No matter what Benjamin Scheuer talks or sings about in his solo musical, “The Lion,” he sticks to a monotone that’s polite at best, bland at worst. Which is pretty amazing considering Scheuer’s autobiographical show covers things like his father’s death, a romance and breakup, and his own fight with cancer.
“The Lion” isn’t so much a musical as a rootsy-folksy cabaret act that relies on guitar (mostly acoustic) instead of the usual piano — this is a show for people who think Ed Sheeran is too edgy.
Scheuer starts off with his upper-middle-class childhood, troubled only by his father’s temper. The two have a minor argument when 14-year-old Ben is grounded right before a school-band trip and writes a petulant note — only for Dad to die shortly thereafter. Talk about feeling guilty.
From there, we jump to mildly trying days as an aspiring musician in New York, an affair with the restless Julia, and the terrible diagnosis (followed by successful chemo).
Scheuer’s a delicate, nimble guitar player, but his songs, while well-crafted, are overly dull. Worse, he doesn’t seem very interested in anyone but himself. As Jonatha Brooke’s excellent “My Mother Has 4 Noses” proved, it helps to look beyond your navel to make a solo musical memoir enticing.