The Janis Joplin Tribute, Forever Janis, October 15th at Theatre at the Center was not worth the time or the money. The tribute artist, who never disclosed her name – not in the program, not on the website – had a voice more suited to Dolly Parton than Janis Joplin.
Janis had an electrifying voice, a mezzo-soprano with a raspy quality. When she belted out a song, people paid attention. Unfortunately, the tribute artist couldn’t stand still long enough to belt out a song. She seemed to think bouncing around the stage was adequate.
When she finally got around to Joplin’s biggest hit, Me and Bobby McGee, she didn’t sing it, she put the mic in front of audience members, choosing a child for the longest chorus, and let them sing.
