(George Hirose)
Brian d’Arcy James must have one hell of a record collection, and it’s probably all on vinyl. In “Under the Influence,” at the gorgeous new cabaret space 54 Below, the affable star of “Shrek: The Musical” “Next to Normal,” “Titanic” and TV’s “Smash” performs the pop hits that informed his youth.
It’s a refreshing change from the curriculum vitae-type cabaret shows of most theater performers. And the 44-year-old’s joy in singing vintage numbers by Billy Joel, Genesis, Squeeze and Steve Winwood is palpable.
But he really won me over with his full-throttle rendition of the kitschy “Julie Do Ya Love Me,” the guilty-pleasure hit by ’70s-era teen heartthrob Bobby Sherman. Enlisting the audience to sing along on the perky chorus, he enthused, “It just feels good, doesn’t it?”
The 75-minute set isn’t all about nostalgia. There are also numbers by contemporary artists Gabe Dixon, Adele and Rufus Wainwright, whose version of his mother Kate McGarrigle’s “Saratoga Song” made a moving encore.
It’s a self-indulgent evening, to be sure. After a propulsive rendition of Joel’s “Everybody Loves You Now,” James said, “You have no idea how much fun that was for me.”
Actually, we did. His enthusiasm is contagious, even if it threatened to get precious on a duet with Lauren Kinhan, of the vocal group New York Voices, on the chirpy novelty song “Mockingbird,” a hit for James Taylor and Carly Simon.
His strong, versatile voice is well-supported by an atypically large seven-piece band, plus backup vocals by his former Broadway co-stars Clarke Thorell (“Titanic”) and Haven Burton (“Shrek”).
With its heavy lineup of moonlighting Broadway stars, 54 Below has the congenial feel of a theater hangout where stars go to unwind and sing the songs that really matter to them. It’s a pleasure to share their joy.