert, part theater, all diva—a phenomenal journey through the repertoire
of the female voice, and a kick in the audible pants with a song line-up
ranging from Little Shop Of Horrors to Duke Ellington.
Generally I don’t enjoy a concert in a theater-like
setting; you should never feel inclined to stay sitting when people are
performing their asses off on stage. However, Divas walks the line between
musical gig and theatrical stage show with the brilliance of a seasoned four
ft. tall Romanian tightrope artist. Injecting humor, dialogue and interaction,
the fourth wall was never even up let alone broken. They perform to the
audience, not just for them.
Moreover, it moves lightening fast. Divas creates the
perfect euphonic playlist—enough variety to keep pace with our iPod-induced
musical Attention Deficit Disorder, but with an abundance of melodious
substance making each song more anticipated than the last. It is a soulful
largesse in the hubbub of montages that rely solely on the power of the songs,
not the prowess of the performers; there is a reason these divas are Divas. And
at a runtime of about 90 minutes it is completely feasible to do a show then
dinner, not dinner and a show. I find even the most enticing performances sneak in a yawn or two after a massive meal.
Although it is the trio and rapport of Pittman, Lanier and
Soprano Nova Y. Payton that make the show fly; the song selection by creator,
director and choreographer Marion J. Caffey is what glues the experience
together.
The opera is mesmerizing, even if you are not a fan.
Quality music invokes thought, and when these vocals take off it eases the mind
into a blissful purgatory of consciousness. Riding the lyrical roller coaster
things immediately pick back up with a journey down Broadway and a quick stop
in
The show truly opened up to the mellifluous heavens when
Payton got the house high with “Defying Gravity” from the Tony award-winning
Wicked. Easily the spunkiest of the trifecta, she raised goose bumps in
everyone, regardless if you know the show or even liked the score. More
remarkable, the song is originally a duet, and she still nails it in stride.
The tempo slows down a bit in the second act, musically
speaking, far from overall. The Jazz is spliced with a little bebop to keep the
electricity flowing, and the R&B gets down deep and further demonstrates
the enormous pool of talent on stage. Rock ‘n’ roll, soul, gospel and disco are
usually only combined, well never. But these gals do it and they do it with
style. No matter what kind of music you like you will find something you love
about this show.
The fourth unsung Diva (although she can sing,
classically trained at that) is the composer and pianist Annastasia Victory, or
the “Diva of the Keys” as Lanier refers to her. Victory leads the eight-piece
band on stage making the production real and organic—so many tributes and
covers feel like a bad bout of professional karaoke—not here.
A fog sets in for a few of songs of the blues it’s easy
to forget you are in the Stage Theater, it feels like a dark speakeasy and you
are getting some under the table entertainment in the company of a bunch of
rumrunners.
Quickly reminded though of the credibility of the gals,
no hooch is around when Pittman replaces Victory on the piano for a song. Is
there any thing these women can not do?
Beautiful, talented and divine; that’s a diva. Now give me some Mo'...
3 Mo’
Divas
Denver Center for the Performing Arts
Through June 29
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