Mr. Henry’s Restaurant and Bar (601 Pennsylvania Ave. SE) presents a tribute to the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, in two shows featuring the electrifying Julia Nixon upstairs at Mr. Henry’s Saturday, Dec. 15.
While she first graced the stage of Mr. Henry’s Restaurant in Adams Morgan in the 1980s, Julia Nixon has since reached astounding heights in bigger venues. She took on a Broadway role, replacing Jennifer Holliday as Effie in Dreamgirls, and played B.J. in the national touring company for Smokey Joes Café.
Standing in front of a mirror, hair brush in hand as if holding a mic, belting out the words to “R.E.S.P.E.C.T,” a young Nixon emulated her idol Aretha Franklin. Later in life, Nixonwas able to employ some of the same riffs and soul in her music.
Even taking a detour into classical music in her teen years, Nixon’s love for the Motown sound and Aretha took her back to her roots. She eventually had the honor of performing with her idol Aretha at the illustrious Kennedy Center.
Nixon said “it is an epic achievement beyond words to perform a show paying tribute to the one and only, Aretha Franklin.”
Julia Nixon won the 2007 Helen Hayes Award for Best Female Lead in a Musical for her role as the titular Caroline in the Studio Theatre production of Caroline, or Change. She’s performed at notable venues such as Radio City Music Hall, the White House, and the Lincoln and Kennedy Centers, plus international appearances in Asia, South America, and Europe.
“It is in light of these tremendous accomplishments we are exceptionally proud to have her return to our recently-renovated upstairs space,” said Cathy Nagy, Mr. Henry’s General Manager.
Doors for the first show Saturday, Dec. 15 open up at 6 p.m. The show begins at 7:30. Doors for the second show at 9:15 p.m. with a show start of 9:45 p.m. Purchase your tickets online at brownpapertickets.com. Learn more about this event and others live events upstairs at Mr. Henry’s on their live music page.
