NYC singer/comedian John Burns will made his solo debut at celebrated Don't Tell Mama cabaret with a performance of his popular show John Burns is a Sexy Beast, first presented for three sold-out dates during WorldPride & Stonewall 50 this past June at The Duplex. Directed by 15-time MAC award-winner Lennie Watts.
Hailed by Theatrescene.net as "Euphoric!" and "Grand Entertainment!", Sexy Beast travels from the cattle prairies of New Mexico to the dance floors of Manhattan in a tale that is sometimes tender, oftentimes lascivious, and always brutally, uproariously honest. With music direction by multi-award-winning composer/musician Michael Holland (Playwrights Horizons, Old Globe), the show featured Burns' original take on classic 70's disco, warm-hearted standards, pulsing gay anthems, and original songs written exclusively for the show by the BMI-Jerry Bock award-winning team, Jeff Hardy and David Dreyfus.
This past summer, Burns was a Top-Five finalist in the Don't Tell Mama's annual Next Big Act competition. His tribute to legendary diva Shirley Bassey, Don't Call Me Shirley!, premiered in 2018 with five sold-out performances; while in 2017, his Gay Kid on a Cattle Ranch was presented in NYC and featured in a sold-out run at Outpost Performance Space in Albuquerque, NM. Critic Darryl Reilly writes "possessed of a soaring tenor voice, distinctive phrasing, and absolute aural clarity, Burns richly mines each well-selected song to optimum effect;" and Cabaret Scenes Magazine has proclaimed Burns "absolutely astonishes!"
Don't Tell Mama is located at 343 West 46th Street
Photo Credit: Helane Blumfield
John Burns Michael Holland Matt Sharfglass Don Kelly
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