The Queen of Disco holds an audience in Hell’s Kitchen

There’s a disco revival going on at the Theatre at St. Clement’s, far holier and more charismatic than anything else you’re likely to find in New York City. Anthony Wayne, Kendrell Bowman, and the cast of Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical will take you to church with this high-energy tribute to the late Queen of Disco, Sylvester, a performer with a voice as towering as his stiletto heels. The chart-topping artist behind such dance hits as “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” (1978) and “Do You Wanna Funk” (1981), Sylvester was way ahead of his time: an openly gay black man with a habit of wearing women’s clothing. He was a true original. While Sylvester died in 1988 (at the untimely age of 41), this show brings his music roaring back to life, with only the mildest of unfortunate interruptions. Mighty Real takes the form of a Sylvester concert from beyond the grave. “I had so much to say and not enough time to say it,” a ghostly voice tells us before the music starts. The stage is bare except for a five-member band, four backup singers, and a central staircase that leads backstage. A giant glittering “Sylvester” sign hangs overhead alongside a mirror ball.