Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – At The Green Room 42, the exuberant ANTHONY WAYNE reflects on his life and career and gets “mighty real”

• By drediman
• August 6, 2024
• No Comments

Last night, I had the chance to catch Broadway performer Anthony Wayne’s cabaret show at The Green Room 42. The show is in essence a retrospective of his career and personal life thus far. Indeed, over the course of the evening, the charismatic triple threat regaled the audience with a heartfelt and comprehensive chronicle — from his early days as a budding song and dance man, to the pain and excitement of coming out as a young gay man, to the struggles of trying to make it as a performer in New York (and on the road), to having to working through the tragic death of his mother. Wayne ends the show looking forward as he endeavors to more successfully balance his personal life — particularly as it relates to nurturing friendships — alongside his pursuits as both producer and performer.

Sprinkled throughout the show are an eclectic bunch of songs that work wonderfully in tandem with the trajectory of his theatrical memoir. Some highlights from the popular songbook include ecstatic renditions of Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long (All Night)” and of course Sylvester’s “Mighty Real” (about a decade ago, Wayne both produced and starred in an Off-Broadway bio-musical based on the life and times of the fabulous, one-and-only disco icon Sylvester). And of course there were the Broadway show tunes, which came by way of a sparkling “Magic to Do” / “On Broadway” mash-up, the exuberant “Gimme the Ball” segment of the Montage sequence in A Chorus Line, and Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes” (the title song of the show in which he made his Broadway debut). But perhaps most potent of all was Wayne’s aching version of Fats Waller’s “Black and Blue”, in which he revealed the vulnerability and hurt lurking beneath his generally cheerful and upbeat demeanor. 

If you haven’t already gathered, Wayne is a naturally dynamic personality and singer. Even though he’s clearly still working on streamlining his banter and delivery, the enthusiasm in his performance is already palpable and infectious — as evidenced by the reciprocal energy that emanated from the audience — especially in his vocal performance (the force of his higher falsetto register is simply thrilling). Beautifully produced, the show features a top notch band, complete with a horn section, and a pair of sensational back-up vocalists. With some tightening up of the storytelling, the endearing and inspirational show has the potential to be an affecting ode to the those courageous enough to pursue a life in the theater. In fact, the way Wayne has written and structured the piece, I could see it actually working quite well beyond a cabaret setting and enjoying a proper theatrical run.

RECOMMENDED

ANTHONY WAYNE
Cabaret
The Green Room 42
1 hour, 20 minutes (without an intermission)
One night only