Review: Kelli Barrett & Jarrod Spector KINGS & QUEENS Is A Jewel In The Feinstein's/54 Below Crown

There came a moment during last night's show at Feinstein's/54 Below when Kelli Barrett casually mentioned that "I wrote the show"; the guests at the Midtown Manhattan Supper Club owe Kelli Barrett a sincere debt of thanks. In fact, the patrons of all future performances of KINGS & QUEENS owe Kelli Barrett and Jarrod Spector (who, in fact, wrote the show with her, as is the nature of their entire partnership) a debt of thanks. If Kings & Queens (the show) was the scripted creation of Jarrod Spector and Kelli Barrett, then the writers that live inside of the singing actors are responsible for something genuinely created to be a performing arts triumph.

When happy homemakers Jarrod Spector and Kelli Barrett debuted their new nightclub act to a full 54 Below cabaret room, they sealed their fate as a Broadway power couple. Each member of the Barrett-Spector family a successful actor on their own, the winsome twosome has played club and concert venues before, whether the property be a solo show, a group show, or a Mom and Pop show, always to resounding success. This time, though, there is something really special happening between the Mister and Missus Big Voice, and it starts where every wonderful piece of theater starts: the script.

Kings & Queens is Kelli and Jarrod's exploration into the music industry's most popular creatives. Whether singers, singer-songwriters, sensations or stand-outs, the artists discussed and detailed in the extremely generous eighty-minute program range from Elvis to Beyonce, spanning the decades and the musical genres, as Spector and Barrett discuss the artists, the art, and the effect that both had on the public, the world at large, and their own worlds, indelibly informed by the music. This is not a new concept. The "Tribute Show" is a tried-and-true form of cabaret and concert creation; what is different here is the structure that The Spectors have created with which to conduct their encyclopedic exploration. Kings & Queens does not follow the cabaret format of song-talk-applause, song-talk-applause, song-talk applause. Through the script structure that they have created, Jarrod and Kelli travel a non-linear maze of music and conversation - conversation with each other and conversation with the audience - that continues from opening note to closing bow. Like shiny silver orbs inside of a pinball machine, the duo jumps up, down, and around, touching on Little Richard here, discussing Dolly there, juggling Britney with Paula, mixing Buble with Timberlake, and always moving at the speed of light. Their script, their songs, their entire show has been rehearsed within an inch of its life, though it never feels rehearsed or rote; it never feels rehearsed or rote because it has been rehearsed, and rehearsed again. This is a lot of intel, both factually and musically, and Kelli and Jarrod respect the audience, the material, themselves and the show enough to go out on stage prepared. They are there to do justice to the play, which is a little bit akin to the first time you saw A Chorus Line, when you realized that it was a unique piece that you had to keep up with, that you weren't expected (or even allowed) to clap after every musical moment that excited you because the actors were going to keep moving, into the next segment, the next story, the next song. And, like A Chorus Line, it succeeds because Barrett and Spector are inside of the structure and prepared for anything.

As, through the works of Madonna and Patsy, Prince and Freddie, the twosome charts their personal growth and histories, the audience is given a glimpse into who Kelli Barrett and Jarrod Spector are, but while listening to each of them talk about their spouse's obsessions, like Otis Redding, The Supremes, and Stephen Sondheim, one learns how the partners in life and art see each other. One of the highlights of the entire evening is watching the spouse watch the singer in the light. While Jarrod builds his Looper foundation for a spectacular Queen number and then blows the roof off of the joint, Kelli looks on with such pride that Amanda Raymond could shut off every light in the room, and he would still be visible, from only the light shining out of her eyes; and when Kelli immerses herself in a Stephen Sondheim opus, Jarrod's ardor is vulnerably visible as he absorbs the wonder of his favorite storyteller. This is not affection: it is obsession at its most beautiful and most supportive - you can see how much they like each other, and why they love each other.

Playing like a good old-fashioned TV special, Kings & Queens gives Spector and Barrett many chances to show off the skills, both vocal and Thespianic, for which they are both known, as well as creating a platform from which they can share philosophies and social concerns. A segment that opens a dialogue about men versus monsters and the crossroad where artists and their art meets creatures and their crimes treads carefully but unapologetically into an uncomfortable but important analysis concerning when to close the book on an idol exposed to be a devil. Craftily composed to make a statement without making an enemy, to opine without offending, the delicate discussion allows Jarrod to honor the place in his history to which Michael Jackson contributed, and the deliberation into where that fallible artistic man fits with the Jarrod Spector of today. It is a poignant and personal moment, well handled and executed, one that might not have been so smoothly carried off were it not for the loving care provided at every turn by director Eric Michael Gillett, one of The Spectors' several spectacular colleagues that make Kings & Queens the incredible piece of concert theater that it is, including their musical director, arranger, orchestrator, ace band, and special guest star Jessie Mueller, adding that extra spark that makes a great evening into an unforgettable one.

And unforgettable, Kings & Queens is, which isn't a surprise because this is the kind of quality people have come to expect when attending a Jarrod Spector/Kelli Barrett show. It's just that this one, in spite of all of their past achievements, for all of its fun and laughter, sexiness and silliness, cleverness and creativity, this one, this seemingly simple tribute show to music industry royalty, takes this couple and their creds to a whole new level, one where they belong, but not where they will stay, because the Barrett and Spector star is ever-increasingly on the rise.

Addendum: At the time of the publication of this article, Broadway World Cabaret had been unable to obtain the proper spelling of the band members' names. At the aegis of Mr. Spector, we have since been able to collect the full creative and cast list:

Written & Created by Kelli Barret and Jarrod Spector
Directed by Eric Michael Gillett
Music Direction by Adam Ben-David
Arrangements by Kelli Barrett, Adam Ben-David, Michael Mahadeen, and Jarrod Spector
Orchestrations by Michael Mahadeen
Track Production by David Mann
Piano - Adam Ben-David
Bass - Mark Verdino
Drums - Damien Bassman
Guitar - Jake Schwartz
Reed - David Mann

Kelli Barrett & Jarrod Spector Kings & Queens will play 54 Below tonight (October 14th) at 7 pm with special guest Erika Henningsen. For information and tickets visit the 54 Below website HERE.

Jarrod Spector is online HERE and on Insta HERE and on Twitter HERE.

Kelli Barrett is on Instagram HERE and Twitter HERE.

In an effort to publish this review before the October 14th performance we are featuring only one of the many photos shot during the performance. Please visit Broadway World Cabaret in a few days for a full Photo Flash of the show.

Kelli Barrett and Jarrod Spector get a five out of five microphones rating for performing their entire show without the use of a lyric sheet, tablet, or music stand.

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