Whitney Houston tribute artist to perform singer's hits in Alexandria

Fans of the late singer and actress Whitney Houston will have a chance to hear her greatest hits performed by tribute artist Belinda Davids when “The Greatest Love of All: A Tribute to Whitney Houston” takes the stage at the Coughlin-Saunders Performing Arts Center in downtown Alexandria Friday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m.

Davids was featured on Fox TV’s “Showtime at the Apollo” and the BBC’s “Even Better Than The Real Thing,” said Matt Henry, executive director of the Arts Council of Central Louisiana.

She is a RiSA chart-topping artist in her native country of South Africa where she is very well-known and revered, he said. She beat out 15,000 other hopefuls to take on the role for this tribute show that is produced by Showtime Entertainment out of Australia.

“That was a global audition process that they had,” he said.

The two-hour show is not affiliated with the estate of Whitney Houston but fans will still be able to hear many of Houston’s hits like “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” “I Will Always Love You,” “How Will I Know,” “Didn’t We Almost Have It All,” “I’m Every Woman,” and “The Greatest Love of All.”

“The reviews say that she's spot on, as close as anybody can get to reproducing that unique voice,” said Henry.

Henry strongly encourages audience members to buy tickets early at louisiana-arts.org or by calling (318) 484-4475

“We're trying to get people to buy ahead of time because last time at ‘Drumline,’ we had to hold the show for about 1/2 an hour because so many people didn't pre-purchase and there was such a long line, and we can only process the payments so quickly,” he said.

Tickets will be one price, $40, at the door regardless of seating, he added. Advance tickets will range from $27-$37 with available military, senior and student discounts adding another reason audience members are encouraged to buy early.

"They reproduce it very well with backup singers, a professional band and nice lighting and sound,” said Henry about the show. “It's a pretty big-time show for us. We're really fortunate to be on the tour.”

Sponsors for the show include the City of Alexandria, GAEDA, the Holiday Inn Downtown Alexandria, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Louisiana Office of Cultural Development.

For more information about this show or other upcoming performances, visit louisiana-arts.org or call (318) 484-4475.

This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: Whitney Houston tribute artist to perform singer's hits in Alexandria