Mixing soul and musical theatre, Wallace showcased her dynamic vocals and emotional delivery
–
As part of the ‘Sunday Favourites’ series at The Other Palace – produced by Lambert Jackson – Broadway and West End star Marisha Wallace performed a solo concert last night. Urgently flown to London in 2016 to cover the iconic role of Effie White in Dreamgirls at the Savoy Theatre, Wallace went on to take over the role. She is now starring in Waitress at the neighbouring Adelphi Theatre.
Her solo show demonstrated her clear potential as a cabaret songstress, easily charming the audience with her commentary and thrilling them with her vocal firepower. Though mainly a darling of London theatre patrons, soul music audiences (the type that frequent, say, Ronnie Scott’s or Hideaway) would eat up Wallace’s offering.
Indeed, the first set catered particularly to soul appetites, beginning with Etta James’ ‘Something’s Got A Hold On Me’. Contrasted against Wallace’s current role in Waitress – where she impresses but is constrained by Sara Bareilles’ country-pop score – it was refreshing to hear her unfettered gospel voice. As Wallace has acknowledged, her vocal style is rooted in the black church. Grit, squall, and melisma comes naturally. But her delivery is also informed by her musical theatre training; the fusion of the two styles is what makes her voice unique and distinctive. Her lung-busting power is tempered by plenty of equally compelling soft tones too, which Wallace could milk even more out of.
She followed with Janis Joplin’s ‘Maybe’ (a great choice) and a sultry rendition of ‘My Funny Valentine’ (influenced by the Chaka Khan rendition). With just a piano and cajón backing her for most of the set, Wallace carried the intimacy of the set with confidence. But she would nonetheless benefit from a full band to match the power of her instrument.
She brought fellow Waitress cast members Nicole Raquel Dennis and Nathaniel Morrison to the stage for a well-harmonised rendition of the Bee Gees’ ‘How Deep Is Your Love’, drawing inspiration from the P.J Morton and Yebba live recording. In the night’s most adventurous turn, the three vocalists delivered a sensitive reading of Britney Spears’ ‘Lucky’. By removing the song’s poppy production, their layered rendition lent focus to the sadness of the lyric.
Wallace closed the first set in homage to Aretha Franklin, segueing from ‘Day Dreaming’ to ‘Do Right Woman, Do Right Man’ and closing with ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman’. The latter was Wallace at her finest. She attacked the second chorus with growl and disarming flourishes into an operatic head voice.
The second set perhaps aligned more with what the musical theatre fans in the audience desired. Firstly, fellow Waitress cast member Lucie Jones joined Wallace to perform a feisty ‘Take Me or Leave Me’ from Rent. Reflecting fondly on her performance in Cadogan Hall’s one-night-only production of The Color Purple in 2017, Wallace performed ‘What About Love’ with the preternaturally talented Lashaya Byfield, who performed in the choir at the Cadogan Hall production. Wallace followed with the triumphant ‘I’m Here’, The Color Purple‘s 11 o’clock number. She held the audience in a moment of utter stillness before unleashing her voice on the song’s ultimate declaration: ‘I’m beautiful / And I’m here‘
The Full Band
Cameron Lee – Percussion
Irvin Duguid – Piano/guitar
Nicole Raquel Dennis – Backing Vocalist
Nathaniel Morrison – Backing Vocalist
Lashaya Byfield – Guest Vocalist
Lucie Jones – Guest Vocalist
Jodie Steele – Guest Vocalist
(Image Copyright: Lambert Jackson Production)
