Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – In his intimate, storytelling driven new show, Tony-winner NORBERT LEO BUTZ gets into his feelings

• By drediman
• October 4, 2023
• No Comments

This past Monday, Norbert Leo Butz unveiled his latest cabaret act at 54 Below. Entitled Norbert Leo Butz Sings Torch Songs for a Pandemic, the show finds the two time Tony-winner in an introspective mood. And who can blame him for getting into his feelings? The past three years have been a time of deep and substantial reflection for most of us.

Performing sans a band, Butz was exposed in more ways than one on the lonely cabaret stage, accompanying himself both on piano and guitar (late in the show, he was joined onstage by Catherine Porter, who provided lovely backup vocals). Over the course of the unplugged and intensely intimate evening, he leaned in on the storytelling, organically weaving his songs into and out of his narrative — expounding stories of his childhood (particularly in relation to music), as well as his thoughts on his pandemic experience (particularly through the filter of the songs that got him through the tough time) — with great skill and natural ease, even tampering his infectiously boisterous nature to accommodate the more serious nature of the show.

Throughout, Butz was in fine voice (butter smooth, per usual) and his natural musicianship on both piano and guitar shined through unfiltered. His song selections were eclectic, most of his set being culled from the American popular songbook of the 70s, 80s, and 90s. More often than not, he imbued familiar lyrics with trenchant new meaning, resulting in much more than your typical covers as he laid bare his conflicted state of mind. Highlights included affectingly trenchant, revealing renditions of Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” and the Foo Fighter’s “Learn to Fly”.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

NORBERT LEO BUTZ SINGS TORCH SONGS FOR A PANDEMIC
Cabaret
54 Below
1 hour, 15 minutes
Five more performances through November 5