On Thursday, my friend Tim
and I had the pleasure of attending a performance of Cotton Club Parade at New York City Center. The show is part of its
Encores! program, which brings back very limited runs of classic musicals, and
takes the audience into the world of 1920s jazz when Duke Ellington performed
at the Cotton Club in Harlem.
I initially bought the
tickets so I could see Amber Riley perform in her New York stage debut. She’s
best known as Mercedes Jones on Glee,
and she has one of the most incredible voices I’ve ever heard. I’ve watched the
show since the pilot and I’ve seen her live three times, but nothing prepared
me for hearing her on Thursday. Amber was, in a word, FLAWLESS (the only word I
ever really use to describe her). Her voice is perfect for the jazzy undertones
and the soulfulness of the music, and her three songs were stunning. At one
point towards the end of her first song, I leaned back into the headrest of my
seat and just listened because I was so overwhelmed by the moment.
This overwhelming feeling
carried me through the rest of the show. Before Thursday, I knew my way around
1920s jazz and Duke Ellington, but Cotton
Club Parade served as my entrance into a new way to experience music. In my
mind, the entire event was almost like a religious experience. The brassy music
made me realize the transformative power jazz music has and the feeling of
living in that world. I spent most of the show swaying in my seat and letting
the drumbeats and horns pass through my body. That power was only emphasized by
other outstanding performers like Adriane Lenox, Christopher Jackson (In The Heights), and Joshua Henry (American Idiot, The Scottsboro Boys). I
left the theater feeling invigorated and energized.
Our already fantastic evening
got even better when we ran into Kevin McHale (AKA Artie Abrams, the kid in the
wheelchair), who was there to support Amber and was sitting in the row behind
us. Tim and I met Amber shortly after that, and both of them were really nice.
Even though I’ve met or interacted with celebrities before, I was totally
flustered and rendered speechless by the experience. It’s a completely
different scenario when you’re talking to people you’ve watched on your
television for almost four years (basically my entire span as a college
student). If I ever met them again, I would tell them how amazingly talented
they are instead of stumbling for words that were any bit meaningful. But aside
from that, my time at Cotton Club Parade
was outstanding. I was introduced to a brand new world of music and I got to
meet two of my favorite celebrities. Not a bad way to end a pretty decent week!
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