Taylor’s Life Story set to Whitney’s Songs
Reviewed by Mary Alderson
If you know any young performers and ask how they got into acting, singing, or dancing or all three making them triple threats, you will often hear the same story. They will tell you, “I saw a live show / play / musical / concert when I was little and I was fascinated. Then I was in an elementary school play / musical / concert and I was certain that’s what I had to do.”
This is Taylor Lovelace’s story, which she has written and is performing, part of the Creator’s Unit program at the Capitol Theatre in Port Hope.
She has set her life story to the songs made famous by Whitney Houston, obviously a big fan of the amazing late singer.
Taylor is no stranger to the Capitol. In recent years, she has performed in Waitress, A Year with Toad and Frog, and Little Shop of Horrors. She was also in the cast of last winter’s Mirvish production Kimberley Akimbo in Toronto. A talented young woman, she can act, tell stories, and sing with a powerful voice.
Lovelace’s story honours her grandmother and her mother, both strong women. Her grandmother left Jamaica with her children to start a new life. She imitates her grandmother’s accent and shares her catchphrases, creating some laughs, while describing her grandmother as a “four foot eleven wicked woman”. Lovelace also talks about how her father supports her career driving her to an audition and calming her nerves. She then tells about being in love with a man who turns out to be the wrong guy, and how she got the strength to walk away from the relationship and survive the heartbreak.
But it’s the way she ties in the Whitney Houston songs that makes this presentation so interesting. Credit goes to her two backup singers: Jillian Cooper and Zoë O’Connor. They voices harmonize perfectly together, and also with Lovelace’s. The rich, rousing key changes are evident throughout, with a wonderful mix of ballads and pop songs.
Whitney’s biggest hits are collected and woven into the storytelling. Lovelace opens with “One Moment in Time” and the audience loves it. Of course, the evening’s showstopper opens Act II, “I Will Always Love You”, written by the late great Dolly Parton. Other favourites include “Where Do Broken Hearts Go”, “The Greatest Love of All (Children are Our Future)”, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)”, and “How Will I Know” to name a few.
The band formed for this performance is excellent. Under the direction of Jeff Newberry who also plays piano, the musicians include Athena So on keyboards, David Schotzko on percussion, Mathew Ray on guitars, Malcolm Connor on bass, and Chase Ward on drums. Their sound was polished and professional. It was good to see (and hear) the drums behind plexiglass. At previous shows, the drums sometimes drowned out other instruments.
Credit for this production goes to director Rob Kempson, particularly as he and others provided mentorship and guidance for Lovelace through the Capitol’s Creator’s Unit, as she developed and wrote the story.
Despite some opening night stumbles over lines, this is a lovely production. If you want an evening that will carry you back to the 1980s and 90s, while at the same time hearing a success story that will lift your spirits, this show’s for you. I think the logical next step in Taylor Lovelace’s career is starring in the live musical The Bodyguard, which will soon be due to make the rounds again.
I’m Every Woman continues at the Capitol Theatre in Port Hope until October 25. Tickets are available at the box office by calling 905-885-1071 or visiting https://capitoltheatre.com/
Photo: Taylor Lovelace (centre) sings the Whitney Houston songbook, with back up singers Zoë O’Connor and Jillian Cooper. Photo by Sam Moffatt.
I’m Every Woman: The Whitney Houston Songbook
Written and Performed by Taylor Lovelace
Directed by Rob Kempson
Music direction by Jeff Newberry
Performed by Taylor Lovelace, with Jillian Cooper and Zoë O’Connor
The Capitol Theatre, Port Hope
October 22 to 25, 2026
Reviewed by Mary Alderson