Review: Anthony Rapp Is A Mild-Manner Rock Singer In UNPLUGGED At Feinstein's/54 Below

A timid-looking man walks through the at-capacity restaurant at 54 Below and steps up onto the stage. Cute in that middle-aged, dad-down-the-street way, this man who could very well be your Seventh Grade social studies teacher walks over to the microphone in his khaki's, GAP button-down, and collarless blazer and begins to sing. Though you may be expecting a pleasant dose of Harry Chapin or Chris Isaak, maybe Billy Joel or even something from the Broadway stage, what you get is R.E.M. ... really good R.E.M. It is clear that the sweet-natured man up on the stage has fires underneath the calm ocean upon which you gaze, fires that will inform the next hour of your day, fires that will excite your memories of the night to come, long after it has passed. This is no mere actor of the persuasions theatrical and cinematic, no puzzle piece in the histories of musical theater and Star Trek: this easygoing and affable fellow is a performing artist who can (and has, as we will learn) do anything upon a stage that strikes his fancy, including singing rock and roll in a sweater.

ANTHONY RAPP: UNPLUGGED is the simply-conceived and aptly named club act of an actor many have seen go from snot-nose (Adventures In Babysitting) to steadfast (Star Trek Discovery) but for musical theater lovers his role as Marc Cohen in RENT will always occupy a special room in their hearts. If one thinks of the nature of the scores to Rent and You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, in which Rapp played the titular role on Broadway, it will come as no surprise that Mr. Rapp is quite versatile in his abilities as a singer: he can and does sing everything from basic Broadway to rock-infused musical theater. Even though Feinstein's is a supper club where cabaret artists will tend toward the show tunes, the musicals of Anthony's life take up only a part of his time on the 54 Below stage - and the musicals are all ones believably associated with Rapp, even though they are (mostly) roles he will never play. When an originating actor from a groundbreaking musical peppers his show with compositions from four other landmark musicals, it seems only natural, and when that singing actor is able to fully inhabit the works, when they effectively embody the spirit of the shows from which they originate, the audience reaction should be exactly what it was last night: a perfect balance of "OMG!" and "Well, of course..." Each and every one of Mr. Rapp's electrifying musical numbers last night was in the pocket, both musically and emotionally, as he didn't only remind the audience of the scope and variety of his acting work, but also of the immense disappointment that he has recorded so few solo albums. This is a voice that it would be a pleasure to listen to any time and all the time; every bit of Mr. Rapp's soul is in every bit of his singing - every gorgeous note and every deeply-felt emotion. The singing acting contributed to last night's performance was fully realized in almost shocking calmness... even the spectacularly contained rock and roll songs.

The best way to describe Anthony Rapp's demeanor during his show is to say it is like that calm, glassy, welcoming ocean, quiet as an act of humility... until it's not. While reminiscing about his art, his work, the losses and the love, Mr. Rapp remains ever-humble and unassuming. It's almost like he's uncomfortable talking about himself, but that is an illusion. Clearly, Mr. Rapp is not shy because his willingness to and his ease with speaking of extremely vulnerable moments in his life presents a man who is not bothered by a lack of privacy, only humbled by the idea that others are interested. Then, the sea erupts as this mild-mannered man next door performs The Cure, Radiohead, and Cyndi Lauper in ways that make up for none of us having become rock singers - he is up there in his cardigan, living out all of our rock and roll dreams for us, except with a better voice, more depth of emotion and better moves than we ever would have had. Oh, these aren't dance moves, no... there is a kind of eloquence to Anthony's hands that adds a mesmerizing element to his performance, and if one isn't careful, an entire hour (plus) could be spent listening to world-class singing but looking at nothing but the most expressive hands you've ever seen.

Among the (many) highlights of Mr. Rapp's club concert are the performances of "Creep" and "Everybody Hurts," the visceral, almost uncontrollable, reactions of the devoted audience, the unbridled emotion Anthony shows during stories told (and one special song sung) about his mother, and the contrast between a speaking voice that makes you wish you had Rapp and a volume of Shakespeare all to yourself for an hour and a singing voice that fills the room, like sunlight bringing all the emotions you want to feel, and will feel, thanks to an outstanding evening of laid-back, raucous, casual, exciting, relaxed, thrilling, easy-going, rousing... well, it's just really all the things you think you will get from an Anthony Rapp show... and quite a bit more.

The Anthony Rapp Unplugged band is Peter Sachon on Cello and Musical Director Daniel Weiss on piano.

ANTHONY RAPP: UNPLUGGED plays Feinstein's/54 Below tonight at 7 pm. For information and tickets visit the 54 Below website HERE.

Visit Anthony Rapp on Twitter HERE and Instagram HERE

Photos by Stephen Mosher

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