(Left to right: Donald Webber Jr. as BeBe Winans, Liisi LaFontaine as Whitney Houston, and Loren Lott as CeCe Winans in BORN FOR THIS. Photo ©Joan Marcus 2018)
By Mike Hoban
Born for This – Music and Lyrics by BeBe Winans. Book by Charles Randolph-Wright, BeBe Winans, and Lisa D’Amour. Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright; Scenic Design by Neil Patel; Lighting Design by Jason Lyons; Sound Design by Jon Weston; Choreography by Warren Adams. Presented by ArtsEmerson. At Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, Boston, through July 15.
You’re not likely to find a more consistently entertaining musical on Boston stages this year than Born for This, gospel and pop star Bebe Winan’s autobiographical work now in its latest incarnation at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre. A powerhouse score delivered by an extraordinary cast combined with a very funny script are sure to make this show an overwhelming crowd-pleaser (if the opening night crowd is any indication), even if the book won’t make anyone forget Les Miserables or Ragtime anytime soon.
Born for This tells the story of Bebe Winans (Donald Webber Jr.) and his sister Cece (Loren Lott) of the gospel singing Winans family, who left the loving and protective shelter of their Christian home in Detroit in 1982 for the PTL (Praise the Lord) network in Pineville, North Carolina to join the infamous Jim (Chaz Pofahl) and Tammy Faye Bakker (a hilarious Kirsten Wyatt) on their pre-scandal/pre-freak show televangelist program. Bebe and Cece are initially shoehorned into the whitebread musical group that backs its storied hosts, before the show’s music director (Jay McKenzie) begins to find ways to showcase the gifted duo’s talents.
(Left: Milton Craig Nealy as Pop Winans, with members of the Company, in BORN FOR THIS – A NEW MUSICAL. Photo © Joan Marcus 2018)
This doesn’t sit so well with the white singers, particularly the men (since one of the women appears to be in a vaguely defined friendship/love relationship with Bebe), or the viewers, who light up the phone lines with angry racist comments. Tammy and Jim (who are given a surprisingly sympathetic, nearly sanctified treatment in the production) defend and protect their new stars, and the couple serve as parent surrogates to Bebe and Cece, despite the fact that Tammy refers to them as her little “chocolate drops” on the program. Their role on the show grows, culminating in a performance of “Lord Lift Us Up Where We Belong” which becomes a monster hit, turning the Winans kids into Christian pop stars.
With his newfound celebrity, Bebe begins to find out how much fun the sins of the flesh can be for a rising star, and he starts drinking, gambling and cavorting with women, even as Cece remains steadfast in her faith. Not long after, Cece and Bebe make the decision to cross over into secular music and become even bigger stars – developing a working relationship with Whitney Houston. Despite (or because of) his success, Bebe is now straying even further from his belief system, and much of the show’s narrative is dedicated to his struggles to balance faith with his new lifestyle. It’s not particularly hard-hitting (we never see him drunk or in any real trouble), but quite frankly, it matters little. What makes Born for This such a joy is the music and the spectacular performances by the entire cast.
(Chaz Pofahl as Jim Bakker and Kirsten Wyatt as Tammy Faye Bakker, with members of the Company in BORN FOR THIS. Photo ©Joan Marcus 2018)
Webber conveys Bebe’s sense of confusion convincingly, and Lott is equally good as the faith-driven Cece. The pair are dynamite on “Lift Us Up” as well as their solo work, but it is the older folks in the show who bring the most excitement. Pop Winans (Milton Craig Nealy) leads a house-shaking version of the gospel song, “I Got a New Home”, and Mom Winans (Nita Whitaker) gives the most powerful performance of evening with the impassioned “Seventh Son”. There isn’t a weak song in the entire production (a rarity among even the best Broadway shows) making Born for This is an end-to-end musical feast.
In addition, Bebe Winans and Charles Randolph-Wright, who wrote the original script, brought Pulitzer finalist Lisa D’Amour aboard to shore up the weak book (based on reviews of early productions). And while the show still lacks any real emotional depth, the comedy is first-rate, with Wyatt as Tammy Faye stealing the spotlight in nearly every scene she’s in. For pure musical entertainment, Born for This, is tough to beat, and I hope that Winans has his prayers answered and this does get to Broadway. For more information and tickets, go to: https://artsemerson.org
