Review: Encores & Coronaries - Charles Busch Sings Them All In MY FOOLISH HEART at 54 Below

Heigh-Ho, My Merry Rainbow Tribe! Bobby Patrick your RAINBOW Reviewer here. Grabbing that silent T in cabareT to bring you all the Tea!

Oh, My DEARS!! Thursday night for the 7:00 show at 54 Below, we found ourselves seated (with BWW's dahling photographer Connor Weiss) ready to see and experience the queen of all queens, the drag of all drags (that sounded better in our head), the incomparable Charles Busch in his new show MY FOOLISH HEART, and, to say the least, we were Queer'velling. CB is a consummate performer with great song interpretations and musicality, in a voice that harkens back to the bluesy, boozy, chanteusey sounds of a Polly Bergan or a Georgia Brown (Look Them Up, Dearhearts). For this latest nightclub act - as there have been many on CB's award-winning scorecard - he draws upon last December's "mild" heart valve surgery, as well as his 2001 near-miss cardiac incident that took him from his bed to his doctor, to the hospital, to more doctors, and to the operating room faster than the lady could kick off her heels. You see, our Grand Dame had done the near impossible and survived a coronary thrombosis - a widowmaker, as it is nicknamed since it usually punches your ticket before you hit the ground. But thank all the Vampire Lesbians of Sodom by the Shanghai Moon that Our Leading Lady didn't Die Mommie Die! If The Busch had gone up in flames 20ish years ago we would have missed Thursday night's intimate cabaret of hilarious and touching stories laced with music sung by a master interpreter. Keeping everything simple, Busch took the stage with just his musical director, the uber-handsome Tom Judson, a glass of water, and a lightly used music stand to help out lightly along the way during this new show. Looking resplendent in a black sequined number with gold accents, CB played to a packed house that included nightclub luminaries Sydney Myer, Anita Gillette, and Billy Strich, whose presence clearly had Judson a bit flummoxed, as he had to stop a duet he and CB were singing, mid-musical-measure to exclaim, "Wait! I've got it wrong! Billy Stritch is in the audience and it's freakin' me out!!"

False start or not, for that number, I WILL WAIT FOR YOU by Michel Legrand, the gentlemen's soulful and heartfelt dueting on polyphonic (double melody) lines was stirring and beautiful. Drama is a specialty of The Busch, as was pointed out with the laugh line, "We don't sing a lot of up-tempo songs," but it truly didn't matter, as every number was filled with all the requisite emotion dictated by the lyrics. All of the acting moments were full to the brim with layered understandings of love, life, pain, sorrow, and joy, and was the crowd ever there for it... Each song sung and each punch line dropped filled the room with tears and laughter and tears of laughter. Charles's skill at moving from comedy to serious and back again is one of his performing strong suits, and he, skillfully, wore that suit and used it to keep things moving ever forward. If anyone in the club was bored for a second, The Busch's heart doctor should've been called in to check them out. Another highlight of the evening was Noel Coward's IF LOVE WERE ALL, a particular favorite of this rainbow writer, that, in the hands and voice of CB, exemplified his search for serenity and a need to put aside judgment AND the emotional rollercoaster between the two. With his title song, Young & Washington's MY FOOLISH HEART, CB moved into his show's home stretch, showing that he is a master Actor/Actress/Player who doesn't miss a beat or a note, musically or emotionally, fully acting every song from start to satisfying finish.

So, to sum up, my lambs, the Thursday night show at 54 Below welcomed back to the stage a recovering Charles Busch who took his broken heart and turned it into art for all to hear. As a song interpreter, The Busch is top drawer, and as an entertainer/storyteller, this Divine Sister is a Times Square Angel. Unfortunately, Charles Busch's next show on Tuesday, April 25th is completely sold out, so you must all contact 54 Below to see about cancelations and waiting lists, and to perhaps urge them strongly to put this one up for a live stream. In any case, Charles Busch: MY FOOLISH HEART is worth the time and money one spends on enjoying it, and gets Little Bobby's full...

5 Out Of 5 Rainbows

Find Out The Details On Charles Busch: MY FOOLISH HEART: HERE

Keep Tabs On The Busch At His Webbysite: HERE

Watch & Listen To CB As He Takes Part In PRIMARY STAGES OFF-BROADWAY ORAL HISTORY PROJECT: HERE

Photo By Connor Weiss, who has a Facebook page HERE

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