Aretha: A Tribute

Capathia Jenkins can definitely act—but all those who know her know that this diva can also blow and blow and blow you right off this planet. This is a woman who grapples with two dueling passions, each with a strong grip— acting and music—yet refuses to pick one because they both represent her soul. Capathia approaches a song the same way she approaches a script: as an artist. She looks for the nuances, the secret hidden within the notes or text. She seeks the melody, harmony and rhythm. She asks herself: what am I trying to say? What do I want my audience to experience with me? She wants to take her audience on a journey.
This Brooklyn-born and raised actor most recently starred as Medda in the hit Disney production of Newsies on Broadway. She made her Broadway debut in The Civil War, where she created the role of Harriet Jackson. She then starred in the off-Broadway 2000 revival of Godspell, wowing audiences with her stirring rendition of “Turn Back, O Man” (which can be heard on the cast recording). She returned to Broadway in The Look of Love and received critical acclaim for her performances of the Bacharach/David hits. Ms. Jenkins then created the roles of the singing washing machine in Caroline, Or Change and Frieda May in Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me, where her rendition of “Stop the Show” brought the house down every night.
In 2007 she went back to off-Broadway and starred in (mis)Understanding Mammy: The Hattie McDaniel Story, for which she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award. She was also seen in Nora Ephron’s Love, Loss, and What I Wore.
An active concert artist, Ms. Jenkins has appeared with the Cleveland and Minnesota orchestras, the National Symphony and the orchestras of Houston, Pittsburgh, Atlanta Seattle, and many others. She was a soloist with the Festival Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic. In 2011 Jenkins had the great honor of performing in the “Broadway Ambassadors to Cuba” concert as part of the Festival De Teatro De La Habana.
Her television credits include 30 Rock, the Practice, Law & Order and the Sopranos. She can be seen in the 2012 film Musical Chairs directed by Susan Seidelman and appears on the soundtracks for the films Nine, Chicago and Legally Blonde 2.

Darryl J. Williams began his singing career in the local churches in Jasper County, South Carolina, often accompanying himself and the choir from the piano. At age 11, Darryl joined the prestigious Rev. James Cleveland workshop in Savannah, Georgia, which afforded him the opportunity to sing background for gospel artists including Shirley Caesar, Dorinda Clarke Cole, and Dorothy Norwood.
Darryl’s professional stage career started regionally in such shows as Singin’ in the Rain, A Chorus Line, Ain’t Misbehavin, The All Night Strut, The Meeting, Passing Strange, Once On This Island, Dreamgirls, and continued with The Wiz (40th Anniversary in Central Park). He has performed in such Off-Broadway shows such as Mama I Want to Sing and Big Mama Stringbean: the life of Ethel Waters.
Darryl is the winner of the Americans Traditions Savannah Onstage International Soloist Competition, earning a Gold Medal, a Ten Thousand Dollar Grand Prize and an offer to sing for the Yachting Event for the 1996 Summer Olympics. He was invited by one of Germany’s elite promoters, the late Michael Brenner, to tour Eastern Europe as Choir Director and guest soloist with Queen Esther Marrow and The Harlem Gospel Singers. His vocal prowess gained him rave reviews and won him the opportunity to perform for Pope John Paul II.
Darryl has toured extensively in the Broadway hit Smokey Joe’s Cafe with the legendary Gladys Knight, which was a fixture at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. He has also backed such artists as Gladys Knight,  Lisa Fischer, Ann Nesby, Louis St. Louis and Emmy winner Dave Pierce.
Darryl was co-music arranger and vocal arranger for Sir. Andrew Lloyd Webber with the much-anticipated hit Jesus Christ Superstar Gospel in which he won rave reviews for his portrayal of Judas at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre. Currently based in New York City, Darryl was a semi-finalist at the world famous Apollo Theatre and keeps a vocal studio of younger performers performing on Broadway and on national tours. His debut album The Mind of a Tenor is available on line at CD Baby and at all digital outlets.