Theater review by Marilyn Lester…
Inarguably, the New York Pops is simply the best—and it would be difficult, if not impossible, to find a Pops concert that didn’t excel in every department of musicality and sheer entertainment. This season’s opener, Simply the Best: A Tina Turner Tribute, was no different, and yet different. Under the sure guidance of music director and conductor Steven Reineke, Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage rocked. Absent (for this evening, at least) were American Songbook standards. Instead, Adrienne Warren, Tony Award winner for Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, gave life to the late icon with a wall of rocking Turner classics… and indeed, to paraphrase Fats Waller, the joint was jumpin’.
The New York Pops is a 78-member symphonic orchestra. One of its strengths, with so much instrumentation and top-class musicians, is the ability to play expertly across a range of genres, aided by superb arrangements. In the opening medley, Reineke’s arrangement gave a unique treatment to several recognizable Turner hits—it was Tina with strings. Still swinging, this orchestra feature was a terrific example of how a set of notes can be played within such an excellent range of versatility. And it’s always a kick to watch Reineke in action: he’s an energetic, engaging conductor whose baton leads a choreography of movement as he fronts the orchestra. With this particular program, throughout, he added a kind of extra—it’s hard not to move with Turner material on the program!
Then, over two acts, it was Warren’s turn. With supporting vocalists, Shonica Gooden and Carla R. Stewart, the 50-year career of the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll” was honored by the performer she hand-picked to portray her in the musical of her life. Warren was minimal in her narrative and exchanges with Reineke. This evening was all about the music and the legend behind the songs. She began with “I Want to Take You Higher” (Sylvester Stewart, aka Sly Stone). By the second tune, “A Fool in Love” (Ike Turner), keen ears could discern how the arrangements worked in a symphonic setting: brass and percussion forward, electric guitar accenting, and strings back in a supporting role, moving forward slightly on ballads. “Son of a Preacher Man” (John Hurley, Ronnie Wilkins) featured synth and electronics. The repertoire was, after all, basically R&B with a rock twist. There was, of course, an ample helping of pure soul, as in “Let’s Stay Together” (Al Green, Willie Mitchell, Al Jackson, Jr.). Warren, a natural belter with command of her dynamics, powered through the first act, ending with one of Turner’s biggest hits, “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” (Graham Lyle, Terry Britten).
Opening the second act was a short Pops instrumental of James Bond—the theme from GoldenEye (Monty Norman, Bono, Dave Evans), with a big brass arrangement, which seamlessly morphed into Warren’s vocal, with serious drum riffs and brass accents backing her up. More film ruled with Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome: “We Don’t Need Another Hero” (Graham Lyle, Terry Britten) and a covers medley of three powerfully delivered, high-energy tunes, “The Acid Queen,” “Addicted to Love,” and “Disco Inferno” (Leroy Green, Ron Kersey, Pete Townshend, Robert Palmer). The medley had a pumped Warren declare, “We brought rock ‘n’ roll to Carnegie Hall!” By the time the closer arrived, “The Best” (Mike Chapman, Holly Knight), the audience was pumped too. Clapping, led by Warren and Reineke, had the audience joining in, rising to their feet and swaying to the beat with gusto.
But wait, there was more. Unannounced in the program, the encore kept the audience on its feet in an ongoing standing ovation. Warren delivered the spoken intro à la Tina to “Proud Mary” (John Fogerty), unleashing a scene probably seldom (if ever) seen in Carnegie Hall, as she then slid into “River Deep–Mountain High” (Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich); and while they weren’t exactly dancing in the aisles, the audience was decidedly groovin’. Maybe it wasn’t exactly a disco, but the venerable venue was surely Carnegie Rockin’ Hall.
Photos by Genevieve Rafter Keddy
