Jennifer Holiday catapulted into Broadway stardom with her rendition of "And I Am Telling You That I Am Not Going" from the musical Dreamgirls. This won her a Tony Award and brought her a number one song on the Billboard R&B chart.
She performed at the Harris Theater to a full crowd this past week. It was fitting she began with "One Night Only" that started slow then broke into disco. She followed that with a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald including Cole Porter's "Night and Day."
She stopped periodically to coat her vocal chords with hot tea on the stage explaining that the drink wasn't spiked with anything. The diva requested clear Gatorade but got pink instead by insiders. Something must have been in the juice that evening as she hit notes few singers ever have or wish they could. Holiday emoted each note milking some for minutes.
The show ran from very formal to extremely casual. She sat on a stool to talk about her losing 200 pounds and how she is hungry all the time now. "I Am Changing" brought her a standing ovation from the fans. Her voice is a gift to them and continues giving in the Holiday spirit of Christmas. "O Holy Night" was a special highlight, with Walt Whitman's Soul Children of Chicago performing in the background.
For more shows including DanceWorks in January visit www.harristheaterchicago.org for more information. Photos and text by Jerry Nunn
