Brian D’arcy James. Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Dunstan Playhouse. 20 June 2014
Nicely coinciding with the aftermath of this year’s Tony Awards, Brian D’arcy James entered the stage of the Dunstan Playhouse to a small but appreciative mid-week audience.
Appearing on and off Broadway since the early 90s, his resume swells with impressive accolades including two Tony Award nominations, lead roles in Shrek The Musical and Next To Normal, and roles alongside the likes of Idina Menzel, Kristen Chenoweth and John Lithgow.
Given all this, one might be tempted to imagine him sweeping in to up-end his gunny-sack of Broadway classics. In contrast, ‘Under the Influence’ is an understated show brimming with enthusiasm for his roots and pop favourites. Featuring the likes of Billy Joel, Phil Collins and Sting, it’s a mixed bag of lesser known tracks that will either educate or impress.
James’s medley of ‘It Had to Be You’, ‘All of Me’ and ‘Isn't She Lovely’ played homage to song-writers from his hometown of Saginaw, Michigan, whilst his version of the classic 80s hit ‘Tempted’ was a fantastic reinvention.
It’s always a pleasure to see such a consummate performer paying tribute to their own musical influences, and James places himself on our level in exploring his heroes and first musical loves. It’s a fun and enjoyable show.
As you might expect, he saves the best for last and receives rapturous applause for his mix-up of ‘Who I’d Be’ from Shrek. This beautiful number really showcased his vocal talent and strength, but perhaps also highlighted what was missing from the show as a whole.
Whilst the songs are carefully chosen and clearly have strong personal meaning, it’s a low-key affair that doesn’t stretch his musical prowess enough. He purposefully adapts his style to mimic the artists he covers, and with great success, but we were all there to hear the artist himself. A bit more variation and complexity in the selections, and more of James in the music, would have taken the show to another level.
Nicole Russo
When: Closed
Where: Dunstan Playhouse
Bookings: Closed
