 Workin'
the Soul Train
Have
you ever seen those extremely long, “made for TV offers”
of “Best of” CD collections of whatever musical decade
they’re hawking at the moment, whether it be the ‘50’s,
‘60’s, ‘70’s or ‘80’s?
I know
I have. I also know that I have been wanting to purchase a ‘Best
of Motown-type’ multi-disc collection for the longest time,
but never finding the time or energy to “Call now for this
limited offer!” So it was with some excitement and high expectations
that I went to see Hitzville – The Show at
the Harmon Theater. I’m happy to report that the show did
not disappoint.
Partaking in
the “All You Can Eat Soul Buffet” is a nice segue into
the show, making for a thematic evening from the get-go. And soul
is what you’ll get from the moment the show begins. To echo
what one audience member said “You can’t go wrong with
fried chicken…” also applies to this show – you
also can’t go wrong with a Motown revue.
There is a show-only
option as well, with tickets going for $49.95, though why you would
do that is beyond me. Chef Jon Landry prepares traditional, down-home
Southern style cooking in a spread that includes everything from
cornbread to smothered steak.
The
opening song, the O’Jay’s “I Love Music”
is a fitting introduction to the show. It’s an upbeat, soulful
and yet catchy and ‘dancy’ tune interpreted by the group
Fair Play comprising Ron Stevenson, Dan Mitchell, Freddie Eckstine
and Redd Williams. Then the star of the show, Jin Jin Reeves,
does her thing, with “I Heard it Through The Grapevine,”
with this being a funkier version, and given a slightly more modern
sounding R&B vibe compared to the version popularized by Marvin
Gaye. Reeves’ rendition of “Midnight Train to Georgia”
is great though. She holds her own here, giving it her own voice
and it comes off beautifully. She also does Aretha’s “(You
Make Me feel Like) A Natural Woman,” again giving it her own
spin – this time sounding more like Mary J. Blige than the
original. Not that that’s a bad thing – it’s actually
more refreshing in this instance, because you’re hearing their
real voices, unlike most tribute shows where you see a “head-to-toe
copy” of the artist of the moment.
By far, my favorite
was “(Love is Like A) Heatwave.” The Martha Reeves and
The Vandellas hit remains to me a forever classic, and singer Mirage
Barron, with Jin Jin playing back-up this time together with Alexzandria
Morgan, did a fantastic job of keeping the audience’s energy-level
up.
The
hits go on, rotating between the quartet and Jin Jin plus her back-up
singers and ably backed-up by the Jin Jin Reeves Band comprising
Scott Cannidy, Robert Shipley, Alex Leon, Jr., TC, and Dave Hart.
There’s The Temptations, “Get Ready” and “My
Girl.” Of course, a Motown revue would not be complete without
a sampling of Diana Ross and The Supremes and represented they were
in all their girlish, all-female-pop-group glory. The younger generation
take note, before there was Destiny’s Child, there was The
Supremes. Before Beyonce, there was Ms. Ross – and don’t
you forget it.
The Four Tops
“Ain’t No Woman Like The One I Got” was another
number I liked.
Watching this
show is the equivalent of buying those “Best Of” CDs
you see being hawked on television, except this is live, which is
infinitely better. The only con? It’s not as long, and you
can’t keep replaying your favorites. What you can do, however,
is see the show, again and again and again.
-Rachel M. Sugay
HITZVILLE
- THE SHOW
Harmon Theater, next to Planet Hollywood, with valet parking on
Harmon Avenue. Show times are 7 p.m., Wednesday-Sunday. Tickets
are $69.95, adult and $39.95, child; VIP - $79.95, adult and $44.95,
child – all prices inclusive of “All-You-Can-Eat Soul
Food Buffet.” Dinner seating starts at 6:15 p.m. Show only,
$49.95.
|
