Review: KYLE TAYLOR PARKER Celebrates his Soul's Pride by Bringing the Soul To Broadway At Feinstein's/54 Below

Heigh-Ho Friends & "Family"! Bobby Patrick your RAINBOW Reviewer here. Putting the silent T in CABARET to bring you all the T...

Well, my Queerlings (and everyone else who celebrates this week), Feinstein's/54 Below continued its boffo, post-PAINdemic re-opening pride-fest with the inimitable Kyle Taylor Parker, a performer who has painted a large swath of his fine career by brushing some soul over Broadway. This AfriGAY American singer; gifted as he is with a voice for the ages, showed last night's F/54B crowd that he may make some of his living on The Broadway (Kinky Boots & Charlie And The Chocolate Factory) but this DISCO man's SOUL belongs in R&B. Dipping deep into the Broadway songbook past and not so past, KTP voiced his setlist in ways both super cool and surprising. Directed by Nathan Peck with arrangements and musical direction by the adorable, piano-pounding Sonny Paladino, Parker tore down the house by raising his trumpet-like voice and giving forth renditions from his two (count them TWO) albums of reimagined Broadway classics with R&B twistings; BROADWAY SOUL VOL. 1 & 2. You may read my lovely boss, Stephen Mosher's, review of V2 right here on Broadway World. Like a male version of the great Ella, Parker (& Paladino) sneak into many numbers little side dishes of lines from other songs to go with the main tune. They're not always making mashups like his opening number of Enchanted Evening, All I Do..., and 'Til There Was You, but giving the audience some wonderful unexpected gifts within songs that provoked audible reactions from those in attendance. Looking resplendent (What? Bobby knows words) sporting a broad-brimmed orange chapeau and wearing a floor-length cornflower blue duster that, during his PRETTY & PROUD medley, got doffed (with a twink assist from stage right) revealing a long-tail orange gingham tunic with one bathrobe sleeve and one peek-a-boo angel wing sleeve and matching orange gingham culotte pants... TOO GAY DIE FOR!!

Our out, loud and proud entertainment for the evening got naughty with SUGAR DADDY, soulful with the Tin Man's TO BE ABLE TO FEEL from THE WIZ, and naughty again with his pal, Blaine Alden Krauss on a rocked-out LOVE FOR SALE that had all the crowd panting for more. Of the singers on Broadway that "might" be able to match KTP note for note (and there are very few), Blaine Alden Krauss is one of them, and with their brilliant vocals and flint meets steel sparks, these two went from raising the roof to making real chemical bubbles on WHAT ABOUT LOVE? - a COLOR PURPLE love tune Parker called out as the first "Black queer love song in the musical theatre canon." Clearly, your rainbow boy loved everything about KTP and his music and can rave on and on, but we must call out a real highlight of a show full of highlights; a truly bluesy rendition of Sondheim's BUDDY's BLUES from FOLLIES. This slow swinging version of Saint Stephen's fast patter novelty number showed off La Parker's dominant tonics by sliding in some surprising major modulations to Mr. Sondheim's minor chord progressions. This was just another little example of those yummy musical treats KTP slipped into his setlist throughout his performance.

Encoring with a sweet acoustic take on Lord Lloyd-Webber's MEMORY Kyle had each and everyone in the crowd leaning in with a sigh and, as his show ended at a trim 56 minutes, it has to be said that the time just FLEW by. One hopes that F/54B will consider bringing Kyle Taylor Parker back to perform a full concert of BROADWAY SOUL VOL. 1 & 2 because the audience on Friday night would have paid and stayed, my children.

Check out the albums: BROADWAY SOUL VOL. 1 & 2 and keep track of Kyle Taylor Parker through his socials so that you don't miss his next gig because Bobby gives this show his FULL...

5 Out Of 5 Rainbows

Grab Kyle Taylor Parker By The Twitters: HERE

Stalk His Insta Pictograms: HERE

And Followe On Ye Olde FaceBooke: HERE

All Photos By Yours Truly, Bobby Patrick

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