Billy Porter introduced three songs from his new album when he was back in Pittsburgh Oct. 17, and today comes official news about “Billy Porter Presents The Soul of Richard Rodgers” (Bee & El and Sony Masterworks Broadway) coming in April 2017.
The album that puts a soulful spin on the composer Richard Rodgers, best known for his collaborations with lyricists Oscar Hammerstein and Lorenz Hart, includes solos and duets from Tony Award winners and fellow Carnegie Mellon alumns Leslie Odom Jr. and Renee Elise Goldsberry of “Hamilton” and Patina Miller -- Ms. Miller, the star of “Sister Act” and “Pippin” on Broadway, was Mr. Porter’s student at CMU.
Also singing Rodgers’ tunes will be Tony winner Cynthia Erivo (“The Color Purple” and nominees Joshua Henry and Brandon Victor Dixon, who were Mr. Porter’s co-stars in “Shuffle Along” on Broadway. Both men are currently playing the role of Aaron Burr in “Hamilton,” Mr. Henry in Chicago and Mr. Dixon on Broadway.
In the first of two Trust Cabaret performances in Pittsburgh, the Grammy- and Tony-winning Porter gave the audience a taste of what’s to come with soulful renditions of “My Romance” and “The Lady Is a Tramp,” along with a heartfelt reworking of “Edelweiss.”
"Since the release of my first album ‘Untitled’ almost two decades ago, I’ve been fusing my favorite genres, Broadway and soul, in my music,” Mr. Porter said in a statement. “It has always been my dream to expand this idea beyond myself, so its sounds and attitudes could evolve to become a respected and viable voice in the Broadway market. This album is yet another example of how mashing up the classic with the modern makes the art explosive, transformative, visceral and immediate."
Sharon Eberson: seberson@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1960. Twitter: @SEberson_pg.
First Published: November 1, 2016, 5:14 p.m.
