Jason Robert Brown

September 12, 2012

54 Below  –  September 10 – 15

There are many sorts of songs in the Jason Robert Brown songbook—songs of quiet yearning, songs of loss, straight-ahead-funny songs. But perhaps the songs that this bountifully talented composer-lyricist-singer-pianist is most at home with are those that burn with determination—with the insistence on making happiness happen, on making love work in the face of a world that says “fat chance.”

In Brown’s 54 Below show, which prominently features guest vocalist Shoshana Bean, there are plenty of such forcefully optimistic numbers, but it takes a moment or two to get to them. At the top we hear the pensive “It All Fades Away, which sounds like a Celtic folk air you might pair with “Danny Boy.” Bean shows up after that and takes the lead on a couple of numbers, finding some fire in “And I Will Follow.” She has a somewhat twangy voice that calls to mind Celine Dion at certain moments and Dolly Parton at others.

When we next hear from Brown himself, he is at full-throttle exuberance with the driving and very funny “Shiksa Goddess” from his terrific two-hander musical from 2001, The Last Five Years. I think the program would work a bit better if it started off with something in this energetic vein. In any case, Brown definitely finds his stride with this selection, and, for the most part, he and Bean maintain the momentum for the duration.

As a performer, Brown is not overly ingratiating. When speaking to the audience, he is pleasant and sometimes amusing, but he comes across as reserved, even slightly aloof. It’s when he cuts loose with his robust but smooth baritone and his passionate piano work that his showmanship emerges.

The remainder of the program showcases Brown’s versatility as a songwriter. After “Shiksa Goddess” he introduces a cluster of songs from two yet-to-be-produced musicals: Honeymoon in Vegas and The Bridges of Madison County. The Vegas songs seem to have the stamp of conventional musical comedy, with clever rhyming couplets earning quick laughs. At the performance I saw, Tony Danza was a special cameo guest, singing a Sinatra-style saloon song from this score, about a woman’s fatal dose of over-tanning. (The number was not named in the printed song list, but it seems to be called “Out of the Sun.”) The songs from Bridges are more ambitious and serious-minded. “Wondering” (sung by Brown) has imagistic and introspective lyrics that at moments reminded me of Sondheim’s “Every Day a Little Death.” The Vegas and Bridges songs are burdened slightly by expositional setups, but Brown makes a point of plowing through the context-necessary plot points as quickly as possible.

Moving away from show tunes, “Break Me Blues” gives Bean a chance to wail soulfully and also includes a house-on-fire piano interlude for Brown. “All Things in Time” is given a very appealing turn by Bean; it features unexpected chords and some engaging jazz and gospel embellishments.

Two of the concluding selections surpass all that has gone before, and these songs again belong in the burning-with-determination genre. “Caravan of Angels” is a personal song about Brown’s marriage and the supporting players who figure in it. It is a highly appealing number with a punchy, funky vamp and a lyric overflowing with sharp, rich imagery. It also gives Brown one of his showiest piano solos. Then comes “Goodbye Until Tomorrow” (again from The Last Five Years). It’s an “at long last love” kind of number about the thrill of being in thrall. Bean sings it with all the necessary rhapsodic oomph.

Brown and Bean are supported by a solid band that Brown dubs the Caucasian Rhythm Kings. This combo consists of guitarist Gary Sieger, bassist Randy Landau, and guitarist/mandolinist Matt Hinkley. All are excellent.

 

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About the Author

Mark Dundas Wood is an arts/entertainment journalist and dramaturg. He began writing reviews for BistroAwards.com in 2011. More recently he has contributed "Cabaret Setlist" articles about cabaret repertoire. Other reviews and articles have appeared in theaterscene.net and clydefitchreport.com, as well as in American Theatre and Back Stage. As a dramaturg, he has worked with New Professional Theatre and the New York Musical Theatre Festival. He is currently literary manager for Broad Horizons Theatre Company.