“That’s What Friends Are For: Gladys, Dionne, and Patti” reviewed by Julia W. Rath

***** Jackie Taylor and Black Ensemble Theater have done it again! “That’s What Friends Are For”, cleverly written and smoothly directed by Daryl D. Brooks, is a marvel! Highly energetic and engaging, this musical production features the songs of Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick, and Patti Labelle, and their fifty-year friendship. Rose Marie Simmons stars as Gladys Knight, Sybil Walker as Dionne Warwick, and Tamara Batiest as Patti Labelle. The premise behind today’s performance is that the three of them—already in their golden years—will appear together at a Las Vegas tribute show. As they are preparing to take the stage, we see them socializing in the “green room” (actually painted bittersweet orange). Sitting in front of their respective dressing rooms, they share conversations and intimate details about their lives and sometimes the commonalities that they have with each other. They look back on their careers and their private lives and the choices they’ve made when it comes to their husbands, their friends, and the quality of their relationships.

During each of these artists’ reflections on their personal past, additional singers play the young Gladys Knight (Michaela Dukes), the young Dionne Warwick (Bri Buckley), and the young Patti Labelle (Courtney “CO.” Driver). These singers are cleverly paired up with their elders in terms of the character of their voices and body language. One of the best matchups is that of Batiest and Driver as Patti Labelle, with all of her vocal runs and vibrato and ability to hit all those high notes. It is fun to see Patti kick off her shoes and lie down on the stage floor as she belts out her numbers! The rolling on the floor is reminiscent of the joyfulness of being in the Black Church when the Spirit is within you! While these two vocalists garnered some of the loudest applause at the end of the show, every performer—absolutely everyone—is first-rate!

The theme of friendship and love is evident throughout, and we hear such classics as “What the World Needs Now”, “You Are My Friend”, “Midnight Train to Georgia”, and “You’re the Best Thing that Ever Happened to Me.” Of course, there are other songs that have to do with intestinal fortitude, such as “Respect” and “Don’t Make Me Over.” There are a whole host of remarkable songs—which range from rhythm and blues to soul to popular—which we all know and love!

One of the more fascinating stories we learn about has to do with Dionne’s close friendship with Burt Bacharach (Michael J. Santos) and how he “discovered” her and her unique voice. She explains how she stood up for herself as a strong black woman and how a tiff between them made Bacharach realize that he needed to follow-up on his promise to provide her with her moment in the sun as a lead singer (not just a background singer) on his recordings. In fact, during the course of the show, the three mature singers (on the platform stage) often provide backup for the younger singers on the lower-level stage. Brooks’ fine direction neatly moves the action from the upper portion of the stage to the lower—and from one time period to the next. Singers from both generations meet each other on the mainstage during the musical’s culmination with the song “That’s What Friends Are For.” The teaming up of singers’ younger selves with their older selves is lovingly done and especially poignant! Yes, they are one and the same person: one looking towards the future, not knowing where life is going, and the other looking back at the past and reflecting on life in perspective.

Angie Weber Miller’s two-level stage is excellent. Three steps up is the “green room “, which contains lots of black and white photos of stars throughout, a bar off to one corner, and a white sofa and chairs. The lower level is where the vocal performances often take place: remembrances of songs when they first came out, often sung by the younger performers. A long curtain occasionally swings by to demarcate these memories from the Las Vegas tribute show, featuring the three mature singers in concert.

Costume design by Gregory Grahm is nicely done, especially all of the sparkly outfits in the second act. My favorite was the unique long torch dress of black sequins and pink flowers worn by the young Dionne. And the all-white sequined outfit worn by the elder Dionne brilliantly reflected the stage lighting. Kudos to Denise Karczewski for superb lighting design, which impressively highlights all the performers and defines scenes and flashbacks. The flat lighting of the “green room” beautifully contrasts with the spotlighting for the showcased performances! The stairs between the two levels is often lit in colors that match up with the larger lighting in the scene, such as all purple or all pink.

Sound design was never better, thanks to Sean Alvarez! The equalization (or level balancing) between the spoken word and the vocals is well executed so that every word is clear and precise, and the mix is perfect. Moreover, the music as one enters the theatre and between acts is not so loud so as to disrupt conversations between audience members. Projection design by DJ Douglass is relatively minimal but informs us about what the actual artists looked like in conjunction with posters advertising their concerts. Choreography by Tanji Harper is splendidly energetic. I especially liked the dance number with the Four Spinners (Dwight Neal, Jaitee Thomas, Dennis Dent, and Trequon Tate) in their flashy red suits. Plus, Neal as Luther Vandross is perfectly charming! Of course, we cannot forget wig design by Keith Ryan, who matches the hairstyles of the original entertainers. Finally, the show would not be complete without the musicians, perched nicely above the set. Robert Reddrick (musical director/drums) has outdone himself, together with Oscar Brown Jr. (guitar), Walter Harrington (bass), and Adam Sherrod (keys).

In all, this is a fun and exciting show on many levels. The songs themselves are terrific, and it is great to witness the exuberance of Gladys, Dionne, and Patti singing them! Not only do we learn about their personal histories but how they paved the way for the artists of today. It’s also wonderful to see how these iconic singers explore the bonds between them; this adds a unique dimension to their performance. Brooks has written in Janet as a young Jackie Taylor. After all, these women were her heroes—or should I say “sheroes”! When Janet caters to these famed singers in the “green room”, they clue her in about what life means in the fullness of time: what all of us must confront at some point in our lives. Brooks capture the emotion just right. All of these elements in combination is what makes this production so enjoyable!

“That’s What Friends Are For” is playing through August 10th, at Black Ensemble Theater/Cultural Center, 4450 N. Clark Street, Chicago.

Tickets: $57.50-$66.50 (taxes and fees included)

Performance schedule

Fridays – 8:00 p.m.
No performance on Friday, July 4th.
Saturdays – 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Sundays – 3:00 p.m.

For more information and to purchase tickets, see https://blackensembletheater.org/ or call 773-769-4451, or visit the box office at 4450 N. Clark Street in Chicago.

Valet parking is available for $13 (cash only).

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “That’s What Friends Are For:Gladys, Dionne, and Patti”.