Review: AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH LAUREN PATTEN AND TAYLOR IMAN JONES at The Laurie Beechman Theatre

I learned a new term recently - “Galentine’s Day” - I got it from two friends of mine who were going out on February 14th to do a singles adventure.  What a nice idea, I thought, and what a nice name for it, too.  Not everyone has a romantic affiliation on Valentine’s Day, and why should they not get out and have some fun, anyway?  It made perfect sense to me, and I filed away the terminology for my own usage, when appropriate.  Well, guess what?  There was a Galentine’s Day happening at The Laurie Beechman, on February 14th… except the best friends performing aren’t single.  Indeed, their mutual main squeezes were in the audience (and, in one case, on the stage), and frequently referred to and shared with the audience, by way of stories, sighs, smiles, and maybe the batting of eyelashes.  This was an occasion when two non-romantic soul mates put on a show, because you don’t have to be a couple to be a pair, you don’t have to be in a romance to be a soul mate, you don’t have to be in a marrying mood to be in love as a human. and that is exactly what the Laurie Beechman audience got to see from their seats at the AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH Lauren Patten AND Taylor Iman Jones show. 

Lauren Patten and Taylor Iman Jones are a couple of stellar musicians.  A concert or cabaret by either of them would be a pleasure to enjoy, but when you put them together, it is almost an embarrassment of riches.  And we’re just talking about the technical aspects of a musician up on a stage, here, we’re not even going into the artistic or emotional lanes, yet.  These are two of the most technically proficient performers you could get in front of you.  Not only do both artists play their guitars to great results, they do the same with their voices (although Jones does tend to downplay their skill as a musician, don’t be fooled - they are truly gifted).  One suspects it is because of their training and understanding as musicians that they are able to take their stunningly beautiful voices to all the places that they can, be it while singing a solo or while performing a duet.  A person has no choice but to acknowledge and admire musicianship of such specificity and intentionality.  Whether you are a craftsperson in the music arena or an aficionado with a passion for listening, you can hear and chart the means and manner behind the beauty in the vocal performance.  Being in a room with them is like being in a room to hear Martha Argerich or Hilary Hahn.  We are getting to revel in the brilliance of musical marvels, and that is something we cannot (must not) take for granted, ever.

Taylor Iman and Lauren are also, though, actors and members of each other’s Logical Family, and when layering in these two facets of their life in the audience eye, there is a double down effect that makes the intimate part of their show’s title exactly what it is.   A mass of charm and delight, the two BFFs bound up onto the stage, bright smiles and broad laughs, and a bold opening (a slow and sensual “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” - it was highly effective) before jumping into an opening dialogue featuring the fact that they hadn’t really come prepared to talk. There had been no words written down to guide the evening.   No script?   No script!   Those who have read me, lo, these many years, will know that I hold to a strong belief that a solid script is the foundation of anyone’s show, be it cabaret, concert, or club act.  Well, as it turns out, on this occasion, the lack of script was not a deterrent to excellence.  Lauren and Taylor talking extemporaneously is just the very vibe this show demanded.  It was casual and relaxed, it was fun and familiar.  It felt like we were in a living room, and a good thing, too, since the twosome observed that “You are in our living room” and “It’s really a big hangout.”  Yeah, no script.  A hangout, it was, and even though The Laurie Beechman is a right proper cabaret room (can we all acknowledge what a great job The D’Angora’s are doing over there, please?), on Valentine’s Day it was a living room where Taylor Iman, Lauren, and their significant others entertained.  And Taylor’s sweetheart was there to get in on the entertainment action, too - Keely Beirne joined Patten and Jones for the second number of the night, a jovial and jaunty “Falling Out of Love Can Be Fun” that featured truly terrific harmonies, mixed in with some serious solo action from each of the three singers.   A hug and a kiss later, and Beirne was back in the audience, as Lauren and Taylor drove into the rest of their show, a mixture of duets, solos, guitar playing, and perfect piano from Musical Director Olivia Barron.   For seventy-five minutes the Beechman audience was treated to one spectacular song performance after another, and all of them bridged by a beautiful display of friendship, including personal stories, laughter galore, and cheers of support.  During the solos, the actor on break had a stool waiting for them in the shadows, but if you took your eyes off of the singer to glance into the darkness, you could see the intent and ardor with which the besties watched one another.  Sometimes there was laughter from the shadows and even times when vocal encouragement rang out.  There were a few false starts for each actor, as lyrics evaded them and they begun again.  To be extremely clear about this:  I would rather see a performer forget their lyrics and start over than see them reading their words off of a device or music stand.  This night was a perfect example of how an audience can fall more in love with a performer because of their humanity and vulnerability.  The crowd ATE it up, each time that one of the duo made a mistake.  We loved them, for all the parts of themselves, not just for the impressive musical selections - and I do mean impressive.

For Patten there was a stunning rendition of “Silk Chiffon” (by MUNA) and a powerfully ethereal “Love On The Brain” (by Rhianna), while Jones scored high marks with a haunting “Loud” (by Olivia Dean) and a ferocious “Shy” (the Renee Rapp one, not the Carol Burnett one).  Both singers performing at the top of their game, they devoted equal attention to the interpretive skills they possess as actors… at least, during their solos.  The duet action saw a little more personal stories play across their beings, as opposed to storytelling.  While engaged in the act of powerhouse highlights like Brandi Carlile’s “The Story” and Wicked anthem “For Good,” Patten and Jones leaned into their affection for, nay, their adoration of one another.  There’s no acting for these moments, only reality.  This friendship was on beautiful, wonderful display all night long, and if you’ve ever been lucky enough to raise your voice in song with your Best Friend, you can understand why it meant so much to Taylor and Lauren do this show, to sing these songs, to spend this time together, and with their sold-out crowd.  It was an authentically special night to go out, and also an authentically different way to spend your Valentine’s Day.  One hopes it becomes an annual thing for the twosome and for the Beechman, but it would also be pretty groovy if Jones and Patten didn’t wait until February 14th to do more shows like this.  Nothing beats a great performance team - we need more of them.  This is a team built to last - onstage and off. 

Find great shows to see on the Laurie Beechman Theatre website HERE.

Find Lauren Patten on Instagram HERE and Taylor Iman Jones HERE.  

Musical Director Olivia Barron is also on Instagram HERE.

Photos by Stephen Mosher