Broadway’s Benton returns to her alma mater in style
“This is … wild,” said Denée Benton, looking out into the auditorium of her alma mater. “This is so special. I can’t believe I am back on this stage 10 years later.
In the decade since she graduated from Trinity Preparatory School in Winter Park, Benton has been on some pretty big stages — including at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway, where she starred in “Hamilton.”
But the stage at Trinity Prep was personal for Benton, and her homecoming concert Saturday night was a trip back for the Tony-nominated star to where “the seeds of my dreams were planted.”
Benton might have been happy to be home, but the concert was a special treat for the audience, as well. The 2010 highschool graduate sang from both the Broadway and pop songbooks — and showed she’s equally adept at both. Her range is magnificent, as is her ability to capture different vocal styles.
Benton breathed new life into a pleading “Run To You,” an old Whitney Houston hit, brought the fire of “Miss Celie’s Blues” from “The Color Purple,” and layered “That Would Be Enough” from “Hamilton” with sweetness and sincerity. No wonder she’s in demand.
And to think the stage could have lost her to the judicial bench.
In reminiscing about childhood dreams, Benton recalled a sixth-grade assignment in which she predicted she would be the youngest justice on the Supreme Court by the time she was 30.
“When I was 12, this sounded very reasonable,” she joked with the audience.
Other recollections, however, were more serious: How she felt as though she didn’t fit in, often because of her race. She still remembers the sting of hearing “You’re pretty… for a black girl.”
Benton might have dwelled on the idea of not belonging a little too much, but part of her charm is that she speaks from the heart. Even after starring in three major shows — “Hamilton,” “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812” and “The Book of Mormon” — there’s still a hint of “gee, whiz” about her.
She honored her parents, dedicated a song to her grandmothers, thanked her theater teacher and acknowledged the scholarship competitions that helped get her on her way.
“Wow, I could get used to that,” she said sincerely after an ovation from the crowd.
The ovations were plentiful — and deserved.
A powerful “Your Daddy’s Son” from “Ragtime” showed off not only her vocal prowess, but her ability to communicate a character through song. The same was true of a delightful “I’m Not Afraid of Anything” from Jason Robert Brown’s “Songs from a New World.”
And “No One Else” from “Great Comet” was a potent reminder of her sparkling upper range, ability to turn up the heat with her belt — and why she deserved that Tony nomination.
Ed Gaston did a masterful job of arranging most of the songs, which under the direction of Kyle Mattingly were played with verve by an ensemble of more than a dozen musicians. With a nod to the next generation, choral students from Trinity Prep ably backed Benton on a spirited cover of Stevie Wonder’s “As” and a soulful “Gods Love Nubia” from “Aida.”
Benton finished with a triumphant “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” commenting that she will never actually get to play Fanny Bryce, the Jewish white woman who sings the song in “Funny Girl.”
I don’t know, though: With her talent, I wouldn’t count Benton out of any role.
Find me on Twitter @matt_on_arts or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com. Want more news and reviews of theater and other arts? Go to orlandosentinel.com/arts