Music is bigger than biography in ‘Celia' at the Athenaeum Theatre
THEATER REVIEW: "Celia: The Life & Music of Celia Cruz" ★★★ Through Sunday at the Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave.; Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes; Tickets: $35-$100 at www.ticketmaster.com
Azucar! Celia Cruz, the late queen of salsa, reigns this weekend at the Athenaeum Theatre. Members of her court are in attendance.
Isidro Infante is one of the best-known orchestrators in the world of salsa and a man who worked with the likes of Tito Puente, Herb Albert and, of course, Cruz herself. You will find Infante perched behind a keyboard at the back of the Athenaeum stage, leading a crack, seven-piece band. Infante's vibrant onstage presence is the first clue that the biographical musical “Celia,” which had the generally staid Athenaeum all frothed up Thursday night, takes its subject very seriously.
Anissa Gathers, who sings such Cruz classics as “La Negra Tiene Tumbao,” “Burundanga” and, of course, “Bemba Colora,” may not match her subject's ebullient sparkle. But Gathers has a deep contralto sound with all of the necessary richness. Serious in tone and willing to layer the celebration with a note of melancholy, Gathers' extraordinarily hard-won singing is the reason “Celia: The Life & Music of Celia Cruz” goes beyond the usual showbiz hagiography.
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