Bette, Babs, and Beyond
Bette and Babs need no other names to identify them. Neither do Cher, Tina, Aretha, Janis, Adele, or Dolly. In the show Bette, Babs, and Beyond, a company of great vocalists will bring down the house while paying tribute to some of the greatest divas, in the best sense of the word, of the past 50 years.
The show is the creation of Scott Coulter and Spot-On Entertainment, which put together Music of the Knights. Both shows have been presented at the prestigious 54 Below in New York and Coulter’s shows have gained a reputation for bringing together great talent, dynamite accompaniment, terrific arrangements and wonderful story-telling about the singers on stage, the works they are presenting, and the artists who made them famous. The original divas could sing and these ladies on stage do them justice, whether belting out “I Will Survive” or bringing a tear (or two) with “Wind Beneath My Wings.”
The songs are as iconic as their singers, with everything from “Son of a Preacher Man” to “Total Eclipse of the Heart” to “I Will Always Love You” to “Natural Woman.” Each singer on stage brings a different strength to the show: as Broadway World said, “That’s fine…because it is what makes the world of music a rainbow of possibilities. When a group of 10 women get together to do a concert, and one after another, proves to onlookers that what is seemingly impossible to do vocally is, for them, like cutting an ice cream cake with a hot knife, it is difficult to remain nonplussed. Just clap and cheer and let them know you see them.”
This is an evening that celebrates women with all the strength, joy, and indeed, pathos that comes with being a woman. It’s a show that reminds us of the power of friendship, courage, picking yourself up, and dusting yourself off. You’ll hear great music and thrill to the messengers.
You’ll honestly love them.