Harry Connick, Jr. In Concert On Broadway (The SOB Review)
Harry Connick, Jr. In Concert On Broadway (The SOB Review) - Neil Simon Theatre, New York, New York**1/2 (out of ****)
With a rousing finale that had his entire audience leaping to their feet cheering, you'd think Harry Connick, Jr. had just performed one of the most exciting concerts in history.
Indeed, after New Orleans trombonist Lucien Barbarin hit the stage midway through the second act with an electrifying confidence and soulful commitment, the entire joint was jumping, including (finally) Connick himself.
There's no denying the appeal of Connick, whose crooning vocals are extraordinarily easy on the ears. Whether he was singing standards or tunes from his two Broadway shows -- The Pajama Game, in which he starred, and Thou Shalt Not, which he scored -- his exceptional voice was as velvety smooth as ever.
But for having practically grown up on the stage, Connick seems surprisingly stiff and uncomfortable in his own skin, particularly when it's covered by a tuxedo. He began loosening up ever so slightly during the first act as he loosened his bow tie. Yet as he delved into some self-indulgant riffing on the ivories, his guard was never down.
After seeing Million Dollar Quartet, I remarked how excellent Levi Kreis was, comparing him to "Harry Connick, Jr. doing Jerry Lee Lewis without coming across as stilted." How prescient that line in my review proved to be. In Harry Connick, Jr. In Concert On Broadway, a very stilted Connick reminded me more of Perry Como. For you kids at home who have never heard of Como, the singing great was so low key that he was often jokingly accused of being asleep while performing. I wanted to shout, "Wake up, Harry!"
Fortunately, Connick did just that with a rollicking second act that provided a slice right out of the French Quarter. However, the real star of the act was Barbarin, who embraced the audience in lieu of Connick. He was responsible for delivering and transforming the concert into an event.
As far as giving the audience what they wanted, Connick ultimately struck out by only offering up one encore tune, much to the disappointment of the crowd that began chanting, "Harry! Harry! Harry!" a full five minutes after the final curtain fell.
While this concert gig closed on Saturday, my performance was filmed, presumably for television. So you'll likely have a chance to see exactly what I saw sometime in the near future.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
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Labels: Broadway, Concert, Harry Connick Jr., Harry Connick Jr. In Concert On Broadway, Levi Kreis, The SOB Review
posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Tuesday, August 03, 2010
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