By Audrey Gervasi
The ladies of Divalycious treated the audience at Julia’s on Broadway to a fun-filled evening Sunday night with their vocal tribute to, as the press release puts it, “all things girl.” I knew I was in for an entertaining evening when the four-piece band started playing, and powerhouse vocalist Ashley Middleton stepped out from behind the curtains in her little black dress and launched into “I’m a Woman.” She was joined on stage, one by one, verse by verse, by the other members of the Divalycious quartet, Stacie Calkins, Laurie Clothier, and Natalie Lerch.
After letting us know that they were there to celebrate the inner diva, these lovely ladies then took us on a journey through 100 years of girl groups, beginning with Gilbert & Sullivan’s “Three (Four) Little Maids from School” from the 1890s, and ending with “Spice Up Your Life” from the 1990s (who can forget those Spice Girls?). Along the way we had glimpses of vaudeville, the Andrews Sisters, the McGuire Sisters, a 60s medley including “Chapel of Love,” “My Boyfriend’s Back,” “Leader of the Pack,” and “It’s My Party,” among other favorites. From the most recent 30 years they covered “Lady Marmalade,” “Fire” (think Pointer Sisters), “It’s Raining Men,” and “My Love (Never Gonna Get It).” For each decade the group had accessories to match. For their vaudeville medley they camped it up with feather boas over their black dresses, for the 40s they donned white frilly jackets, and, for the 60s, purple glittery tops were the frosting on the cake.
After their girl group tribute, each member of the group displayed her solo talents with mischievous songs. Laurie’s selection, the romantic ode to self-love, “Making Love Alone,” was hilarious. Stacie, wearing a tight red dress, and showing lots of leg and cleavage, practically set the stage on fire with her sultry version of “If I Can’t Sell It.” Ashley pulled a (toy) gun during “If You Hadn’t (But You Did)” (go see the show if you want to know why), and Natalie tried to make Murray feel guilty by jumping off the 57th floor at the end of “Just One Step.”
The closing set included personal favorites of mine, “In These Shoes,” “Old Cape Cod,” and “The Heart of the Matter,” and the final number was “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”
These women are talented, versatile, and lovely, and best of all they are “real” women that I could relate to. They engage the audience with crowd-pleasing musical selections, choreography, and vivacious energy. Each of these women has her own beautiful style, but Stacie stole the show more than once, in particular with her vocals on “It’s Raining Men.” Be prepared to be thoroughly entertained for a full 90 minutes.
Catch “DIVALYCIOUS: GIRLS GONE DIVA!” at one of their three remaining shows at Julia’s on Broadway, 300 Broadway East, Seattle, at 7:00 p.m. Sundays through August 16, 2009. Show reservations can be made at Brown Paper Tickets by going to http://www.brownpapertickets.com, or tickets may be purchased at the door on a first come/first serve basis. For dinner reservations call (206) 334-0513. Optional dinner seating begins at 6 pm.
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