Part radio show, part concert, ‘Spotlight on Aretha’ is a soulful celebration of a musical legend

By Lucie K. Scheuer for Ashland.news

Wow. Just wow. Director Zaq Wentworth and the entire production team at Camelot Theatre have breathed new life into their Spotlight series.

They are presenting a powerhouse of a show that will blow your socks off: “Spotlight on Aretha,” with the Rogue Suspects and an incredibly dedicated group of musicians in their own right as the backup band playing through Feb. 8.

It’s two hours of raw funk, great singing, down and dirty R&B, jazz and genuine soul. The singers seamlessly appear to magically blend with the band and the whole thing is just an amazing retrospective that moves, grooves and takes you to places you may not have been in a long time.

At the end of 2025, the series seemed to be running out of steam. The productions began to feel like fillers between theatrical shows. Narrators, (who are often the singers themselves), weren’t showing much enthusiasm. Although Camelot was presenting some fine, local artists, they didn’t seem to be connecting with their audiences.

This is a whole new experience. Mozart Pierson as the narrator assumes the character of laid-back DJ hosting a live evening of Aretha hits from a downtown Detroit radio station. The take is clever and entertaining.

The three female vocalists who take turns playing Aretha at various stages of her caree are outstanding. Using a “call and response” mixture of styles, each of the women, Jennifer Abdo, Shae Céline and Jade Chavis, take turns expressing Aretha in song. Each possesses a strong, earthy voice, along with the ability to wail like nobody’s business. The harmonizing is some of the best you will ever hear. Period.

They open with “Evil Gal Blues,” and take you down the “Freeway of Love” for two hours at a breakneck speed. It’s real blues. It’s real sexy. It’s real rock ‘n’ roll.

Franklin had a knack for reimagining hits like “I Say a Little Prayer” and “Son of a Preacher Man” and making them her own. These singers do the same. Abdo (“Spanish Harlem,”) is a dynamo of a singer, whose voice demonstrates passion and vitality. Céline, with diminutive stature and a larger-than-life vocal range, is a dynamo (“Knock on Your Door”), and Chavis, whose voice demonstrates desire and sophistication, shines with “Evil Gal Blues.”

Like many artists, the “Queen of Soul” had a number of obstacles to overcome in her life, including losing her mother at the age of 10, having two sons before the age of 16, leaving an abusive marriage, overcoming alcoholism and experiencing serious illness. 

But there was real strength and determination in Franklin’s makeup which contributed to her impressive string of successes and her civil rights activism. Franklin was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She received a Kennedy Center Honor in 1994. She released more than 40 studio albums and won 18 Grammys, plus a posthumous 2019 Pulitzer Prize Special Citation for her “indelible contribution to American music and culture for more than five decades.”

The entire band offers some great riffs, especially Dennis Johnson on keyboards. Greg Frederick, Rogue Suspect co-manager, keeps a steady line on bass. Jesse Kennemer, with intricate chord progressions, is a live wire on guitar, and David B. Bolen is percussion master on drums. Singer Abdo also plays keyboard.

Nick Chandler’s sound is balanced and just right for most of the numbers. It was a bit loud after intermission. Kate Landon’s mood lighting hits the spot. Catharine Noah’s script is informative and thorough. The women’s dresses aren’t coordinated in part one (which is a bit visually distracting), but come together after intermission.

It doesn’t get much better than this. A nice counterbalance to the January blues.

Ashland resident Lucie K. Scheuer is a former copy editor and staff writer with the Los Angeles Times, where her work included features, reviews and a column on films in production. Email her at LucieScheuer19@gmail.com.