reviewed by Daniel Shock
Last night Mrs. Shock and I had the pleasure of seeing in concert some of the greatest female vocalists of the 20th Century: Josephine Baker, Eartha Kitt, Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Holiday, Tina Turner, Gloria Gaynor, Dionne Warwick, Whitney Houston, Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross! What a lineup!
Les Chanteuses, a Magic Thread Cabaret, presented by Klein & Alvarez productions, presented music made famous and iconic by all of those legendary singers. Throughout the course of the evening we heard: “R-E-S-P-E-C-T”, “I Will Survive”, “Midnight Train to Georgia”, “La Vie en Rose”, “God Bless the Child”, “Stormy Weather”, “Proud Mary”, “Nessun Dorma”, “I Have Nothing”… and SO MANY more.
in Magic Thread Cabaret’s “Les Chanteuses”. (Photo by Audra Shock)
Performing these songs were Rayanna Bibbs, Pearl Scott and Sarah Daniel. Three women who meet the challenge of honoring the legends with talent and heart. Each one shines individually and when their voices join together, they form a mighty force of sound that sweeps you away and forces a smile to your face. Ms. Bibbs, with her pure childlike smile, was powerful when she was channeling Aretha Franklin. It was not a surprise to hear “R-E-S-P-E-C-T”, but what a treat to also hear “Nissun Dorma”, the opera piece that Ms. Franklin sang in Pavorotti’s place when he could not perform for the Grammy Awards in 1998. Ms. Scott was a perfect choice for Eartha Kitt’s “C’est Si Bon”, giving it all the sensuality that the former catwoman was famous for. Sarah Daniel brought a sincere spirituality to her songs. Her gospel “How I Got Over” was a marvelous tribute to Mahalia Jackson.
The women were backed by a three piece band consisting of Dustin Klein (Music Director/Pianist), Galen Morris (Bass), and Matthew Dupree (Percussion). All were excellent and worked together flawlessly. Mr. Moris and Mr Dupree projected cool vibes throughout leaving Mr. Klein the job of being flashy with his gold sparkly jacket!
Choreography by Brandon Comer was fun. Lighting and sound were also effective – however the person responsible for these things was not listed in the program for me to refer to. Perhaps it was a group effort.
After the last song, and I won’t tell you what that is….it was fun…and we left wanting more! We left eager to put together a playlist of all the songs we just heard. I don’t know what your plans are for the rest of this Valentines weekend, but you could not do better than seeing one of the last two performances of Les Chanteuses.
The last two performances of are this weekend. Saturday, Feb 15 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, Feb 16 at 4:30 pm. Tickets can be purchased online at https://leschanteuses.bpt.me/ and at the door at the Fonseca Theatre Company Basile Building 2508 W. Michigan St. Indianapolis, IN 46222.
- Photos by Audra Shock and Magic Thread Cabaret
A Seat on the Aisle 
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