2/25/2022
Performances and Artists
When vocalist-actress Alisan Porter reflects on starring in film “Curly Sue” as a child, she admits “being the lead in a movie when you’re 9 has its ups and downs.”
But Porter gained something from this experience: the epiphany that she didn’t want to be a movie star.
“I think I just fell in love with musical theater at that point, and I really wanted to be on stage in front of a live audience,” she explains. “I could also do it with my friends, and it was a little more normal.”
Her instincts to focus on theater and music proved spot on.
Lauded for her powerhouse vocals, Porter’s impressive career includes costarring in “A Chorus Line” on Broadway, winning season 10 of hit NBC show “The Voice” and recently recording her acclaimed album of original songs, “Pink Cloud.”
“This is the type of venue we really love, where it’s like the audience is in our living room and we can tell stories about the songs and bring everybody into it,” she says. “It will be a really interactive night.”
From Film to Broadway
Not many people star in a film before turning 10.
But as Porter’s mother performed on Broadway and her father worked professionally as singer-songwriter, “performing was all over my life from day one,” she says.
This led to early television parts for Porter, and eventually her starring role in “Curly Sue.”
“It was a big milestone. It was the last movie John Hughes ever directed, and it was amazing working with him,” she recalls.
But she felt far more at home when she landed the costarring role of Bebe in “A Chorus Line” on Broadway. She even joined the cast in performing the opening number for the Tony Awards in 2007.
“The perk for me was that I was playing the same role my mother played in the show’s first national tour,” she says. “I didn’t go to college, so this was like going to her alma mater, in a way.”
Finding Her Voice… On ‘The Voice’
With so much experience on the stage and screen, Porter believes her comfort level with performing led to her win on “The Voice.”
“It was like a culmination of everything I’d really wanted to do, to just sing and perform, and I got to do so many amazing songs,” says Porter, who became an internet sensation with her performances of hits like “River” and “Somewhere.” “I think you can really tailor make that experience for yourself.”
This boosted her confidence for cowriting all of the songs for her new album “Pink Cloud.” Porter drew inspiration from her musical heroes like Joni Mitchell, Carole King and Aretha Franklin.
“‘Pink Cloud’ was really a coming-of-age (project) for me. It’s a story about reimagining yourself and becoming exactly that,” she says. “It’s an album about love and self-expression, and I really tried to pull from all of my favorite songs and my favorite music.”
Porter feels so excited to perform for live audiences again, she predicts some tears at her Smith Center show.
“It will be a night full of emotional excitement,” she promises.