Of all the show’s in this season’s Broadway at TPAC lineup, the National Tour of Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, currently on stage at TPAC’s Jackson Theatre through Sunday, March 27 is THE musical I have most been looking forward to seeing this year. Partly because Donna Summer has always been among my personal Top Five Divas and mostly because I was fortunate enough to have met her a few times during her years living right here in Music City.
I first met her while at lunch with a friend when we spotted her in line ahead of us and my friend commented that she “looks like Donna Summer”. I believe my response was “That’s because it IS Donna Summer. Still not convinced, a few minutes later, my friend approached her and asked if she was who he thought she was. She laughed and said, “I am if you think I’m Donna Summer.” My friend and I fanboy’d a bit before leaving her to enjoy her lunch. You know how when you meet someone, you then see them everywhere? Well, not long after that chance encounter, Donna Summer and her two youngest daughters began shopping in the children and young adult sections of the bookstore where my friend and I worked. It was during those shopping excursions that I sort of got to know her and my admiration and appreciation only increased.
All that to reiterate how excited I was to attend Opening Night earlier this week. Now, I have to also admit that prior to seeing the show, fan that I am, I was aware of a few things in the Queen of Disco’s career and life that might make for a very drama-filled biopic…Kelly Rowland, I’m talking to you!. I also had seen reviews of Summer: The Donna Summer Musical lamenting the fact that the book by Colman Domingo, Robert Cary and director Des MacAnuff is unbalanced and often-times weak, and while that’s true, honestly, who cares? When the music is as recognizable and as brilliantly performed by this talented troupe of singers and dancers, truthfully, the acting and story are secondary.
Summer: The Donna Summer Musical falls in the theatrical category known as a jukebox musical, basically a musical stage show that features well-known music, rather than new tunes written specifically for the show. Often, jukebox musicals like Summer, not only showcase one particular artist’s music, but like The Cher Show, Tina and a favorite right here in Nashville, Always, Patsy Cline, they tell the story of the artist known for the tunes featured.
One thing that sets Summer: The Donna Summer Musical apart from other jukebox musicals is that we get not one, not two, but three Donnas. By this I mean three actresses play Donna during three distinctive periods of her life and career. First there’s Amahri Edwards-Jones as Duckling Donna—Donna the early years. Next, there’s Charis Gullage as Disco Donna—Donna at the height of her 70s sensation. Lastly, Brittny Smith plays Diva Donna—Donna of her post disco era and last few years of the singer’s much too short life. That’s right, three times the Diva, three times the attitude and three times the talent. Each of these ladies manages to embody Donna perfectly in their respective era and they do so with voices that are indeed reminiscent of Donna during the various stages of her recording career.
Even before curtain, as the audience filters in, disco music by contemporaries of the diva blast on the sound system, perfectly creating the mood. Once the curtain rises, Smith’s Diva Donna, apparently emulating Summer’s final concert appearance, welcomes the audience to what she refers to as the concert of a lifetime. That double-entendre line serves as a plot reveal for what is to come is a non-linear narrative waffling back and forth between various timelines of the diva’s life.
As Diva Donna, Smith opens the show alongside the mostly female cast with the appropriately lyric’d The Queen is Back, a lesser-known Summer tune from her seventeen and final studio album, 2008’s Crayons. While the song’s title and lyrics are a good start, the show really begins when Smith eases into I Feel Love, Summer’s huge 1977 hit, confirming it’s the songs that brought us here.
Smith’s Donna is confident, yet retains an air of restrained, something that comes with a life lived. Smith’s Diva Donna is also the story’s narrator. This is mostly achieved by banter with the audience, much like many artists do during an actual concert. She also frequently interact with the other versions of herself extolling advice or warning, things that only come after experience, which are again, primarily for the benefit of the audience. When not belting classics like I Feel Love, Smith also appears as Mary Gaines, Summer’s—né LaDonna Adrian Gaines’ mother. This is achieved in the simplest of fashion…literally, for when Smith is Mary, she simply dons a dowdy overcoat, a scarf or a church hat. If the book ever truly focused on dialogue for more than just a spoken interlude between songs, this might be hard to follow, but as it is, Smith’s transitions between Diva Donna and Mother Mary are obvious and easy.
Charis Gullage’s Disco Donna, likely the most iconic and best remembered Donna for even the casual fan, definitely looks the part and she sings the role splendidly. Early on, Gullage is charged with recreating one of Summer’s most-rumored and notorious early career moments, the moment when she allegedly laid on the studio floor in the dark to record the provocative, sultry and down-right O-emulating vocals for Love to Love You Baby. Mega fan that I am, I found it interesting that this retelling gives Donna all the credit–and the girl power–for recording the vocals in this manner, while various sources over the years have indicated that it was famed producer and record exec, Giorgio Moroder who suggested/insisted she record it this way.
Here’s a good place to mention that this show, which credits Summer’s husband Bruce Sudano as a story consultant, really showcases Summer’s resilience and strength as a female artist in a male-dominated and controlled industry, something sadly as true today as it was during her career heyday.
The action then hits the rewind button as Duckling Donna, innocently and blissfully embodied by Amahri Edwards-Jones takes to the stage for the title track from 1977’s I Remember Yesterday. Another all but forgotten track, 1979’s On My Honor, perfectly fits the early Donna narrative while simultaneously spotlighting Jones’ breathtakingly beautiful vocal skills.
While the show is resplendent with massive hits like MacArthur Park (we are treated to all three Donnas taking on this one), Heaven Knows (a bit of foreshadowing as this one features Disco Donna and future husband Bruce Sudano played by John Guaragna), No More Tears and more, again, as a lifelong fan, I truly enjoyed some of the deeper catalogue dives.
Once such moment comes with a quick little snippet of White Boys, half the song, Black Boys/White Boys from the musical Hair. That’s right! Early in her career, Donna Summer appeared in a German production of Hair. Within the context of our story, this song is quite effectively used to show Summer’s dating life in a very fun, tongue-in-cheek manner.
On the flipside, some of Summer’s more dramatic moments, albeit primarily glossed-over, also take full advantage of the artist’s extensive catalog. A prime example comes in the inclusion of a song called Pandora’s Box another track from her Love to Love You Baby 1975 release, used in the musical to reveal the conflict of young Donna who hid the truth of sexual abuse by a family friend, which, according to the show’s narrative, seems to have been the start of blurred lines between love and control by various men in her life, both personal and professional. These men include her father, Andrew Gaines (played, I might add, by former Nashvillian, Porter Lee Anderson, III), first husband, Helmuth Sommer (Francisco Risso), Giorgio Moroder, David Geffen (both roles played by Kyle Southern), record producer Neil Bogart (Christopher Lewis) and aforementioned second husband, Bruce Sudano (played by the aforementioned John Guaragna).
Speaking of the male cast and characters, the one casting misstep for me comes in the head-scratching decision to cast a female in not one, but two male speaking roles, without even the slightest effort to lower her speaking voice or even take on more masculine mannerisms. Not sure why this choice was made. Maybe current restrictions on the size of the cast, but even so, why not have one of the handful of male ensemble members take on these small, but noticeable male characters? Nothing against the actress playing them, but it basically reminded me of an all-girls school production where the girls play all the roles. It’s not like this is some sort of statement or a reversal of Shakespeare or anything. Just seemed a interesting casting option.
Back to the actual male members of the cast, Guaragna, as Sudano, and Gullage’s Disco Donna appear in one of the show’s silliest but simultaneously sweet and entertaining moments as they are seen onstage in what can only be described as the theatrical equivalent of bumper cars while Disco Donna drives around listening to and singing along to…On The Radio. Now, according to the storyline, while the two had met in the studio, this traffic jam jammin’ meet cute symbolizes the start of their romantic relationship.
There’s also a healthy nod to the umbrellaography of Singin’ in the Rain, around this time, courtesy the show’s choreographer Natalie Caruncho and associate choreographer Angelica Beliard. Not gonna lie…the day after I saw the show, while in my car, I did indeed turn up On The Radio and sang at the top of my lungs, so well played Summer and company, well played.
Other highlights comes with Bad Girls (complete with a quick mention of rough street life in her early days), She Works Hard For the Money (Donna’s struggle to be more in control of her own career) and Dim All The Lights (the death of a friend and business associate at a crucial point in her career). And while I Believe in Jesus is meant to reaffirm, to some audience members Donna’s born-again era still holds a sour note as it was during that time that Donna may or may not have made comments during a particular concert equating the AIDS crisis to God’s punishment on the gay community, long her biggest audience. The show glosses over this, almost making fun of it with the Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve comment, but then gets right back on track with Donna revealing she, like so many others, not only lost fans because of the remarks, but also lost friends to the devastation of the disease.
Musically, the show gets back on track as well, with Unconditional Love, which features Smith’s Diva Donna alongside her costars and ensemble members portraying Donna’s three daughters. Another drama comes to light as the show nears its end. Again, mega fan that I am, I gotta admit, knowing what was coming, my eyes began to sweat as Diva Donna and family learn she has cancer.
Also once again, the show manages to lift spirits with Disco Donna and company heating things up one last time for Hot Stuff before all three Donnas and the entire company take to the stage for an all-in disco dancin’, hand-clappin’, on your feet, party to end all parties Last Dance.
Summer: The Donna Summer Musical continues it’s Music City run at TPAC’s Jackson Hall with shows through Sunday. CLICK HERE for tickets. Not in Nashville? The National Tour continues with stops in Binghamton, NY, Worchester, MA, Erie, PA, Huntington, WV, Knoxville, TN and more with dates on through till, well, SUMMER! For details on the remaining tour dates, or more info on the show, CLICK HERE or follow the show on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Next up for TPAC as they continue their current Broadway Season and Special Presentations it’s What the Constitution Means to Me on stage March 29-April 3, followed by Come From Away, April 19-24, Oklahoma!, May 3-8 and the debut presentation of May We All: A New Country Musical, June 7- July 17. Be sure to check out TPAC online and on socials by clicking any of the following: TPAC.org, TPAC on Instagram, TPAC on Facebook, TPAC on Twitter and TPAC on YouTube.
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