Arts & Entertainment
Renee Elise Goldsberry Channels ‘Hamilton’s’ Angelica Schuyler and a Great Deal More
Renee Elise Goldsberry performs Saturday, April 9, 2022 at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. (Credit: Joshua York)
Fans of the groundbreaking musical “Hamilton” will forever know Renee Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler, Alexander Hamilton’s sister-in-law (and perhaps his paramour). The proof of this profound connection between the actress, the character she brought to such vivid life on Broadway, and the enduring connection she created with all those who heard her sing “The Schuyler Sisters” and “Satisfied” in Lin Manuel Miranda’s megahit was powerfully manifested Saturday evening. That’s when near the end of her superb concert at the Auditorium Theatre, vast sections of the audience spontaneously rose from their seats and began to accompany her.
It was a powerful, celebratory moment, and the exuberant culmination of a program in which Goldsberry’s exquisitely polished and stunningly arranged exploration of a vast range of music (from pop, rock, gospel, blues and country to Broadway) was enhanced by her wonderfully personal recounting of her career path (including an audition for “The Lion King” that was scheduled on Sept. 11, 2001 – the very day of the terrorist attacks). The concert captured the full power of her clarion voice and dramatic flair, as well as her formidable versatility.
Accompanied by a phenomenal four-piece band (with Andrew Freedman on piano, Zachary Mullins on drums, music director Jordan Peters on guitar and Jeff Hanley on bass), plus a trio of women (Crystal Monee Hall, Kristina Nicole Miller and Tasha Michelle) as her occasional backup, Goldsberry gave a stunning performance from the first moment to the last. And along the way she also paid tribute to the city of Chicago, to her many friends in the audience, to the stunningly beautiful and historic Auditorium Theatre itself (noting that she was standing on the same stage where Booker T. Washington once stood), and to Chicago director Gary Griffin, who cast her in the 2005 Broadway production of the musical “The Color Purple.”
With a fashion model figure, the graceful, statuesque Goldsberry arrived on stage in an eye-catching orange and white gown with a bold geometric pattern, and launched into a jazzy version of “On A Clear Day (You Can See Forever),” from the 1965 Broadway musical, as well as Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now.” And then it was on to a gospel medley, and her thoughts about all the chaos of recent years (from politics and insurrection, to the pandemic and the war in Ukraine), and her admission that her show was “a blatant attempt to manipulate you into feeling better and falling back in love.” With this purpose in mind she turned to Curtis Mayfield’s “Keep on Keeping On,” Patty Griffin’s “Up to the Mountains,” and “I Get Misty,” along with stunning renderings of both Bob Dylan’s “Lord Protect My Child,” and Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” And there was a great deal more, including a brief medley from “Rent.”
Goldsberry ended her show with “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” the inspirational song from Rogers and Hammerstein’s classic “Carousel,” noting that it’s a musical she has never been in. Of course, it’s never too late.
Follow Hedy Weiss on Twitter: @HedyWeissCritic
