Rep’s Whitney Houston Tribute Sounds Great, But Misses Opportunity to Highlight Her Life and Career

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Photo by Michael Brosilow

Milwaukee Rep 'The Greatest Love for Whitney'

Alina Cherone in the Milwaukee Rep's 'The Greatest Love for Whitney'

The Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s newest production sounds like a winner from the first few bars of the Dolly Parton song, “I Will Always Love You,” which opens the show. In fact, had the lights remained dim, you would have sworn that it was actually Whitney Houston herself singing the notes of that famous ballad. The Rep’s production of The Greatest Love for Whitney: A Whitney Houston Tribute opened last weekend in its intimate Stackner Cabaret.

On opening night, those familiar lyrics—originally sung to movie co-star Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard—were amazingly handled by Milwaukee-born singer and actor, Alesia Miller. She is one of three “Whitneys” to be involved in the tribute, which rotates singers in order to conserve their vocal chords. On opening night, the “other” Whitney was New York-based Alina Cherone. The third singer is Charlotte Odusanya, who did not appear on opening night.

Both Cherone and Miller profess to be the ultimate “Whitney” fans, whose careers were influenced by Houston’s music, as well as some of the struggles she faced with the record industry.

Like Houston herself, both young women began their careers at a young age, singing gospel tunes in church.

What follows is an abundant feast of Houston’s most recognizable tunes, beginning with a medley of the songs “Impossible” from the Rogers and Hammerstein musical, Cinderella, in which she starred with a young Brandi, and “Home,” a song that was part of an all-Black musical cast of The Wiz.

Often, the singers served as back-up vocalists to the other, sometimes alternating roles within a single song. Credit for these intricate arrangements goes to Music Director Dan Kazemi, who is also a constant onstage presence as the women’s accompanist.

In addition to the live piano, the songs are boosted by a pre-recorded mix of other instruments, including horns (especially saxophone), guitars and drums.

Two Performers Captivate Audience on Small Stage

The two women glide about the small stage (and occasionally, into the audience), backed only by velvet curtains and a large neon sign of Houston’s signature (lighting by Dakota Kroes, with sound by Tate E. Thompson). The women wear dressy casual-to-cocktail attire in the first act, switching to lovely long gowns in the second act (costumes by Destiny Harris).

Houston fans will be delighted to hear that much of her hit catalogue is covered in the show, which lasts about two hours, 10 minutes (with an intermission). The program is scaled perfectly to the confines of the intimate Stackner Cabaret. Eager audiences can count on hearing hits such as: “Where Do Broken Hearts Go,” “I’m Every Woman,” “Saving All My Love for You” and “The Greatest Love of All.” Worthy of particular mention is a snazzy version of “I’m Your Baby Tonight,” which captures the excitement of a live Whitney Houston performance. One of her most famous live appearances, in which she sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” during the 1991 Super Bowl in Tampa, closes the first act. 

What Happened to Details About Whitney’s Personal Life?

The Milwaukee Rep’s artistic director, Mark Clements, decided to focus on the live singers instead of Whitney’s prolific background. Aside from a brief recap at the top of the show, in which they rattle off all of Houston’s awards and achievements, the singers mostly talk about her personal influence on their own lives.

There is a single brief allusion to how the music industry may have contributed to her short life, which ended at age 48, when she drowned in a bathtub.

There is absolutely no mention of Houston’s well-publicized dealings with ex-husband Bobby Brown; their daughter, the late Bobbi Kristina Brown; or her well-known mother, award-wining singer, Emily “Cissy” Houston. There’s no mention of her famous cousins, Dionne Warwick and opera singer Leontyne Price, or her well-known friends and mentors, such as Clive Davis. 

In addition, there are few clues relating to why Houston selected each song to perform, or her huge support of Nelson Mandela, or her philanthropies. Judging from this show, it is difficult to get the scope of one of the best-selling recording artists of all time, who sold more than 200 million copies of her albums during her lifetime.

No Mention of Whitney’s Struggle with Drugs and Alcohol

There’s no discussion of Houston’s much publicized drug struggles (which became public knowledge during her marriage), and her trips to rehab. During her later years, she became known for missing concert dates and other live performances, including an appearance she was to have made at an Academy Awards ceremony. That year, she was actually fired from performing at the award show.

The Rep show would have been much richer had it included projected photos of a young Houston, perhaps singing in church, or some images during different phases of her career. For instance, one of her achievements was as the first woman of color featured on the cover of Seventeen magazine. But her early modeling career isn’t even mentioned. There is a single line in the show about her being a fashion trendsetter.    

It also would have been nice to see silent clips featuring Whitney in her many modes—concerts, TV appearances, music videos, films—while the live performers presented her songs onstage. For all their fabulous singing, neither performer looks like Whitney Houston, and the visuals would have helped to enhance her presence in a show about her music.

Regardless of these limitations, the Rep show does a good job of paying homage to Houston the singer. It seems almost impossible to think that more than a decade has passed since her death in 2012. Again, the two singers recount their personal reactions about her death, instead of recounting the massive national and international reaction to the news. While the Rep makes a good effort in touching on Houston’s life and legacy, there is still much work to be done.

The Greatest Love for Whitney: A Whitney Houston Tribute continues through May 28 at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s Stackner Cabaret, 108 E. Wells St. For tickets, visit milwaukeerep.com, or call 414-224-9490.