Review: JOHN BARROWMAN A Master Class In Authenticity at 54 Below

Sci-fi Superstar and Musical Theater Marvel John Barrowman is in the middle of a four-night run of shows at 54 Below, and yesterday 54B announced that the leading man will return to The Basement in February for another engagement with a NEW show titled Laid Bare.  Dude’s not even done with this one, and he’s being booked for the next one.  That is the power of popularity.  And John Barrowman is extremely (underline it) popular.  Whether it is because of his appearances as Captain Jack Harkness on Doctor Who and Torchwood, his work on Broadway and the West End in musicals like Sunset Boulevard, Putting It Together, and Anything Goes, or his consistently at-capacity shows on the cabaret and concert circuit, John Barrowman has called the people to him, and the people keep coming.  At last night’s performance there was nary an empty seat to be seen, and his closing night (Saturday) is already listed as Sold Out on the 54 Below website.  So, friends, if you are even slightly interested, score a ticket for tonight’s performance HERE or for Saturday’s livestream HERE.  And then log on HERE and get your tickets for LAID BARE, opening at 54 Below on February 18th.   Because, friends, John Barrowman is one of the best nightclub entertainers you’re ever going to see, and I say this with no prior knowledge of his concert work before last night.  But last night at 54 Below was all it took to make me a repeat ticket holder.

John Barrowman is giving a Master Class in authenticity.  From the moment he enters the room - through the front doors, parading through the house, singing to the patrons and winning hearts - it is very clear that there is no veneer.  He isn’t putting on an act while performing his act - he is being himself.  One hundred percent, he is presenting his true blue personality.  His laughter is genuine, his glee is contagious, his openness is infectious, his complete lack of pretense is disarming.  When he tells the tales of humiliations he has experienced (always humorous, natch), he isn’t embarrassed or shy - he is laughing at himself and inviting you to laugh with him.  When he speaks of being starstruck by the legends with whom he has worked, he seems, still, to not quite believe that it happened to him.  When he describes the honors with which he has been bestowed by those legends, you can tell that he is still honored, all these years later.  This man is a boy, and he has made life his playground, and he isn’t ready to pack up his toys and go home, yet: this much is obvious in every single word of every single story he is telling in his eponymous club act.  It’s a memoir piece, a show business storybook, a kind of advent calendar where you open a door and get another outrageous and/or touching story about John Barrowman’s life, in and out of the business of show, because even though it is a backstage biography, no actor’s story is complete without a discussion about the loved ones who make rewarding life away from the light.   So when John Barrowman talks about those first auditions (and his cheeky audition technique) that work story has to be balanced out with the detailed analysis of how he and husband, Scott Gill, made their first marriage contract at a time when the laws made it difficult for two men to do so.  (It’s ingenious.)  When he discusses the backstage antics between him and Elaine Paige, he counteracts by touching upon the setbacks and sadness of people raining on his parade (yes, it's a song cue).  Mr. Barrowman deftly rides a divine fine line between the shop talk and the home front in his efforts to allow his audience to know precisely who he is, and what he is about.  He declares himself to be silly, and he most certainly is - by himself, with his (wonderful) Musical Director Ben Papworth, with the audience, with friends and family he knows are in the audience.  He hides nothing from the room, most especially himself.  It is patently clear that John Barrowman does not know how (or wish) to be anything other than himself.  Perhaps that is why his rendition of “I Am What I Am” is such an important inclusion in the set list of his show.  He IS what he is, and he won’t hide it: he will decorate it.  And that authenticity is the foundation of a great cabaret show.

The other foundation of a great cabaret is the music, especially if it is a music show.  Now, quite technically, this could be called a storytelling show - that is how much of the program is dedicated to the recounting of reminiscences from John Barrowman’s life, and, honestly, every story is interesting and hilarious and touching and real, like really down-to-earth real, in spite of some of the lofty names being tossed out, but only because those ARE Barrowman's people, not for any other reason.  Barrowman has a lot to say.  But the scales of balance between the talkie bits and the singing segments are pretty evenly matched, so it goes either way, genre-wise; and the musical portions of the evening are so spectacular that there is no other descriptive except to say that this is a music show.  

On our way home from 54 Below last night, my husband (an actor who studied voice in his youth before deciding Shakespeare was his focus) said to me, "For every note a singer sings, there is a bottom, a middle and a top.  And John Barrowman is always on top of the note.  He lands where the pitch is at its most perfect and most exciting.”  Not having studied music in any way, shape, or form, I had to take Pat at his word.  It sounded good, and I certainly liked the word exciting, because it adequately describes John Barrowman when he is engaged in the act of singing.   This is a truly pretty voice and a truly trained one, too.  Mr. Barrowman possesses enormous power in his vocal production, but he doesn’t feel the need to use that power all the time - he knows when to hold back for the emotional weight of the storytelling which, of course, makes it all that much more powerful (and if you've ever been in a room with a singer who only screlts, you know the importance of John's technique).  Whether belting out a little Peter Allen or crooning some Harold Arlen, John Barrowman knows the exact placement that will give the musical phrasing its most effective landing.  There's more to what JB is doing up there, though.  There are many singers who can be observed to make little changes in a melodic line to compensate for little difficulties they might have in meeting the melody as written.  Sometimes a singer will adjust a note that is too high for them, or speak a note that is too low for them, or rely on acting to get across a phrase that won’t come naturally to their vocal skill.  And that’s ok.  Performing isn’t an exact art, especially when it comes to singing.  But John Barrowman seems to be one of those rare people who actually can sing every note of a composer’s composition exactly as they wrote it.  Whether working with Styne, Yeston, Porter, Schwartz, or Sondheim, John Barrowman nails every note, as written.  He has preserved the composer’s original intent.  So when he does make alterations to a melodic line (which he does, now and then, but not as a rule), you know that it is an organic occasion that The Actor has designed to represent his own, personal experience of the musical monologue that he is performing.  This makes the monology even richer, in all of that gorgeous vocal glory.   It doesn’t matter whether he is sitting on a cabaret stool crooning “I Get a Kick Out of You” or stamping defiantly around the stage while belting out “Don’t Rain On My Parade,” whatever musical needs his story has, Mr. Barrowman rises to the occasion, particularly with two stunning medleys from Mister Sondheim and Lord Lloyd Webber.  Without question, the COMPANY and SUNSET BOULEVARD sections of the show are absolutely thrilling and, alone, worth the price of admission.  But there is a cherry on the cake that is the John Barrowman show, and it is a luscious dedication to his husband through the beautiful and soulful “Unusual Way,” which he has previously recorded, so you can certainly hear it, but this live performance was so in the pocket, so of the moment that there was a collective sigh of romanticism from the entire audience.  John Barrowman is one of the great singers, but he is also a gifted actor who informs all of the musical performances, even the silly ones like "Anything Goes," which he laces with his natural playfulness (and a shuffle or two).  From tip to tail, this is an impeccable night of entertainment, the kind that leaves you excited and elated, which is why there were two standing ovations last night at 54 Below.  And I know that standing ovations these days are generally a bit rote, kind of standard, sort of unremarkable, but sometimes there are standing ovations that actually are warranted:  this was one of those nights.  John Barrowman deserves all of the standing ovations.  He is that engaging an entertainer, he is that entertaining a man, he is that authentic a human being.  This makes him the kind of cabaret and concert performer that I want to see, and you should, too.

John Barrowman is at 54 Below tonight and the website says it is not yet sold out.  HERE is the ticket link.

Tomorrow night’s performance is sold out but there is a livestream.  Get tickets HERE.

Laid Bare opens at 54 Below on February 18th.   Make reservations HERE.

John Barrowman has an online presence HERE.

Ben Papworth is online HERE.

Photos by Stephen Mosher

 

Reader Reviews

To post a comment, you must register and login.

Get Cabaret Emails & Offers

Get the latest news, discounts & more