Reviews 2008
Reviews 2008
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conceived & directed by Marion J. Caffey
MariMo’ Music & Dancap Productions, Winter Garden Theatre, 189 Yonge Street, Toronto
March 6-16, 2008
3 Mo’ Divas is a musical revue that includes everything from opera and show tunes to jazz and blues, R&B and gospel. Ordinarily if people choose to go to a revue, vocal recital or concert, they choose the show because they know who is singing or what kind of music will be sung. In 3 Mo’ Divas not only are the divas all African-American unknowns waiting to be discovered, but there are two sets of them so that you can’t know ahead of time who you will see or what they will sing. Therefore, with 3 Mo’ Divas you have to have faith that the unknowns singing such a hodgepodge of songs will be worth hearing.
Fortunately, based on opening night cast, the singers are excellent. Jamet Pittman, the demure one, is clearly best attuned to opera and the more operatic show tunes. Her voice is rich and clear and she sang an aria from the opera Adriana Lecouvreur, a song from the musical Ragtime and the lovely “Everything Must Change” with great feeling and musical sensitivity. Laurice Lanier, the gal with attitude and then some, uses gestures as much as singing to characterize her music and was the only one to speak to the audience. With her amazingly deep, chocolatey voice she brought off Saint-Saëns’ seductive aria for Delilah but her heart was clearly in more soulful songs like “God Bless the Child” and “His Eye Is On the Sparrow.” Her tough “don’t mess with me” pose was the main source of the show’s humour. Nova Payton, a high soprano, fared best when her voice was under the least pressure as in the Richard Rodgers standard “My Funny Valentine.” Otherwise, her highest, loudest notes could probably pierce metal.
Though supposedly arranged by music genre, the evening had more the effect of playing all the downloads on your iPod on “shuffle”. Songs merely contrasted with each other rather than building in theme or mood as they do in the best revues. The soul medley covering the Supremes to the Weather Girls seemed to end just when it was revving up. Dale E. Jordan’s Art Deco set and some of Toni-Leslie James’s flashy gowns gave the show a sense of class as did the indefatigable pianist Annastasia Victory, who also conducted the five-piece band. Marion J. Caffey’s choreography is rudimentary at best and as a director he curiously seemed more concerned to rein in the show’s energy rather than letting it raise the roof. Because of that, 3 Mo’ Divas is more low-powered than the singers deserve but still makes a enjoyable introduction to some very impressive performers.
©Christopher Hoile
Note: A version of this review appeared in Eye Weekly 2008-03-12.
Photo: Jamet Pittman, Nova Payton and Laurice Lanier.
2008-03-12
3 Mo’ Divas