Review: ‘An Evening with Renée Elise Goldsberry’ was a dazzling love letter to the unifying power of music
For campus Broadway buffs and “Hamilton” fans, the evening of Oct. 17 was a night to remember. Renée Elise Goldsberry, the actress and singer who originated the role of Angelica Schuyler in “Hamilton” on Broadway, visited Dartmouth as part of the reopening weekend of the Hopkins Center for the Arts for an “evening of song.” Goldsberry’s 90-minute show was the first live performance on the newly-renovated David A. Graves Stage in Spaulding Auditorium at the Hop.
Like many of the events held over the reopening weekend, “An Evening with Renée Elise Goldsberry” was more than just a celebration of the arts in anticipation of the new Hop and a commemoration of a new Dartmouth space. It was also a dazzling display of musical skill and performance power. And ultimately, during a time of division, it was a dynamic and moving love letter to the unifying power of music.
Accompanied by her band and three backup singers, Goldsberry’s range shined in a diverse setlist of over 13 songs spanning multiple genres from pop and rock to soul, blues and Broadway tunes. Though the selection may have seemed random at first, it was purposeful. Goldsberry said during the show that she chose all the songs to center around a message of “unity” — even changing some of the songs’ lyrics to align with the theme.
“In an era of great division, the most radical thing you can do is bring people together,” she said.
That idea of freedom certainly shone in Goldsberry’s rousing renditions of “I’ve Got to Use my Imagination” by Gladys Knight & the Pips and “Ella’s Song” by Sweet Honey in the Rock. As the audience clapped a heartbeat to the powerful chant “we who believe in freedom cannot rest” in “Ella’s Song,” the performers and audience members alike became a reflection of the collective strength the song fostered.
Besides the displayed agility of her angelic voice, Goldsberry’s stage presence brought the show to life. Besides her role in “Hamilton,” Goldsberry is also known for her roles in “Rent,” “The Lion King” and “The Color Purple.” She is no stranger to show business, and her experience was evident in her performance. From the moment she burst onstage in painted jeans and a bright red turtleneck, Goldsberry captivated the crowd. Between singing and dancing around the red-lit stage, she joked and told stories.
In fact, most of the songs were accompanied by a short story from Goldsberry, and with these added touches, the songs assumed new meanings. Grounding the audience, the anecdotes functioned as receptacles of memory and vehicles for emotional connection.
For instance, the joyful opening combination of Barbara Streisand’s “On a Clear Day” and Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now” was accompanied by a good-natured lament of Hanover’s deceptive weather — “It may be sunny, but it’s still cold!” Later, Goldsberry’s recollection of the time Aretha Franklin left Lin-Manuel Miranda a voicemail request for “Hamilton” tickets had the audience roaring with laughter before she launched into a performance of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” — the Aretha Franklin version.
In addition to these light-hearted moments, Goldsberry mixed in moments of vulnerability. For example, her performances of “Love, Returned” and “Twinkle,” both original songs from her debut solo album “Who I Really Am,” touched on her struggles to navigate her roles as both a wife and mother and a performer throughout her career. “Twinkle” was particularly moving as an ode to empowerment of black womanhood, which she said was addressed to her daughter.
That said, one of the most powerful moments of the evening was Goldsberry’s performance of “Shadowland” from her time as Nala on Broadway’s “The Lion King.” Having performed it at her audition on the heels of 9/11 — which would ultimately lead to her Broadway debut — Goldsberry said the song remains particularly emotional for her. Her struggles to “make it,” including the anticipation of the audition and her mixed feelings about getting the part after the national tragedy, were palpable throughout her performance.
Yet if “Shadowland” was the emotional anchor, Goldsberry’s finale — a compendium of her top hits from other Broadway roles including “Hamilton” — was the soul of the show. It wasn’t just because the show wouldn’t have felt complete without it: Goldsberry joked that the audience wouldn’t let her leave Hanover without performing at least a couple songs from “Hamilton.” And it wasn’t just because of the excitement of getting to hear “Satisfied” live. It was because of how audience members filled in for the ensemble part during “Satisfied” — the way we took up Goldsberry’s invitation to sing along during “The Schuyler Sisters” with passion.
In those final minutes, after Goldsberry’s “Rent” medley was met with thunderous applause, I found myself believing a little more in the power of song as a unifying force. If there’s anything that I took away from “An Evening with Renée Elise Goldsberry,” it was the importance of reveling in community and remembering, as Renée Elise Goldsberry urges us, that connection to one another through music is its own kind of resistance.
