Review: BRENT COMER Aces Cabaret Debut at 54 Below

In a few hours Brent Comer is going to walk up on the stage of 54 Below for the 3rd time in 2025.  And for the third time in 2025, his show is going to be sold out.  On February 3rd, the actor from THE OUTSIDERS was so sold out that this writer could not get a seat.  On February 9th, the fine folks at 54 Below got me in, but just barely because, once more, the club was at capacity.  And when I sat down to write the review, a glance at the club calendar said “Call for waitlist” for the March 3rd show.  Well, good for you, Brent Comer. - your first club act and three sold-out dates.  This shines the light of promise on the future of cabaret and Comer, which is exactly why I have waited until today to publish this review.   I consider it a part of my job to tell the public when they need to see a show or an artist.  But there would have been no benefit to telling people to see a show that is sold out three weeks before the show played… but there is benefit to telling people that tonight (March 3rd, 2025), Brent Comer’s debut cabaret show is being live streamed.  So, even though there are no physical seats to the performance, people far and wide can log on and watch this charmer of a cabaret newbie close out his debut solo show.  The link is HERE, the show is at 7, and I can tell you why I liked it well enough to recommend it. 

At the top of his February 9th show, Brent Comer thanked the crowd for coming to “my second concert ever” - and even though this was only his second concert ever, he presented a performance worthy of a veteran.  Oh, there is growth to be had but that’s true of every artist in the world - artists never stop evolving, and they shouldn’t, but Brent Comer has come out of the gate strong and sturdy, and he’s going to make a wonderful career for himself on the cabaret and concert stage.  It is worth noting that he did say this was a concert, and even though it leans more in that direction, there are elements of the cabaret format that land the show somewhere in that nebulous in-between stage.  For instance, the gentleman handles the intimacy of the venue extremely well, looking the audience in the eye when he talks to them, picking and choosing when to tell his musical stories to the horizon line and when to tell them directly to the people he can actually see with the amazing 54 Below light grid in his eyes.  This is a skill some (many) cabaret artists never seem to achieve, yet Brent Comer nails it in his first outing.  One suspects that it is because of his natural security in his personality.  During his seventy-five minute show he was completely devoid of the pretentious superiority to be seen in some cabaret performers.  Every moment is sincere, every sentence spoken comes from a genuine place, and every emotion on display is happening in real time.  No cabaret show of studied practice in the mirror is this, no coy disguise and precious performance have we here: Brent Comer is as he appears to be, and it is as refreshing as the spring weather that is mere weeks away.  This is the foundation upon which is built the Brent Comer concert experience.

Of course, there is also the matter of extreme talent of the vocal variety.  Brent Comer is a singing superman who flips with ease from Broadway music to radio hits.  In fact, much of his program is not theater-thermed.  There are is music originally performed by Tracy Chapman, Cyndi Lauper, The Eagles, Billie Eilish, Maroon 5, and a sensational medley of pop music that honors his family’s “Boogie Room” (you’ll have to tune in to find out), and Mr. Comer handles all of this music as easily as he does the songs from Les Mis, Carousel, Phantom, and, of course, The Outsiders.  Watching his show, I remembered the time I heard Patti LuPone tell Seth Rudetsky that she always preferred rock music but that she didn’t have the voice for it, so she went into musical theater.  Brent Comer seems not to be hampered by such limitations - he can sing both styles, and perfectly, too.  There is more, though, to musical storytelling in a cabaret setting than a person’s voice.  You can’t just sing perfectly, you have to tell the stories.  Like his easygoing personality, Brent Comer has a singing style that, again, avoids that which is false.  He isn’t acting while he’s singing.  The emotions are real.  If he doesn’t feel something, he doesn’t try - he lets the music and the lyrics tell the story.  If the emotion is there, it’s all up on his face and in his eyes.  He does not appear to feel the need to create something out of thin air - he relies on what he’s been given by the songwriters, and he relies on what he’s got, personally, and that takes trust in oneself and one’s talent.  I used this word before and I’m going to use it again:  refreshing.  Highlights in Comer’s  musical program (other than “The Boogie Room Medley”) included Jason Robert Brown’s “Someone To Fall Back On” and two songs by the creators of The Outsiders, the first being “Young Man” and the second being “Stay Gold,” which seemed, for this writer, to have more power, more resonance, more connection in Comer’s hands than it did in the actual Broadway production of the play.  It is a special moment in the Comer show, especially for people who grew up reading the S.E. Hinton’s novel over and over and over.

Mr. Comer is well assisted in his work by a bang-on band of great musicians worthy of the rock concert stage (it was mentioned more than once that they were all Broadway musicians working on their night off, so, of course, they are the best), and his Musical Director for the show is one of the best working the circuit today, Benjamin Rauhala.  Rauhala has Comer’s back at every turn and there is clear affection between the two - I believe it is what is regularly referred to as chemistry.  Comer has chosen wisely by enlisting Rauhala to light the way on this journey - this writer can wholeheartedly recommend that this become a regular partnership.  

As for the show itself, the structure is good.  It’s linear and it tells the story.  What is the story?  Interestingly, it is a simple one.  At the top of the show Brent Comer lays it out there:  he has been on Broadway with The Outsiders for the last year (ish) and, a newcomer to the town and the community, people don’t know who he is, yet.  This is his chance to “let you guys get to know me a little bit,” which is exactly what he does.  He sits (mostly) and tells his story, which is a pretty unremarkable one… until it isn’t.  Boy growing up is exposed to the theater (“the first play I ever saw was…”), boy decides to try out for the theater (“the first play I was ever in was…”), young man ends up working professionally (“my first national tour was…”), young man ends up in quarantine with the rest of the world… and that’s when the story becomes remarkable.  But I’m not going to spoil it.  I’m not going to spoil it because Brent Comer tells it better than I would.  It’s a story we can all relate to, until it isn’t, because we won’t all get the windfall, the dream, the brass ring, the way Brent Comer did.  It’s a good story being told by a good guy who just happens to sing like a rock star, and who just happens to be a star on the rise, one we should all watch because, as cabaret and concert goes, Brent Comer is only going to get better.  Any rough edges that need smoothing will get it in real time, as this no longer Broadway outsider sells out one show after another, and with good reason:  he’s got what it takes.  

Thank goodness for livestream.

Brent Comer’s livestream link is HERE.

The 54 Below homepage is HERE.

The Brent Comer band is Matt Beck on Guitar, Jamie Eblen on Drums, and Alexandra Eckhardt on Bass with Benjamin Rauhala Musical Directing from the piano.  

Brent Comer’s special guest on February 9th was Daniel Marconi.

Brent Comer is on Instagram HERE.

Photos by Stephen Mosher

To post a comment, you must register and login.