Lamb’s Players Theatre’s new musical production pays “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” to the women whose songs and voices defined the sound of the 1960s, from rock ‘n’ roll and R&B to soul and Top 40 pop. By turns joyous and contemplative, the 90-minute show remembers the icons and the underappreciated.
The chronicling of women artists in the ‘60s is done mostly in song. The ensemble is super-charged: Rebecca Jade, Caitie Grady, Janaya Mahealani Jones, Angela Chatelain Avila, Sydney Joyner and Joy Yandell. Each has her shining solo moments in between the many group medley numbers.It’s inevitable that attempting to represent the music of so many artists over an entire decade means some audience members’ favorite songs get short shrift, transitioning into another tune just as they get going.
Jones rocks the room when channeling Tina Turner and echoes the depth of emotion residing in Nina Simone’s version of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put A Spell On You.” Always an intuitive interpreter of Joni Mitchell, Grady performs the wistful “Chelsea Morning” and, at the piano, Joni Mitchell’s haunting “Woodstock.” In a thoughtful acknowledgment of women artists besides Simone and Laura Nyro who deserve more r-e-s-p-e-c-t, Grady sings Janis Ian’s at-the-time-taboo song “Society’s Child.