Review: GAVIN CREEL IN CONCERT at Kennedy Center

There was nothing humdrum or lazy about last evening’s late summer Gavin Creel concert at Kennedy Center. The Broadway performer with just two other musicians ignited the stage and audience in the Terrace Theater with an evening of some familiar tunes mixed with a good chunk of songs from Creel’s upcoming musical at MCC Theater in NY called Walk On Through: Confessions of A Museum Novice for which he is the creator of.

The evening started with the driving guitar of Chris Peters for the intro of the Pointer Sisters hit song “Automatic”. Creel’s vocal set the tone for the evening with keyboards supplied by Madeline Benson. The trio of performers make up a new band (One post on Instagram) called The Cuffs and I can see where there is true musical chemistry within that group already.

Following “Automatic” Creel switched gears with a mash up of “Put On Your Sunday Clothes and It Only Takes a Moment” from Hello Dolly. You might remember Creel’s performance in the revival of that show a few years back on Broadway where he played opposite Bette Midler.

The concert also featured songs made famous by James Taylor, Whitney Houston, ABBA, and more.

Besides being a gifted actor/singer, Creel is also an accomplished songwriter. His own composition “Unspoken Heart” proved that in spades.

A good chunk of this concert was devoted to showcasing Creel’s upcoming new musical entitled Walk On Through: Confessions of A Museum Novice which will premiere off-Broadway in November at MCC Theater on 52nd street in NYC. My favorite of the songs performed from this show would have to be hands down “Unfinished World”. I actually can’t wait to see the show in production based on that one song alone and the other numbers heard were pretty terrific as well.

Chris Peters on Guitar and Madeline Benson on keyboard/grand piano and melodica provided killer instrumental and vocal back up. Benson even had a solo moment with James Taylor’s “You Can Close Your Eyes” which her dad used to sing to her as a lullaby.

William D’Eugenio’s subtle lighting complete with hazer and rich LED colors turned the Terrace Theater into an East Village looking music venue of the past. It actually made the Terrace feel more intimate than it is.

Overall, Gavin Creel and company provided a big last hurrah to summer with a lovely evening of music that had something for everyone that was truly enjoyed by all.

Running Time: 90 minutes with no intermission.

Gavin Creel in Concert was a one night only event at Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater on August 31st, 2023.