By Marion Filler
From the moment Broadway star Jessica Vosk burst on the Mayo Performing Arts Center stage Friday, it was clear that Season 32 was going to have a very big Opening Night.
Vosk hit the ground running with a few bars from Let Me Entertain You, immediately demonstrating her spectacular vocal bona fides then quickly interrupting herself. “I have some fun s—t for you tonight and I hope it’s okay to say s—t because I’m from New Jersey, baby. It feels good to come home.”
The audience roared in approval, and the rest of the evening was a love affair that continued non-stop for an hour and 40 minutes. Singing, talking and constantly in motion, Vosk had the crowd in the palm of her hand from beginning to end, mixing her song set with personal anecdotes and ad-libs related to each number.
Sometimes it took a bit longer than expected, but her tales made great listening. “So I don’t always know what I’m doing but I’m getting there,” Vosk explained in her introduction to I Miss the Mountains, which was a segue from the previous story of how she met her husband, Dave.
We learned about her dating life before she met Dave in St. Louis. It was admittedly frisky.
“Do his parents have to know about it?” she wondered. Vosk and Dave were married this year. “When you’re married for as long as I have been — for two months — you really miss the single days,” she remarked before launching into the song, a poignant recollection of past youth.
Her repertoire for opening night in Morristown included such classics as This Can’t be Love, Almost Like Being in Love and Wind Beneath my Wings.
For Good, a surprise guest duet with a very pregnant friend, Amanda Jane Cooper, reprised their performance in Wicked. Normally, this would happen at the end of a set, Vosk said, pointing to Cooper’s baby bump, but this time it was in the middle. “This is what friends do for each other. When you’re pregnant and you gotta pee, you gotta go home.”
Vosk’s soaring vocals were enhanced by four outstanding musicians directed by Mary-Mitchell Campbell on piano, drummer Sean McDaniel, guitarist Hiddy Hidiyat and bassist Matt Aronoff.
In yet another superlative moment, MPAC’s Performing Arts Company choir, 34 strong, got into the act with Vosk singing Adele’s Send My Love (To Your New Lover). The kids, many of whom are familiar to fans of MPAC student productions, were totally in sync with Vosk and the crowd caught the vibe. They are students at the Ilene and Bruce Jacobs Arts & Education Center, part of a major expansion this year thanks to generous support from the Jacobs family and other sustainers.
Video: Jessica Vosk is joined by the MPAC Performing Arts Company:
Vosk, 42, grew up in Clinton and is now settled in Montclair with Dave. “We love Dave” shouted a fan. Before then, she described herself as “a kid in Jersey who made a little trip to the island, [Manhattan]” established her career, “but it was too f—-g crowded and I got out.” More cheers erupted from the audience, which by this time had become a trusted confidant.
Vosk attended North Hunterdon High School, Montclair State University and The Hartt School, a conservatory for music, dance and theater studies within the University of Hartford. Growing up, she performed in community theater, but in college she played it safe and studied investor relations. After a stint on Wall Street, Vosk realized it wasn’t for her.
Broadway always beckoned. After small ensemble roles, her big break happened after joining the cast for a national tour of Wicked. She eventually moved into the role of Elphaba, which she played on the road from September 2016 to September 2017 before landing on Broadway at the Gershwin Theatre from July 2018 to May 2019.
In addition to her many theatrical accolades, Vosk has created a one-person social media sensation called Vosk in the City that can be found on YouTube. She shines with candid, off the cuff interviews that are about 20 minutes long. Dancing with the Stars, Backstage with Ariana Grande and I’m Getting Married in Washington Square Park are just a few. The funniest episode: True or False: Asking Trump Questions.
Microphone in hand, she accosts wary strangers in Times Square to ask them to answer true or false in response to questions about President Trump and the current political scene.
Throughout her appearance at MPAC, Vosk gave it her all, both in song and commentary. Rapid-fire improvisations, zingers and great one-liners were frosting on the cake. Vosk’s performance was an unfiltered conversation between her and the audience, peppered with standing ovations.
It culminated in the closing tribute when, having shed her shoes and down on her knees, Vosk paid tribute to Dolly Parton with a rendering of I Will Always Love You that brought down the house. It was show biz at its very best.
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