Review: THE BARRIO SINGS BROADWAY at Feinstein's/54 Below Is All About Family, In More Ways Than One

Last weekend there was a party over at Feinstein's/54 Below when The Barrio Sings Broadway played to a room full of eager devotees of IN THE HEIGHTS. Speaking factually, the room wasn't full enough, and this lover of diverse demographics would love to see our Latinx club artists get the same attention being lavished on our beautiful black and LGBTQIA+ cabaret acts. In The Heights just came out in movie theaters, and West Side Story is up next; everybody should be showing up in support of the shows of all artists in the business, like the Latin artists who put on a heck of a fun night of Broadway music and memories.

The Barrio Sings Broadway was also a family night for Broadway star Arielle Jacobs, who just happened to be sharing the stage with her real-life husband, J.J. Caruncho, her sister-in-law Natalie Caruncho, and her onstage father from In The Heights, Danny Bolero - and this wasn't some nepotism casting, each and every one of these actors appeared in the Tony Award winning play either on Broadway, on tour, or both, and with good reason, too: they are all simply marvelous.

Deftly led by their charming musical director Drew Wutke (who is as fascinating a conductor to watch as he is an affable show host), the In The Heights alumni each took a couple of turns at the microphone, performing one of their ITH numbers and one composition from another Broadway musical that would easily suit their castability. Watching Arielle Jacobs sing "Gimme Gimme'' would easily inspire any producer, director, or theater owner to immediately put Thoroughly Modern Millie into their season with her in mind for the titular role - there is no denying that Ms. Jacobs is one of the best singing actresses of her generation. It was a true pleasure to be in a room to get to witness, live and in person, the work of such gifted artists, with the most interesting part of the program being those songs not from the show that brought them all together. Never, in a million years, could this writer ever have imagined an actor doing something different with "Nothing" from A Chorus Line, yet Natalie Caruncho did, and she did it with such authenticity and originality that the entire table was laughing at jokes in the song everyone had heard a few hundred times before, an impressive feat, to say the least.

Proving that the men of the family are equally as deserving of their time at the microphone, J.J. and Danny displayed exceptional emotional connection and serious vocal prowess in their numbers from Newsies and The Greatest Showman, though one could wish that Mr. Bolero didn't lean quite so heavily into his lyric sheet, since, in doing so, he also leaned away from the microphone, depriving the audience of that gorgeous voice (and gorgeous smile). There are times when a lyric sheet is necessary and one should try to be understanding, but it does create a disconnect between the actor and the audience, and in this case, it also set him apart, visually, as he was the only person on the stage using one. Nevertheless, the love between Bolero and the three Carunchos was the salient takeaway from their time on the stage together, made all the more enjoyable by truly special musical storytelling.

As special as the music was, though, the most important chapter in the evening of stories musical and monologic was J.J. Carunco's detailing of why In The Heights had been so vastly important to him, when it opened on Broadway. The tale of finally seeing Latinx characters in a musical, as opposed to stereotypical portrayals of thugs and drug dealers, was enough to inspire the shedding of tears, especially when the conclusion of the story was his vow to never, ever, accept a job portraying these rote characters. This personal admission only served to shine the growingly bright light on the universal need for diversity in casting and the need for representation. Even without the music, this moment alone made the trip to 54 Below worthwhile.

If anything was lacking at The Barrio Sings Broadway, it was the presence of a director - someone to help the actors with their monologues, to tighten them up, make sure they were of equal lengths, that they all had a through-line and a punch line, and that they would assist in the flow of the evening. It was a minor lapse in judgment for industrious and usually-impeccable producer Jen Sandler, who should take pride in the evening, in spite of this gentle and loving critique, because this was more than an evening of fine musical performances and palpable affection on display. This was (one hopes) one of many cabaret shows, concerts, and club acts designed to put the Latinx community of performers up front where they belong, and where they are most welcome.

The band for The Barrio Sings Broadway was GUITAR: Norihiro Kikuta and DRUMS/PERCUSSION: Nicole Patrick

The Barrio Sings Broadway was a one-off but more great shows can be found at the 54 Below website HERE

Photos by Stephen Mosher

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