Lakisha Jones blows the roof off the joint as she sings “I Will Always Love You” Saturday Night in Manchester:
Although Lakisha was at the after party Sunday, I didn’t get a chance to speak with her. Lakisha in person, is how tiny she is. Tiny and pretty. Maybe her powerhouse vocals confers a larger-than-life quality on her. Or maybe the Idol camera people just didn’t know how to shoot her. I wish I had a picture–I really liked the beige outfit she was wearing at the after party.
Without a doubt, her performance of “I Will Always Love You” was a concert crowd favorite. Watch the video. She pauses right before the key change. The audience cheers at that moment. But, when she belts out the glory notes, the auditorium goes absolutely nuts. In this particular performance, she’s not feeling well (she didn’t return to the stage for the encore), but she still kills anyway.
I didn’t know it at the time, but LaKisha has some exciting news. She’s joining the New York cast of The Color Purple:
[Chaka] Khan and [BeBe] Winans will join the cast Jan. 9, 2008, in the roles of, respectively, Sofia and Harpo (Sofia’s husband). Jones will join the company a few weeks earlier, on Dec. 19, 2007, as the church soloist in the musical’s opening number. When Khan arrives, Jones will also play Sofia at the matinee performances.
Here’s a fun Christmas in New York activity: Catch “The Color Purple” before January 6th, and not only will you see LaKisha perform as the church soloist, but you will be able to catch the incredible Fantasia as Celie before she leaves the show in January…
