Review: CLAYBOURNE ELDER: IF THE STARS WERE MINE at Feinstein's At The Nikko

Broadway and television star Claybourne Elder rolled into Feinstein’s at the Nikko for a two-night run with a charmingly funny and heartfelt evening of stories and song. Not unlike his fellow ex-Mormon jazz singer Spencer Day, Elder mined comic gold with anecdotes about his Mormon childhood, his life with seven siblings including an older gay brother and the seeds of his future career on the stage. I consider Elder among the new American Pioneers – forging new identities from whole cloth in a country increasingly open to self-discovery, acceptance and success.

 From gay boy with a crush on the hunky Mormon Jesus, to presenting Broadway musicals to his ‘plain’ siblings, to his golden opportunity working with Stephen Sondheim, to husband, to father, Elder is a talented role model and inspiration. His set, accompanied by local pianist Matt Smart, focused on his career and family. Two lullaby’s to his son, “If the Stars Were Mine” (Melody Gardot) and “Paving the Runway” (Dave Heller / Jennifer Heller / Ross Sullivan King) were lovely and earnest.

The early search for love offered a slow tempo’ d “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” (Shannon Rubicam / George Robert Merrill) while “Moments in the Woods” from Sondheim’s Into the Woods displayed his Broadway tenor. Elder is a natural storyteller and his material was quite funny. He also believes in paying his good fortune forward, creating City of Strangers, a non-profit making tickets to performances accessible to all theater lovers regardless of ability to pay.

Two set highlights were Thomas Kitt / Brian Yorkey’s “Hey, Kid” from If/Then and a powerful “Finishing the Hat” from his role as George in Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George. On the former, Elder had some pitch problems reaching the high notes, but worked through them. Elder seems to have it all going right for him and he’s both grateful and a bit honored – two very endearing qualities.