‘Signed, Sealed’ at Venetian lacking delivery

Friday, May 31, 2002 | 8:58 a.m.

A tribute to the legendary Stevie Wonder debuted at The Venetian Showroom earlier this week. It was was signed and sealed, but didn't quite deliver.

However, fans of the Motown genius can take heart: "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" should arrive in its entirety shortly, once a few kinks are ironed out.

The production, created and directed by Billy Porter, is still a work in progress. Songs are being added and subtracted. There may be some costuming and lighting changes. The programs were still being printed, so it was difficult to tell which of the eight supporting cast members were singing which songs.

Except for Chaka Khan.

Khan, an R&B legend in her own right, is the dominant force in the production that aspires to the London stage and Broadway. With her booming, soulful voice, Khan overshadows the cast's much younger singers, who should take notes when she is belting out such Wonder-ful songs as "Signed, Sealed, Delivered," a hit of his from 1970.

Technically, the young cast is almost perfect in its renditions of such classics as "I Just Called To Say I Love You," which reached No. 1 on the pop charts in 1984. But their voices, when compared to Khan's, lack the depth of emotion that may only come with experience and maturity.

Porter, who is no stranger to Broadway shows, having appeared in "Miss Saigon" and "Grease," did an excellent job in creating a production that highlights many of Wonders' hits, spanning four decades.

But this is not a "Best of ..." production. When trying to select 75 minutes worth of songs from a catalog of hundreds, many fan favorites inevitably will be omitted.

Wonder, who has not been as active in recent years as he was earlier in his career, is one of the most prolific, creative artists in the history of R&B and pop music. He was signed by Motown at age 12, when he was called Little Stevie Wonder. His earliest hits included "I Was Made to Love Her" (1967) and "For Once in My Life" (1968). In 1971 he left Motown and turned out such hits as "Superstition" (1972) and "Sir Duke" (1977).

The early '70s were years of political upheavel in the United States, and many of Wonder's songs from those years dealt with politics and ghetto life. But by the '80s, his main theme returned to love.

Porter has selected a common thread of loving relationships in making his song choices for the show. But there are so many to select from someone is going to be disappointed. That's the chance you take when you pay tribute to someone of Wonder's stature.

Among the 20 or so songs on the program were "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" (No. 1 in 1972); "I Wish" (No. 1 in 1977); and "Part-Time Lover" (No. 2 in 1985).

Other hits included "My Cherie Amour" (1969), "All I Do is Think About You" (1980) and "Gotta Have You" (1991).

The show's 10-piece band, sometimes sounding similar to a full orchestra, did a superb job backing up the performances in the stylish production that generally moves smoothly from one number to the next.

Porter chose an excellent creative team to put together "Signed" including vocal arranger Stephen Oremus ("Tick, Tick ... Boom"); choreographer AC Ciulla ("Footloose"); Rob "Cubby" Colby, sound designer for the world tours of Ricky Martin, Janet Jackson, Phil Collins, and Prince; and Tim LeFevre, associate designer for Elton John's "Aida."

The supporting cast is talented and obviously enjoys Wonder's music, but without a headliner such as Khan to draw fans, it is doubtful the production would last long in Las Vegas -- much less on Broadway. (Producers of the show are going to rotate the singer in the headliner spot.)

Khan, who made her national debut in the early '70s with the funk band Rufus, is scheduled to be the guest headliner for at least a month. She alone would be worth the price of admission if she would spend more time onstage. Unfortunately, her time is limited.

The R&B diva will be a hard act to follow when her brief stint ends. Her replacement has not yet been announced. My choice would be Stevie Wonder.