Review: SAM HARRIS Makes Triumphant Return to 54 Below

At a certain point in Sam Harris' show this week at 54 Below, the words "Mr. Entertainment" rolled through my brain. Was there a man that was called Mr. Entertainment? I wondered. Maybe it was Mr. Show Business. Honestly, I couldn't remember, but it sounded like a nickname that had been bestowed on some wonderful performer in the past. Later, as we were leaving, my date for the evening, her cheeks aglow and her smile, not to be diminished by anything, said to me "Do you know what I thought while he was on stage? Do you know the one word that came up, over and over? Showman."

If two people sitting side by side at Table 21 at 54 Below had the exact same thought about Sam Harris, then all the other patrons at the Sam Harris show surely were of like minds.

Sam Harris is a Showman. One of, if not THE, best there is.

It's been a while since the nightclub stages of New York City have seen Sam Harris, an absence that has been hard felt; but, as he explains during his show, his role as a father has taken priority in his life. Remarking candidly about having had an absent father during his youth, he extolled the virtues of being there for his own son and the immense satisfaction that it brings not only to his own person but to their relationship. The time off away from the stage has not lessened his ability (really, what could?) but has, instead, enhanced the quality of the material. In an evening that opened with a Christmas song by Jerry Herman, before Harris doffed his Christmas-red velvet sportcoat, the musical material ran the gamut from pop music originally sung by U2 to ballads by Janis Ian to Broadway by Barbra Streisand, all accompanied by frank conversation with his audience about the various aspects of his life, and his life in show business for the last four decades. On more than one occasion Harris mentioned in a charmingly matter of fact manner that he has reached a point where he does what he wants because "I'm 58 M*****F****** years old!" -- a sentiment that drew gales of laughter and applause from a simpatico audience. With absolute honesty, Mr. Harris discusses the career-low of selling CDs on The Home Shopping Network before singing a spectacular "Get Here" - a song featured on that cd, and later in the show, Sam shared with the crowd his sadness over world affairs before putting his head into his hands in preparation for a most heartfelt "Cockeyed Optimist." The devil-may-care and laissez-faire with which Sam Harris performed this show, from start to finish, was remarkably refreshing, giving one the overwhelming feeling of being in his home at a party during which he has been asked to get up and sing (fortunately musical director/arranger James Sampliner is at the same party, for he is a marvel). Many is the time that this writer has commented that a good club act should feel like the audience has joined you in your living room, and it has been a pleasure to name the names of the artists who successfully create that ambiance for their paying audiences. It is with no degree of uncertainty, then, that I say that no artist has ever achieved what Sam Harris did this week, in the name of being relaxed onstage. Perhaps it is the joy of fatherhood, maybe it is his age, or it could be the natural progression that is life, but Sam Harris has no f*cks to give, he has nothing to prove, and when his two feet and one-of-a-kind voice hit that stage and the spotlight him, he is committed to giving his audience exactly the man that he is.

And that is a gift to all.

The voice is unchanged by time except to note that the interpretive skills have become more replete and lush with life experience. Listening to Harris sing on cd is a pleasure, but sitting in a room and watching the emotions wash over him during a performance is a lesson in live singing. Many singers are blessed with beautiful voices but with limited or no emotional connection to the material. The same can never be said of Sam Harris because his attachment to every single song, from pop ballad "Time After Time" to Broadway belt "Use What You've Got," is so all-encompassing that, at times, one might feel like they've just read a page in his diary. It is positively voyeuristic, watching a grown man stand in a bright spotlight, vulnerably expressing emotions that all have, at some point, felt; and though this writer's personal experience while watching him sing "I Can't Make You Love Me" was to wonder who was in his mind, informing the performance, my companion later remarked that "you could tell what the story was and who he was singing to, in every song!" The mark of a true singing storyteller is to put it out there, allowing each member of the audience to be affected in the way that best suits their personal understanding of the tale being told, and how it applies to their own life experiences.

That's Sam Harris all over the place: A true singing storyteller.

Sam Harris has completed his run of shows at 54 Below. When he returns with more club dates, Broadwayworld will bring you the news.

Find Sam Harris online by visiting his Website

Sam Harris and Special Guest, tap dance instructor Robbi Morgan Walberg

Photos by Stephen Mosher

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