“Born For This” worthy of great praise
Audiences at Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre falling in love with BeBe Winans and his family
Raider Times photo / Courtesy Joan Marcus
From left) Donald Webber Jr. as BeBe Winans, Liisi LaFontaine as Whitney Houston, and Loren Lott as CeCe Winans in “Born For This” at Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre through July 15, 2018.
June 29, 2018
“Born For This” is a musical playing at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre through July 15, 2018, and documents the life and career of BeBe Winans.
“Born For This” is an incredible theater-watching experience, and whether you are a fan of BeBe Winans or have never heard of him, you will fall love with him and his story.
The musical is set in the 1980s and takes its audience through Winans’s career, beginning with his struggle to compete with his other musically talented siblings and ending with his rise to becoming an award-winning gospel and R&B singer. The audience is given front-row seats as BeBe and CeCe Winans start their careers on the PTL television show, and follow BeBe through his highs and lows, his struggles and triumphs, and his wins and loses.
The cast portrays the real-life characters in a truly believable fashion and sing each song with ease, leaving the audience in awe of the actors’ incredible vocal ranges.
Chaz Pofahl as Jim Bakker (left) and Kirsten Wyatt as Tammy Faye Bakker (center) in “Born For This” at Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre through July 15, 2018.
Donald Webber Jr. leads the show as BeBe Winans and creates a relationship with the audience, bringing them along on his journey. Loren Lott’s stage presence is filled with energy and makes the audience fall in love with her portrayal of CeCe Winans as soon as she’s first seen on stage. Matthew Griffin, Jay McKenzie, Jarran Muse, Milton Craig Nealy, Brad Raymond, and Nita Whitaker make up the rest of the Winans family and their relationships on stage create an atmosphere as if they are a real family.
Kirsten Wyatt’s performance as Tammy Faye Bakker is a true highlight of the show. Her complete transformation into the character and impeccable comedic timing made her favorite of the audience and always got a laugh even in the more serious parts of the show.
The actors, musicians, crew, and creative team truly bring to life Winans’s incredible story of fame with the amazing sets, lights, sound, script, and music.
(“Born For This” is at Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre through July 15, 2018. For tickets or more information, go to https://artsemerson.org/.)
–June 28, 2018–
