Simply the Best
Simply the Best
Friday, October 18, 2024
8:00 PM
Carnegie Hall, Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage
Steven Reineke, Music Director and Conductor
Adrienne Warren, Guest Artist
Shonica Gooden, Supporting Vocalist
Carla R. Stewart, Supporting Vocalist
The New York Pops celebrates the iconic Tina Turner and the countless artists she inspired with Adrienne Warren, Tony Award winner for Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. With an evening of hits like “Private Dancer,” “Let’s Stay Together,” and—of course—“The Best,” this is a not-to-be-missed tribute to the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll.”
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
The New York Pops Carnegie Hall Subscription Series is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
About the Artist
Adrienne Warren’s talent as a singer, actress, and dancer has established her as a dynamic triple threat.
Warren is perhaps most well known for her Tony Award-winning performance as Tina Turner in Broadway’s “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical”. Warren originated the role in numerous workshops of the show, working together with Tina Turner herself to embody the titular role. Warren transferred the role to Broadway following the 2018 West End production, for which she earned 2019 Olivier, Evening Standard, and Joe Allen Award nominations.
Warren’s performance in the Broadway run has been heralded as “extraordinary” (The Hollywood Reporter), “electrifying” (Rolling Stone) and “star-making” (The New York Times). In addition to the Tony Award, she also received a Chita Rivera nomination and the Drama Desk, Antonyo, and Outer Critics Circle Awards for her iconic performance.
Warren previously earned Tony and Chita Rivera Award nominations for her performance as 'Gertrude Saunders/Florence Mills' in the Broadway production of Shuffle Along opposite Audra McDonald. Warren made her Broadway debut in 2012's Bring It On: The Musical and previously appeared onstage in The Wiz(Encores! City Center) and Dreamgirls (The Apollo; NAACP Theatre Award nomination).
She made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2017 with the New York Pops and continues to perform around the world. In 2023, she was featured on PBS's annual "A Capitol Fourth" performing an electrifying tribute to the late Tina Turner.
Warren can currently be seen in the highly anticipated feature film, Rustin, starring Colman Domingo, and The Woman King, starring Viola Davis.
She starred as 'Benny' in Hulu's Black Cake, based on the best-selling book.
Warren starred as Mamie Till-Mobley, who devoted her life to seeking justice for her son Emmett Till, in Women of the Movement, a limited series for ABC.
Other television and film credits include Paws & Fury: The Legend of Hank, Helpsters, Quantico, Black Box, Blue Bloods, and Orange is the New Black. Warren's voice can also be heard as the iconic spokesperson for Maybelline Cosmetics.
Warren is a co-founder of the Broadway Advocacy Coalition (BAC), which unites artists, experts, students, and community leaders to use storytelling and artistry to combat systemic racism. BAC received a special Tony Award in 2021.
Next p, Warren will return to Broadway opposite Nick Jonas in The Last Five Years.
She is a graduate of Marymount Manhattan College and the Governor's School for the Arts in Norfolk, Virginia.
Shonica Gooden is thrilled to once again be sharing the stage with the incredible Adrienne Warren!
A proud native of Atlanta, GA and a graduate of Point Park University (BFA in Dance), her credits include: Hamilton: An American Musical (Broadway), CATS (Rumpleteazer; Broadway Revival), American Dance Machine (Sweet Georgia Brown; Joyce Theatre), Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Broadway), Bring It On: The Musical (Broadway and National Tour), Memphis (Felicia, CFRT), Don’t Bother Me I Can’t Cope (City Center), Sister Act (Deloris; Music Theatre Wichita), Matilda The Musical (National Tour), Piece of My Heart (National Tour).
TV/Film: Fosse/Verdon, Manifest, Almost Family, The First Purge, and The Dutchman. Love to Jared, Grant, Thomas Green, and The Hybrid Agency.
Jeremiah 29:11
IG: @shonica
Community Arts Org: @tbadcollective
Carla R. Stewart is an actress/vocalist/artist. Broadway credits: The Color Purple revival, making her a proud Tony, Grammy, and Emmy award winner! Stewart is also an original Broadway cast member of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. Broadway 1st national tours: Ghost the musical (Oda Mae Brown), The Color Purple revival (Shug Avery), Tina: The Tina Turner Musical (Gran Georgeanna). TV credits: FBI, Run the World, Raising Kanan, Wu-Tang: An American Saga. She is currently working on an untitled solo EP to be released this fall.
Header photo by Richard Termine.