Brent Barrett performs Night Songs at the Crazy Coqs, London
Brent Barrett performs his show Night Songs at the Crazy Coqs, London until 18 January.
Having wowed audiences at the Victoria Palace in 2001 with his performance as Fred Graham in Kiss Me, Kate, for which he received an Olivier nomination, Brent Barrett returns to make his London cabaret debut with Night Songs. The theme is that all the compositions have something to do with the hours after sunset, and the choice of material turns out to beinspired. He eschews the usual, often hackneyed numbers and blends in a wonderful mix. There are songs by Billy Joel, Stephen Schwartz, Jimmy Webb, all dealing with the moon, the night and dreams, as well as some wonderful favourites from Johnny Mercer, Jule Styne, Alan Jay Lerner and Stephen Sondheim.
Barrett engages well with his audience, briefly addressing them between numbers, and includes anecdotes about his career, such as the one about getting the part, while still in college, of Diesel in the 1980 revival of West Side Story, his first Broadway show. There is a certain wistfulness as he reminisces about growing up in a small town in Kansas, in a house between a highway and a railroad, and dreaming at night about leaving that town.
With a wide ranging voice, he is at home with the disco beat of ‘Rhythm of the Night’, as well as several delicate ballads. Highlights include a trilogy of ‘time’ songs – the gentle ‘Every Night At Seven’ and ‘Nine O’Clock’ make an elegant sandwich around the frenzied ‘Tonight At Eight’. His beautiful delivery of the classic ‘Moonlight Becomes You’, contrasts well with the more up-to-date ‘The Moon is a Harsh Mistress’.
In many of his numbers, Barrett’s great experience in musical theatre shines through – the songs are not just sung, they are also performed with understanding and feeling. He gets to demonstrate his comic touch in ‘Who Took Me Home Last Night’ – a number from which he teases every ounce of humour.
Having enthralled his audience with some 20 songs, he rewards their enthusiastic applause with a powerful encore – ‘Come Back to Me’. Musical director and pianist for the evening is Christopher Denny.
The after-buzz from his performance caused me to dig out his album of Kander & Ebb songs to hear his superb treatment of ‘All That Jazz’ – a languid version that features bluesy guitar and piano with a haunting harmonica riff.
Barrie Jerram
Readers may also be interested in: Carole J Bufford – Crazy Coqs
www.brasseriezedel.com/crazy-coqs
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