Vanessa Williams is grateful.
She’s spent much of the pandemic time doing as many of us have — combing through unnecessary stuff around the house and purging — while keeping an eye on her 80-year-old mother next door.
She’s had time to discover new music (Texas’ Khruangbin) and listen to favorites (British musician Tom Misch), while pondering the direction of her next album (possibly bossa nova).
And, even though it’s only been twice, she’s performed with live musicians — for “A Capitol Fourth” this summer and in September with Renée Fleming for a virtual event from the Kennedy Center (“I think we took about seven [Covid-19] tests,” she said).
On Dec. 5, Williams will mark her third live performance when she wraps the monthly “Live from the West Side: Women of Broadway” series that began in October with Patti LuPone and Laura Benanti. The 8 p.m. virtual show will take place at the Shubert Virtual Studios on Manhattan’s West Side with her socially distanced band onstage; viewers can email questions to be answered during the show.
Credit: WSB-TV
Credit: WSB-TV
Co-produced by the Dallas Summer Musicals and Entertainment Benefits Group, the event will benefit the Fox Theatre, along with several other arts presenters around the country. (Tickets are available at foxtheatre.org.)
“This programming allows us to share one of the great art forms that normally performs on our stage ‘virtually’ and will hopefully generate a small amount of income for the institution. Every little bit of support is incredibly meaningful to the Fox,” said Allan Vella, president and CEO of the storied Atlanta venue, who said he is optimistic the theater will reopen in late summer 2021. “The Fox has refunded millions of dollars of ticket sales since March and has suffered a complete loss of income for almost nine months.”
Williams, for her part, hopes to alleviate that burden.
In a recent chat via Zoom from her room at Mr. C Beverly Hills hotel, the always glamorous Williams, 57, was no exception on this day with her well-coiffed light tresses and eyes sparkling under extended lashes.
“The message (of the concert) is one of unity and commonality,” Williams said. “We all are touched when I sing ‘The Sweetest Days,’ which was written for my four children. No matter what is happening, you can relate to having a family… It will be different that we’re singing to an empty (theater), but the Q&A will allow the audience to be involved. It’s a wonderful opportunity to not only make it an intimate evening, but also a broader one.”
When she performed in Atlanta in 2019 for the 75th anniversary celebration of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Williams’ set list was dotted with highlights from her stage and radio career. Likewise with this virtual event, the elegant voice behind adult contemporary pop hits “Dreamin’,” “Save the Best for Last,” “Colors of the Wind” and “Love Is” intends to share those favorites, as well as a couple of holiday songs (two Christmas releases reside among her eight-album catalog).
Also a Broadway veteran for more than two decades, Williams’ resume emphasizes her affinity for Stephen Sondheim; she performed in the 2002 revival of “Into the Woods” and, in 2010, the musical overview “Sondheim on Sondheim” and usually incorporates Sondheim’s work into her own shows.
Credit: Mike Ruiz/ContourPhotos.com
Credit: Mike Ruiz/ContourPhotos.com
Her most recent stage appearance — “City of Angels” — was in the midst of previews on London’s West End when it was forced to close due to the pandemic.
“We were a week away from opening and it would have been my West End debut,” Williams said. “To have everything shut down was tremendous. It felt like the rug was pulled out from us. It’s our livelihood. That’s part of your income. And a lot of people, not only that I know but in theater at large, have had a difficult time.”
There has been, however, a positive development as theaters remain shuttered — the establishment of Black Theatre United, a group comprised of actors, directors, musicians, writers, technicians, producers and stage management who are members of the Black theater community.
Williams is among the spearheading members, along with Atlanta’s Kenny Leon, Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Billy Porter, Phylicia Rashad and others.
“We all basically galvanized on the heels of George Floyd, because that was the straw that broke the camel’s back and we needed to do something. We are working toward diversity — not just on Broadway, but across the country and not just on stage, but behind the stage with staffing and artistic directors. We’re seeing the effects now. We’re in the thick of it and we’re here to stay,” Williams said.
Credit: Gilles Toucas
Credit: Gilles Toucas
The multi-hyphenate said she’s enjoyed getting to know Leon, whom she sees on a weekly Zoom call for the organization, and is hopeful that their pre-pandemic exchange about working together will eventually happen.
“Right before I went to London, I saw a preview of ‘A Soldier’s Play’ (Leon directed the revival of the Charles Fuller work, which is nominated for seven Tony Awards), which was spectacular,” Williams said. “(Kenny) is a tremendous talent.”
Black Theatre United will release a song in early 2021 called “Say Their Names,” with all of the participants having recorded their portions remotely.
Williams is hopeful that the new year also allows her eventual return to the West End to “properly” open “City of Angels,” followed by some TV projects in the pipeline.
But her optimism is equalized with the realities currently afflicting the arts and entertainment industry.
“I can’t stress enough the fact that the arts are begging to come back,” Williams said. “After this is all settled, it will be wonderful to have people enjoy real, live music, see shows come back into town and bring that commonality of enjoying live theater again.”
Vella, as well, wants patrons to remember what is at stake.
“We were built for one purpose, and that is to have communal experiences, shoulder-to-shoulder, celebrating music, film, comedy, theatre or dance as a community. We are one of the few industries that is forced to shut down and cannot operate. There is no ‘carry-out’ version of theater and the economics of our business does not allow us to operate at a reduced capacity... This has been devastating to our institution but mostly to the people that make the theater come alive. We need the community to support us any way they can today and when we are allowed to reopen.”
EVENT PREVIEW
Vanessa Williams, “Live from the West Side: Women of Broadway”
8 p.m. Dec. 5. $30. Foxtheatre.org.
