06:33:11 am 
Everyday Rapture - A Life Torn Between Opposites
Categories: UncategorizedIn the autobiographical Everyday Rapture, which opened last night at Second Stage Theatre, Sherie Rene Scott (Ursula in Broadway's The Little Mermaid and Amneris in Aida) reflects on her upbringing as a Mennonite in Kansas and her seemingly incongruous life as a stage diva. As you might expect from the title, the show, penned by Scott and Dick Scanlon, has a decidedly spiritual quality to it, and the piece eschews the standard "and then I did…" format of similar showbiz pieces, opting instead to offer a collage-like meditation on a sextet of seminal events in Scott's life. It's a daring format that has both its rewards and its limitations. Nevertheless, ninety minutes with this dynamic performer centerstage is time well spent.
Scott establishes the yin and yang of her personality from the outset of "Rapture," describing how she carried two pieces of paper on her at all times. One reminds her of the relative insignificance we all play in the greater scheme of things. And the other? Well, let's just say it's slightly more grandiose. From this, sequence, in which she, along with her powerhouse backup singers Lindsay Mendez and Betsy Wolfe, who are joined briefly by Eamon Foley late in the show, belt out "Elevation" (a U2 standard), Scott moves on to a description – simultaneously comic and moving – about her childhood in Kansas, her upbringing, and her early discovery of performing and singing. Among her favorites as a child: Judy Garland, and in "Rapture," she performs two of the tunes closely associated with this legend: "Get Happy" and "You Made Me Love You." Theatergoers will never think of the latter in the same way after Scott's moving performance, which casts the song, which she sang at her cousin Jerome's "shunning," in a completely new, and slightly disconcerting, light.
Given that Scott's interest in performing was in direct opposition to the doctrine of her family's faith, it's little wonder that she found solace in Fred Rogers' messages of self-acceptance on television's "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," which she watched at friends' houses, and Scott warmly, and touchingly, dedicates a portion of "Rapture" to the show and the songs from it.
The section of "Rapture" that focuses on Scott's initial visit to New York City and the one which follows – a meditation on the nature of fame and trying to find connection in the Internet age – are not as successful as the ones that have preceded, but in each, Scott proves indefatigable: as an actress (bringing to the stage exceptionally difficult personal moments), a comedienne, and as a singer (in the latter section she delivers "Strongest Suit" from Aida with power).
The final section of "Rapture" is both the show's sweetest and its weakest. In it Scott describes her life today with her three-year old son, and some of the hopes and dreams that she has for him. There's a life-lesson in here, and it's about finding the extraordinary in the ordinary; unfortunately, though theatergoers grasp how hard-fought this revelation has been for Scott, it underwhelms as the show's climax.
Throughout Scott, guided with assurance by Michael Mayer, navigates the varied tones of the show with ease. It's interesting that she seems to have developed a stage persona that is all her own – and in it, there's an awfully funny oxymoron – that of the self-deprecating, somewhat dumb-blonde diva. Scott is probably never more comic than in the moments when, after a particularly grand pronouncement, she undercuts herself and self-importance.
Scott's vocal skills – whether blasting rock or silkily gliding over standards – are superlative, and her stylings are marvelously supported by Tom Kitt's arrangements for a five piece onstage combo, set in the back of Christine Jones' handsome scenic design that looks a bit like a series of constellations that have been skewed into a honeycomb of interconnectivity.
The theme of interrelationships is ultimately what's at the crux of "Rapture," and superficially Scott's journey to finding the bridge between two sides of herself. And though the revelations of the show may never be significantly profound, the piece itself is an exceptional entertainment.
---- Andy Propst
Everyday Rapture plays at Second Stage Theatre (307 West 43rd Street). Performances are Tuesday at 7pm; Wednesday at 2 and 8pm; Thursday and Friday at 8pm; Saturday at 2 and 8pm; and Sunday at 3pm. NOTE: during the week of 5/4, Weds. – Fri. performances are 7pm. Tickets are $75.00 and can be purchased by calling 212-246-4422 or by visiting www.2ST.com.
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