STAGE REVIEW : Rousing Trip in ‘Diva Is Dismissed’

In “The Diva Is Dismissed,” at the Hudson Backstage, Jenifer Lewis says a New York critic crowned her the “Queen of Camp Cabaret.” The title is deserved, and not just in its obvious meaning.

Lewis commands the stage in this part-cabaret, part-autobiography, not only with her explosive personality and infectious humor, but with a glimmering jewel of a voice that has power and immense range, and the ease with characterization that almost makes the listener forget the tiny dynamo the sound is coming from.

Visited by the Ghost of Divas Past, Lewis joins the audience in a trip through her life, from a battling childhood in Kinloch, Mo., through high-flying New York, to the realities of Hollywood. It’s a whale of a journey, including good special material by Lewis and Charles Randolph-Wright, with additional material by Mark Alton Brown, expertly accompanied by musical director Michael Skloff.

“The Diva Is Dismissed,” Hudson Backstage, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Sundays, 7:30 p.m. Indefinitely. $20; (213) 660-8587. Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes.