Review: Robbie Rozelle Is BACK IN THE BASEMENT Where She Belongs 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, dahlings! Feinstein's/54 Below has certainly been pulling out all the queer stops for Pride as they re-open to the public, and Thursday night they presented the queerest of them all, her HILARIOUS Highness - Robbie Rozelle in BACK IN THE BASEMENT. La Rozelle, a graphic designer for Broadway Records, cabaret producer/director, and just all the things fulfilled a lifelong dream a few years ago and put together his own cabaret act of crooning and conjuring. Crooning his beloved Broadway songbook and conjuring magic with his charm, charisma, comedy, and excellent tastes in guest vocalist to duet with him whenever he's feeling Wicked, or feeling Judy and Barbra, or feeling Carol and Pearl, and believe me, this return puts this queen right back where he belongs. For a long time before the recent PAINdemic F/54B played host to Robbie's weekly shows; TUESDAYS AT 54... WITH Robbie Rozelle!, which indeed made Tuesday nights in the basement a must to start your week. Rozelle's natural comedy chops along with his endearing demeanor, cherubic face with cherry cheeks & sparkling blue eyes, and his blatant enthusiasm for Broadway music have brought him a well-earned following that adores this personality performer.

On Thursday night, this ball of fire was backed up by a combo Rozelle dubbed The Roundabout Reduction - musicians; Wes Bourland, Mike Lunoe, Brady Miller, Andrew Neilson, and Music Director/Arranger Yasuhiko Fukuoka (A name Bobby can't pronounce but we can sure say OO LA LA about that face) - and the boys in the band kept it tight and hopping to keep pace with Robbie's manic running to and fro. Kicking off the night with an original titular tune that Billy Recce wrote especially for this show, RR took the audience on his personal journey through our recent ... predicament, stopping only here and there to refer to lyrics off a music stand (a prop that came and went but did not overly distract and at times lent some comedy nuggets for Robbie to run with) Rozelle made his way through 11-ish numbers, building the show quite brilliantly on both talking and singing fronts. Rozelle is a hilarious queen and a truly gifted amateur singer with a wide, bright voice that may not always have it for the big notes of an IMPOSSIBLE DREAM or MEADOWLARK, but it just doesn't matter because of the aforementioned charm and enthusiasm with which he attacks each tune. Watching this dynamo on stage, you just can't help but love him, especially in the moments where the songs turn soft and serious and his natural range can really shine. Taking each acting moment to heart and crooning with depth and sincerity the Joe Raposo song for Sesame Street, WHEN BERT'S NOT HERE, Rozelle touched the hearts of all in the house and made the tune take on the feel of queer true love (sorry Bert & Ernie, but we all KNOW it's true). And speaking of guest stars, can we just say a word or two about Joseph C. Townsend? Yes, we can! Looking very fetching in his open Hawaiian print shirt and form-fitting jeans and joining our host for 2 numbers, Townsend's thrilling vocals on Jekyll & Hyde's lady duet IN HIS EYES raised the roof and challenged Rozelle to bring it to the mic, which he did, mostly. Segueing quickly into gay icon-land, the boys launched into singing the ladies of song's mash-up of GET HAPPY/HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN, with Townsend taking on Judy and RR being Barbra until, near the end, they switched it up so Joe could bowl everyone over with Barbra's big notes... CLEVER move! The rest of the evening was Rozelle's alone as he continued to go from clowning comedy to dramatic depth and, in another touching moment of pathos, he took to a stool and sang to his husband, sitting in the house, Finn's WHAT MORE CAN I SAY, leaving us with all the feels for this couple of over 15 years.

All in all, Robbie Rozelle: BACK IN THE BASEMENT at F/54B took the audience on one of those magic carpet rides you read about in books and then go see on a Broadway stage, thanks to Disney and as this is Pride week, this one was one not to be missed... and fortunately, you don't have to, as Robbie will be back Wed, Jul 14, 2021: 9:45 pm. Get your tickets NOW because Bobby gives this show...

4 Out Of 5 Rainbows.

You can Get Tickets For Robbie Rozelle: BACK IN THE BASEMENT: HERE

Robbie Has A Webby-Site: HERE

Look Up His YouTubes: HERE

Grab His Twitters: HERE

Check Out His Insta Pictograms: HERE

And Followe On Ye Olde FaceBooke: HERE

All Photos by my darling boss, Stephen Mosher

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