Review: Ben Jones Thinks It & We Know It In BEN JONES I THINK I'M IN LOVE at Chelsea Table + Stage

Heigh-Ho, My Merry Rainbow readers! Bobby Patrick, your RAINBOW Reviewer here. Putting the silent T in cabareT to bring you ALL the Tea!

Thursday night's performance by Ben Jones of his I THINK I'M IN LOVE at Chelsea Table + Stage gave us a most welcome glimpse into the flip side of his I THINK WE SHOULD SEE OTHER PEOPLE (see Bobby's rainbow review of that show HERE). In a sense, we saw these performances in reverse... or did we? Basically, IN LOVE (a cabaret about the ups and downs of falling & being in love) came first on Ben's nightclub hit parade, and then he and his legendary Music Director, Ron Abel, compiled and performed OTHER PEOPLE, the opposite of his first show in that he sings only break up songs. The fact that we saw his Breaking-Up-Show before his Falling-In-Love-Show made not one whit of difference to our enjoyment of both. Did we mention you can read our review of his second show that we saw first HERE?... Good... and to confuse you even more, regular readers of the Marvelous Mister Mosher will be able to read his thoughts on Jones's second show, since he attended Ben's Friday performance of that second show for the first time. Also, you can read SM's review of his first show that he saw before he saw his second show HERE... PHEWWWW! NOW! On to Bobby's review of I THINK I'M IN LOVE...

It's hard not to be enamored of Mister Jones and his talent, and BroadwayWorld is certainly that... enamored. So going on and on, rehashing how great he is, yet again, would seem to re-gild an already gilded lily - Truth, but too bad, my lambs... tooooo bad because he is just THAT good! With his first number, THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT, Ben's slow, languid build from first note to dazzling last note, enriched by his vocal charm and connection to us all, ultimately made our companion for the evening lean over and say (not in a whisper) "Well, F*** me!" That kinda sums it all up, there, my dear ones. The effect he has on his audience activates something in each individual... not just our awe at his vocals, but something we can only call a creative spirit, one that, perhaps, goes untouched for many of us for most of our lives. In those whose creativity is very active and alive, Jones validates that artistic temperament by lighting an inspiring flame. The marriage of this ability to his two shows, both of which are semi-autobiographical but still the story of us, has given Mister Jones perfect vehicles of storytelling with song. The non-linear format of IN LOVE inspires attention without taxing it, as he, gleefully, skips through the romantic events of his life, both hilarious and harrowing, leading to his present state of happiness at home with his wife who (in her own words) thought he was an "M'F'ing D B A-Hole with a popped polo collar" when they were first set up by friends. His expert tying up of all loose ends by the close of the show demonstrated a mastery of his several crafts - acting, singing, AND writing. As such, another truth about Jones is that he, very deftly, avoids preconceived notions around "boy singers" in his category of Powerful Tenors in sort of the opposite way that an Ari Axelrod does. Axelrod, in a beautifully gentle way, has taken the present-day cabaret format (that he himself teaches many a fine student) where he talks to the audience with a system of chat points personal, informational, or historic as the case may be, between his songs. Where many adhere strictly (and sometimes stridently) to their script, Ari memorizes his and then throws it out so he can just talk. His voice is compelling, his default is the gentle croon, and his structure is loose. Jones follows the "nightclub act" style not as often seen, where he has, essentially, written a play with music that he, then, lives inside, as he performs. Both approaches are magic with the right magician.

Near the end of IN LOVE Mr. Jones sings a mash-up of Lerner & Lowe's I'VE GROWN ACCUSTOMED TO HER FACE & GIGI dedicated to his eight-year-old daughter that elicited sniffles as well as awwwwws from the crowd. In the end, Jones's needs for putting on a show are simple... merely the fine support of Ron Abel (Piano/Musical Direction) Lauren Hendrix (Bass), Aaron Latos (Drums), and an audience with the smarts to listen to more than they hear. Carve this one in stone, my lambs, for Ben Jones I THINK I'M IN LOVE gets our full...

5 Out Of 5 Rainbows

...with the good news being that he is traveling BOTH these Acts around, and will most likely perform them in venues near and far, so please do keep up with Mr. Jones...

So ends our second love letter to Ben Jones, but you can catch up on his WebbySite: HERE

Stalk His InstaPictograms: HERE

Ande Followe On Ye Olde FaceBooke: HERE

Be sure to check on the shows showing at Chelsea Table + Stage HERE.

All photos by yours truly, Bobby Patrick.

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