Excitement is in the air in Morristown, NJ this Friday, September 30, 2022 evening as concertgoers make their way inside the Mayo Performing Arts Center for tonight’s 28th Season Kickoff performance by the multi-talented singer/actress Renée Elise Goldsberry.

Outside the 85-year-old venue — which was originally designed as a Walter Reade movie theater — we chat with GM Ed Kirchdoerffer about MPAC’s spectacular upcoming season of live productions following two years of COVID challenges.

“We are so happy to see audiences coming back,” says Kirchdoerffer, noting, “This season, we have some great holiday shows lined up including performances by Michael Bolton, Darlene Love, and The Illusionists, in addition to a Carpenters tribute Christmas show, and performances of the New Jersey Ballet’s Nutcracker.”

“We also have a number of acts from the ’90s and 2000s coming up including Hoobastank and LIT, Better Than Ezra, American Idol’s Philip Phillips, and Trombone Shorty,” continues Kirchdoerffer, “along with some great Broadway stars like Leslie Odom, Jr., Kristin Chenowith, and Lea Salonga, in addition to Broadway shows including Cats and On Your Feet: The Emilio and Gloria Estefan Story.”

“We invite our patrons to reengage with the joy of live performance,” adds Kirchdoerffer, explaining, “Live theater is an experience that can’t be duplicated by anything else. Come out and see how much fun and joy you will feel when you come to the theater!”

We make our way inside the beautiful MPAC auditorium where the stage is set with a grand piano and keyboard, assorted guitars, a drum set, a bass and amp, and mics and microphone stands set up for four singers.

MPAC President Allison Larena addresses the crowd announcing, “Welcome to our 28th Opening Night. We are thrilled to kick off the season with Renée Elise Goldsberry!”

After revealing, “MPAC ranks as one of the top 50 performing arts centers in the world,” Larena thanks the many patrons, board members, foundations, and legislators who support MPAC — including theater namesake, Bud Mayo, who is in the audience tonight — along with the MPAC staff, production crew, and volunteers who “make it all happen.”

The crowd cheers as Larena introduces Renée Elise Goldsberry who takes the stage along with keyboardist Addison Frei, guitarist Jordan Peters, drummer Kenneth Salters, and bassist Jeff Hanley.

Accompanied by a simple piano intro on “On a Clear Day,” Goldsberry sings in her full, robust voice, “On a clear day/You can see forever.” The band kicks in with all its power as she holds out an impressively long note, and the crowd joins her in clapping along as the performers segue into Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now.”

Singing with optimism and style, Goldsberry dances as Jordan Peters plays a guitar solo while the jamming band creates an irresistible groove under flashing blue lights.

The audience cheers, and Goldsberry refers to Hurricane Ian when she acknowledges, “We had to put that song in for our Florida neighbors. We have to celebrate that clear skies are coming!” After inquiring, “How are you all doing, Morristown?” Goldsberry asks audience members to turn to their neighbors and say, “Neighbor, welcome to Friday night!” The crowd happily obliges as Goldsberry announces, “Are you ready? Let’s do this!”

Here, she and the band launch into a dynamic rendition of The Temptations’ “Get Ready,” Goldsberry’s rich vocal tone bringing cheers from the audience on this well-known Motown classic.

Three back-up singers — Tasha Michelle, Kristina Miller, and Adee David — take the stage and Goldsberry introduces them to the audience along with the members of her band.

Confessing, “This show is a blatant attempt to manipulate you to fall back in love with love,” Goldsberry reveals, “I even changed the words to certain songs to manipulate you,” before describing the many different kinds of love there are in the world and the many different styles of music she’ll sing tonight including “country, folk, gospel, soul, spiritual, jazz, blues, and Broadway.”

Rhythmic drumming, fluttering keyboard work, and tight back-up vocal harmonies support Goldsberry’s soulful interpretation of Gladys Knight’s “I’ve Got to Use My Imagination.”

She follows up by dedicating Patti Griffin’s contemporary folk song, “Up to the Mountain (MLK Song),” to friends in the audience.

Goldsberry tells a humorous story about her friendship with singer/actress Marva Hicks before launching into a collection of tunes by the female a cappella ensemble, Sweet Honey in the Rock. Intricate backup vocals interplay with Goldsberry’s soulful lead vocal on this gospel medley of songs including “Ella’s Song” which elicits enthusiastic cheers from the crowd.

Jordan Peters plays slide guitar on a jazzy rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Lord Protect My Child,” and Goldsberry channels Aretha Franklin on an upbeat interpretation of Paul Simon’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”

The gospel arrangement of this Simon and Garfunkel classic features barrelhouse piano playing by Addison Frei that has Goldsberry dancing to the infectious rhythm.

Jeff Hanley plays his bass funky and low on “Beat Out That Rhythm on a Drum,” a song from Broadway’s Carmen Jones. Then, Goldsberry shows her versatility on a ’50s doo-wop style arrangement of Nancy Wilson’s “(You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am.”

Acoustic guitar, grand piano, brushes on drums, and bass accompany Goldsberry’s interpretation of “Misty” before she and the band impress with a stylish tribute to Sarah Vaughn on “Bye Bye” — a vocal arrangement of Henry Mancini’s Peter Gunn television theme song.

After explaining to the audience that she started performing in musical theater productions at the age of eight, Goldsberry tells the crowd about how she got her big break after auditioning for the part of Nala in The Lion King. Acknowledges Goldsberry about her experience, “Everybody has stories of rejection and failure. No matter how many ‘no’s’ there are in your past, there just might be a yes around the corner — so show up!”

Here, Goldsberry gives a moving performance of “Shadowland” from The Lion King. Accompanied by top-notch background vocals from her trio of singers and deft performances from her back-up instrumentalists, Goldsberry sings with feeling to music lovers in the crowd, “And where the journey may lead you/Let this prayer be your guide.”

A highlight of Goldsberry’s set is her live rendition of “Satisfied” from Hamilton which has musical theater fans in the audience happily belting out lyrics like “A toast to the groom (To the groom, to the groom, to the groom)/To the bride (To the bride, the bride).”

With her vocal trio deftly providing background parts, Goldsberry cries, “To your union (The union, to the revolution)/And the hope that you provide (You provide, you provide)/May you always (Always)/Be satisfied,” electrifying the audience which responds with a cheering standing ovation.

After graciously taking a bow, Goldsberry inquires, “Are there any sisters in the house?” prior to launching into a lively rendition of “The Schuyler Sisters,” where Hamilton fans in the crowd sing along as they move in their seats to the groove of this upbeat song.

Surprising the audience, Goldsberry announces, “We have another song which we’ve never done before.” Here, she invites the young singers of the MPAC Performing Arts Company onto the stage to perform “No Day But Today” from Rent. On this dynamic number, Goldsberry’s vocal soars as the youngsters’ voices fill the theater with hope and joy on the “There’s only us/There’s only this/Forget regret/Or life is yours to miss” refrain.

The crowd responds with a standing ovation, and Goldsberry bows grandly before she and the performers exit the stage. Returning only with pianist Addison Frei, Goldsberry acknowledges, “I don’t normally do this song,” before presenting a moving piano/vocal rendition of the Hamilton ballad, “It’s Quiet Uptown.”

The audience cheers, and the band and background singers return as Goldsberry thanks MPAC for inviting her tonight, declaring, “It’s been a tremendous honor!” Following a jazzy and uplifting rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from Carousel, the crowd is on its feet again, cheering and applauding for Renée Elise Goldsberry and her musical colleagues for a memorable MPAC 28th Season Kickoff event.

As audience members make their way out of the auditorium, we chat with several in the crowd who share their opinions of this evening’s performance. Remarks Susan from Denville, “I came to hear Renée Elise Goldsberry sing her Broadway songs tonight, but I loved her other songs too,” before adding, “I had no idea she performed vocal jazz — no wonder she’s such a dynamic performer. She can sing anything!”

David from Denville agrees, noting, “My favorite song she did tonight was the standard, ‘Misty,’ but I also loved her gospel music — she sold it!” Eric from Denville acknowledges, “What I really liked was her message of love. It was inspirational, and I really connected with it.”

Andrea from Short Hills asserts, “Renée Elise Goldsberry has such a great voice! She’s so appealing and talented, and she gave a great performance! Her song selection was uplifting, and she had a wonderful balance of personal stories and songs,” prior to adding, “It’s always so exciting to see such great performances here at MPAC.” Gina from Morristown concurs, exclaiming, “She was extraordinary — she’s a real artist! She showed her personality and I liked the way she talked about love,” before revealing, “I’m a big supporter of theater, and I’m ready to come back — MPAC has some great shows lined up.”

Whereas Phyllene from Huntsville, AL exclaims, “I throughly enjoyed this show!” Mikki from South Orange acknowledges, “I’m a Hamilton fan, but I liked hearing all the different genres of music, and enjoyed all of the versatility presented in tonight’s concert.”

Lastly, we chat with Debra from Springfield who insists, “Before tonight, I didn’t really know who Renée Elise Goldsberry was, but she really won me over! She was so dynamic — she didn’t take a break — and at the same time, she was very relatable,” before concluding, “As far as I’m concerned, she’s the whole package!”

For more on Renée Elise Goldsberry, please click on facebook.com/ReneeEliseGoldsberry. For information on upcoming MPAC holiday performances including The Illusionists on Nov. 11, Darlene Love on Nov. 26, The Carpenters’ Tribute Show on Dec. 4, Michael Bolton on Dec. 7, and NJ Ballet’s The Nutcracker on Dec. 16–27; great ’90s and 2000s-era artists such as Hoobastank and LIT on Oct. 18, Better Than Ezra on Oct. 27, Phillip Phillips on Nov. 3, and Trombone Shorty on Nov. 4; and top-notch Broadway offerings including Cats on Mar. 10–12, Leslie Odom, Jr. on Mar. 31, On Your Feet on Apr. 15–16, Kristin Chenowith on Apr. 29, and Lea Solonga on May 13, please go to mayoarts.com.