by Sarah Ryals
If you caught her act last year, you know that Jenkins’ particular gift is her ability to emotionally transport audiences with every song she performs, from poignant rock ballads to booty-shaking funk. Her new tour – She’s Got Soul – is on an expedition through chart-topping soul and R&B favorites, including classics from Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Adele, The Jackson Five, Gladys Knight, and more.
As a young child, Jenkins’ talent emerged in her church choir and was noted by an elementary teacher who urged Jenkins’ mother to get her into lessons. She soon found herself immersed in a classical world of Italian arias and French chansons where she honed critical vocal techniques. As a teen, Jenkins auditioned her way into the “Fame” school (LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts), as well as coveted spots in the All-City High School Chorus and the Girls Choir of Harlem. Teachers encouraged her to continue her operatic training at Julliard, America’s most prestigious music conservatory. But the young vocalist was pulled by a deep connection with gospel and a resonance with the popular artists her older siblings were listening to on the radio.
Pondering her options, she ultimately realized her future was not in classical music. Instead, she enrolled in the jazz program at Temple University. It was there, learning mind-blowing new chord progressions, that her “ear was opened to improvisation.”
“At Temple, I fell in love with jazz. Flat the third! Diminish the seventh!” recalls Jenkins. “It was like a whole new world. I was on fire!” Still, she gratefully credits her classical background for giving her the foundational skills to excel in auditions and performance.
Jenkins’ newfound passion soon prompted a life-altering question: Do I have what it takes to make it on Broadway? She set forth to find out.
At her first audition, “I was given a song to learn for the audition and I remember sitting in the waiting room, reviewing it. As I did, I listened to others just belt it out in the tryouts room next door. I remember thinking, ‘Am I supposed to belt it out? That’s not the way I practiced it.’” Faced with a choice of staying true to her version or following the style of her competitors, she took a breath and told herself, “I’m going for it.” Full of determination, she proceeded to audition the song her way. At the conclusion, the producer exclaimed, “That was delicious!” She says of that defining moment: “I learned to trust myself and lean into my instinct and do what I planned.” She got the part … and the point.
It was 1999 when Jenkins opened The Civil War cast as Harriet Jackson. The show was unfortunately short-lived, but it provided yet another lesson for the budding performer. “I was so grateful that I got to sing a solo for my Broadway debut, but this was a realization that stage fame can be brief and fleeting. It was a blow.”
Despite this initial disappointment, Jenkins doubled down on her dream. She took acting classes and adopted a rigorous daily discipline to keep her voice in top form. “Resilience is the key,” Jenkins declares.
She went on to shine in The Look of Love and Caroline, or Change, but it was in the outrageous Martin Short one-man show, Fame Becomes Me (2007) that she took charge of a truly iconic theatrical moment.
In a 2018 interview she explained, “There’s this notion with Broadway shows, a point in the show where a black person comes out and sings a big gospel number or some belty thing…It’s sort of gratuitous,” Jenkins reflects. It bothered her. But then, she was approached by Martin Short’s team with a demo tape of “A Big Black Lady Stops the Show”, written by Tony winners Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman specifically for her. It was, as she says, “perfect timing.” She loved the hilarious lyrics and their playful, ironic poke at the Great White Way. Jenkins’ lighthearted delivery left no doubt that she wasn’t merely in on the joke – she owned it.
Jenkins next took to the boards as the tough and savvy theater- owner, Medda Larkin, who has a soft spot for the orphaned boys peddling papers in the hit show Newsies. Again, she found herself in the unique position of having an acclaimed team – composer Alan Menken and lyricist Jack Feldman – write a pivotal show tune just for her. “How often does an Oscar-winning composer shape a song around what you bring to a role?” she asks with wonder. “That’s Rich” is brash and heavy on double-entendre and showcased Jenkins’ confident stage presence and natural wit.
Meanwhile, she was also enjoying success in other genres. She earned a Drama Desk nomination for her performance in (Mis)Understanding Mammy: The Hattie McDaniel Story and appeared in Nora Ephron’s Love, Loss and what I Wore. She also landed guest appearances on top-rated television shows including 30 Rock, The Practice, Law & Order, The Sopranos, and many others.
Busy as she is, Jenkins still makes time to give back. She is now in her 13th year as a board member of Covenant House International and prizes her work for the organization which provides services and shelter for homeless youth. “It really is a joyful thing to give back and spend time with these kids,” she explains. Additionally, Jenkins is on the board of Black Theater United which works to educate, empower and inspire the Black theatrical community.
So, get ready for a party, Pikes Peak region! Capathia Jenkins, her trio of backup singers, and the Colorado Springs Philharmonic will light up the stage on November 10 and 11 at the Pikes Peak Center. Don’t miss your chance to rock out with us and one of America’s greatest voices!
Get Tickets For She’s Got Soul, November 10-11 at the Pikes Peak Center
She’s Got Soul
