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18 LYRICAL NIGHTS JENNIFER HUDSON, KATHARINE McPHEE, AND BRIAN STOKES MITCHELL HEADLINE A PAIR OF BENEVOLENT SHOWS. Photography Kristina Bowman, Keenan Cobb, Stevan Koye. C itySquare brought Jennifer Hudson to the Winspear Opera House for A Night to Remember, the nonprofi t's annual fund-raiser — always a quick sell-out for its headlining act. The Grammy- and Oscar-winning singer and actress gave a spirited performance, belting songs from her Dreamgirls days all the way up to hits from her recent album, JHUD. "There's Jennifer Hudson, and then there's J-Hud," she explained as she took the stage. "Jennifer Hudson is the Academy Award winner." J-Hud, we learned, is her more down-to-earth persona. "Tonight," she said, "I'm J-Hud — but you'll get a little Jennifer Hudson, too," as she and her band turned the opera house into a booming dance party. As the show neared its end, the Dreamgirl danced her way down the aisles, making friends with co-chairs Sherel Riley, Tiffany Touchstone- Hawkins, and Wendy Messmann, and CitySquare CEO Larry James, while belting out "It's Your World." After a standing ovation, she concluded with a powerful rendition of Prince's "Purple Rain." Natalie Gempel L egendary songstress Bernadette Peters was slated to perform at this year's Dallas Summer Musicals gala at the Music Hall at Fair Park, but she landed the lead in Broadway's Hello, Dolly! and thus was called away. The musical powerhouses who replaced her were dazzling, helping raise a record $500,000 for DSM education and community programs: Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell (you might have seen him on Broadway in Kiss Me Kate or, more recently, Shuffl e Along) and American Idol alum Katharine McPhee. Co-chairs Andy Smith and husband Paul von Wupperfeld, honorary chair Brad Cheves, and DSM president Ken Novice deserve a Tony Award for this showstopper of a party. Linden Wilson Jennifer Hudson at CitySquare Pianist Doug Petty and Katharine McPhee at DSM Madison Fields, Lindsay Hirani Jenna Gibbs at DSM Sherel Riley, Tiffany Touchstone-Hawkins Wendy Messman at CitySquare Tina Coles, Sarah Carroll at CitySquare John Clutts at DSM Bart & Jolie Humphrey at DSM Sami Arslanlar Stephanie Fox at CitySquare Stephanie Fox Nick Sowell Matt Laughland at CitySquare Brian Curtis Scott Kehn at CitySquare Chuck Steelman