The excited whispers filled Tucson Music Hall long before the Broadway in Tucson cast of "Chicago" took the stage back in early 2005.
The understudy of the show was replacing the star for two of the final performances.
That would be a bad thing ... unless the understudy was R&B diva Patti LaBelle.
There were rumors the week before that LaBelle would slip into the starring role of Mama Morton as a dry run for her stretch with the show in Los Angeles.
Before she had even sung a note that Saturday night, LaBelle got a rousing ovation from the nearly soldout crowd.
It was the first time we had seen LaBelle on a Tucson stage since she did a one-nighter at Music Hall in 1992. The 67-year-old one-time disco diva ("Lady Marmalade") who was a regular on the pop charts in the 1980s and '90s ("On My Own," "If Only You Knew," "If You Asked Me To" and "New Attitude") and a star on Broadway, finally returns to Tucson Friday night to open UApresents 2011-12 season.
People are also reading…
Her show at Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University, will crisscross into all of her worlds - R&B, soul, gospel, pop and Broadway. The concert begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $49 to $104 with discounts available at www.uapresents.org or 621-3341.
Cathalena E. Burch
