Review: I’M EVERY WOMAN at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre

Ain’t Nobody definitely forms one of the major highlights of the Troubadour Wembley’s new opening I’M EVERY WOMAN, which has been patchily written by Nia T. Hill and is based on the long and oft-turbulent life and career of Chicago South-side songstress Chaka Khan.

Born Yvette Stevens, much of the biographic detail revolves around the usual pay-off decisions which an artist is required to make if they are to have both a successful career in the music industry, and enjoy any semblance of a family life. With a seeming litany of failed relationships and a loving but combative and competitive sisterhood behind her, Ms Khan has done what many failed to do — she has survived 50 years in a brutally cut-throat world run by be-suited, self-appointed bastions of taste and trend, and her music has stood the test of time. But does the show directed by Racky Plews and choreographed by Ebony Clarke make for meaty and substantial entertainment?

To their credit, the production team don’t shy away from the more contentious elements of Chaka Khan’s life — notably, her early involvement with the Black Panther movement (from whence she received her full African name Chaka ‘woman of fire’ Adunne Aduffe Hodarhi Karifi, bestowed by a Yoruba Babalawo priest), and more particularly the drug dependency and resultant unreliable behaviour. There is a running gag in the show, about being late for morning recording sessions and sure enough for an opening press night, the 7pm start time was clearly just a guideline for Ms Khan who strolled-in surrounded by her fan-waving entourage nearly half an hour late to the rapturous applause of many, and the irritated and disapproving silence of others.

Taking the lead, Alexandra Burke commands the stage with a belter voice and still manages to leave room for her fellow performers to strut their stuff and do their thang. They appear as family members, execs and various pastiche versions of Luther Vandross (Jelani Munroe), Whitney Houston (Charlotte St. Croix), Joni Mitchell (Sophie Earl), Steve Winwood (Chris Breistein), Stevie Wonder (Samuel Sarprong-Broni) and Prince (Miles Anthony Daley), all of whom are seemingly plopped into scenes often for little more than name-dropping purposes and a quick tune. And then there’s Marie Stevens (Chrissie Bhima) who flounces in and out of scenes as a jittery and skittish parody of a drugged-up friend-come-demon-on-the-shoulder, looking as though she’s escaped from the cast of Beetlejuice. The wild eyes and twitching is kinda funny but looks oddly out of keeping with the supposed real-life trauma.

But hey, overall the show is pacy, vibrant, has some sass and delivers a barrel full of funk/soul/R&B tunes. As biographies go however, it feels relatively superficial. Sure the life-chapters told me more than I already knew about Chaka Khan, but significantly, it didn’t tell me why I should give a damn, which definitely felt like a missed opportunity.

I’M EVERY WOMAN plays 2 hours and 40 minutes with interval and continues at the Troubadour Wembley until 27th September.

I’m Every Woman Tickets