Feature: The Days Of Cabaret Gratitude - Day Twenty-Seven - The Bona Fide

The Days Of Cabaret Gratitude

Day Twenty-Seven: The Bona Fide - Tim Connell

Tim Connell has a reputation.  It precedes him.  Long before you get into a club or sit in a seat or see him in person, you have probably already heard of Timothy Connell and the quality of his artistry.  An actor from way back when who specialized in musical theater (but not exclusively) Tim Connell thought, one day, to get into the cabaret game and the reaction was swift and sweet: they loved him.  And they should love him because he is one of the industry greats.  Charming and handsome and brimming over with charisma, there is an accessibility about Tim Connell that is lacking in many people who stand on a stage and simply park and bark - and that isn’t a criticism of those people, only an observation of a strength of Tim’s.  And it isn’t just the musicality of Tim’s storytelling that makes his shows popular and a consistent success - although there is no denying the talent that backs up the musical portion of the evening.  He’s good.  He’s really good, musically speaking.  He can sing, really sing.  And it’s a wonderful voice, palatable and pleasing, and very easy to listen to.  But it’s the story that puts it over the top.  

Tim Connell is a creator of cabaret.  He’s not doing a concert up there, and he’s not working through a set.  A singer, to be sure, and an actor, that is undeniable, Tim Connell very clearly sits down at a drafting table on day one and asks the sixty-four thousand dollar question: what is the story that I want to tell?  Every Tim Connell show is a forest and all of the entries in the show are the trees.  This anecdote is the birch.  This lullaby is a willow.  This comedy number is a sycamore, this joke is a magnolia, and that incredibly honest, vulnerable, and personal admission is an oak.  Nothing is random, yet nothing feels planned.  It is obviously rehearsed but it always feels off-the-cuff.  Mr. Connell builds a framework for his shows and he knows that which will be hung on the framework, but he doesn’t lock it in because as an actor, as a storyteller, as a man he understands the vital importance of spontaneity and being in the moment.  That wisdom and that freedom allows him to be present… present for the story, present for the emotion, present for the audience.  He has a style that is unique unto himself, and it is magnificent.  He is inimitable, incomparable, and all the other superlatives.  He is probably this writer’s favorite male cabaret artist, and that’s saying a lot.  

So what are waiting for?  Get thee to a Tim Connell cabaret, old chum.  You’ll be glad you did.

Read a Broadway World Cabaret review of Tim Connell HERE

Tim is the recipient of the 2023 Bistro Award for Outstanding Vocalist and a 2023 MAC Nominee for Best Male Vocalist.

Will be appearing as Guest Artist at Diane Fraser's You & I - The Words & Music of Leslie Bricusse Debut NYC Show/Album Release Concert at Don't Tell Mama, Wednesday December 6th @ 7PM.  Ticket link HERE.

Tim has a new cabaret show in the works (title TBD) which will debut at Pangea (his preferred stage), Saturday, January 27th @ 7PM.  The show will be similar to the Connell aesthetic, weaving a variety of songs and stories (personal and timely for the moment) together to create a mutually enjoyable experience for the audience.  He will be joined in the venture by longtime Musical Director and collaborator James Followell.

Tim will also play Pangea on Saturday, March 16th at 7 PM with his Irish show, slightly freshened up and updated.  Read the review of this show's previous appearance HERE and get tickets on the Pangea website HERE.

Tim recently played Harold Nichols in The Full Monty at North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, MA. and continues to teach The Fundamentals of Musical Theatre for the Professional Division Program at Alvin Ailey.

Tim’s pronouns are he/him/his.

Tim can be found online at the following links:

Website:  HERE 

Instagram:  HERE 

Facebook:  HERE  

YouTube:  HERE

Photos by Stephen Mosher

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