“Signed, Sealed, Delivered: A Stevie Wonder Experience with John-Mark McGaha” was a warm refuge from the frigid Chicago weather for its opening night February 23. The Mercury Theater at Southport in Wrigleyville is the perfect venue for a show like this, intimate but big enough for the inevitable crowds of Stevie Wonder fans—myself included.

Two approaches are usually taken to creating live cover shows of favorite artists —a tribute band that impersonates the performer, or an interpretive review. “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” is the latter, and a better approach, given Stevie Wonder’s already long career and sweeping catalog. It also allows for a definition of Wonder’s place in the pantheon of greats, and a recount of the forces that shaped his soul, which infuses his music and lyrics. 

This show describes Wonder’s overall creative energy as one expressive of “jubilation” and that essence is the best explanation I have heard. His music celebrates life, and shares his joy.
His work can be approached from many angles, with his many platinum tracks, and so many hits from this precocious musical phenomenon. Wonder at age 12 was the youngest ever to have a Billboard No. 1 record - “Baby, Everything is Alright” - which writer and director Angela Ingersoll places early in the evening, and generally the 16 or more songs performed in the show were chronological.

Performing Stevie Wonder’s songs is John-Mark McGaha. Warm and personable, he sings, plays guitar and piano, and is backed by a second keyboardist (Will Kurk on synth/keyboard and lending vocals) a trumpet, saxophone, base guitar, drums, and a pair of back-up singers. With this retinue they were able to play every style of song Wonder is known for, from his big production mega hits like “Superstition,” “Always,” “For Once in My Live” and “You Can Feel It All Over.” While Wonder’s signature harmonica was missing, occasionally Kurk filled in with a synthesized version.

The show does not mimic or impersonate Wonder’s recordings, though some numbers precisely followed the originals. But this is indeed a Stevie Wonder Experience, in which Ingersoll’s script and McGaha’s ongoing patter provided context for some works that cast a new meaning and new insights into the songs. McGaha, an accomplished performer and highly trained musician, has a personal passion for Wonder, and he shares personal anecdotes (once in awhile a little long) about how the music touched his own life

We learned about Stevie Wonder’s mother, who fled an abusive marriage with children in tow. We learn that one of Wonder’s early songs, written at 16 after a teenage romance fell apart, was put on hold, then released two years later by his producers. The song? “My Cherie Amour.” Until he was 21, Wonder’s music earnings were held in trust. He did receive an allowance: $2.50 a week. When he received the money held in trust, Wonder had earned $31 million in royalties, though he netted just $1 million. That's showbiz, and Wonder, also the youngest artist inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, soon took full control of his career, song rights, and recordings.

Some arrangements were very fresh. Opening night the acoustics were probably not fully tuned, and seemed to be affected by the room filled for the first time with an audience. At times McGaha strained to be heard above the band. In his own performances Stevie Wonder’s voice is always preeminent.

When McGaha left the stand-up mic and sat at the baby grand to sing, the band was in better balance with him. One particularly arresting number—Wonder’s 1985 “Overjoyed” —featured McGaha accompanying himself solo on electric acoustic guitar. It was his very own treatment of a song that had personal meaning to both the performer and Wonder. And it was so deliciously good and emotionally powerful that I hope McGaha releases his version

Wonder’s melodies, chord progressions, and inventive lyrics are among the reasons we regard him as a genius. While some of his cuts were topping the charts, Wonder’s pop hits were played so continuously they became grating. I was not looking forward to hearing “I just Called to Say I Love You.” But the story McGaha told of its origins and the arrangement by Kurk was really, really wonderful.

After playing Wonder’s biggest hit, “Superstition,” the show reached its finale with “Ribbon in the Sky,” one of my all time favorite Wonder songs. This intimate and sensitive rendition stayed with me all night, and was a wonderful closer on a show. "Signed, Sealed Delivered: The Stevie Wonder Experience" runs through March 12 at rthe Mercury Theater.