By Pat Jenkins The Dispatch "A Night With Janis Joplin,GÇ¥ the sensation currently blowing away audiences at The 5th Avenue Theatre, makes one believe that the legendary rocker has risen from the dead. For fans who never saw Joplin perform live, this incredible portrayal of her by Kacee Clanton must surely be the next best thing. Backed by a great band, she sings Joplin's songs and channels Joplin's soulful style the way you imagine a Joplin concert would have been. Clanton, whose own credits include touring as a vocalist with Joe Cocker, is mesmerizing as she recounts Joplin's Texas upbringing, her blues-soaked musical influences and her ascension in the 1960s to rock music icon before her untimely death at the age of 27. The show's supporting cast of Yvette Cason, Sylvia MacCalla and Nova Payton, portraying R&B artists who Joplin admired (Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Odetta, Bessie Smith and Nina Simons), have show-stopping songs of their own. ut this production is all-Joplin, all the time. Clanton rarely leaves the stage'which is appropriate, considering that Joplin has never really left, either. "A Night With Janis JoplinGÇ¥ continues through April 17. Rock on.
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