Review: CANADA DAY WITH JOSHUA STACKHOUSE & FRIENDS at 54 Below Is Fun Fare For The 9:30 Slot

The 9:30 slot at 54 Below is a wonderful thing. A person can always count on finding something new, something fresh, something adventurous or experimental, something just meant to be fun - the possibilities of the 9:30 slot are endless, and well-worth exploring. While the 7 pm slot leans into Broadway headliners, elegant evenings out, and high-concept concert themes, the 9:30 slot can tend to be more casual and playful, and so can the audience, which the patrons of the 9:30 slot seem to appreciate. It's a fine time and a fun time, and it was the perfect time for singer-songwriter Joshua Stackhouse to present his original works in a show titled CANADA DAY WITH JOSHUA STACKHOUSE & FRIENDS, last week on July 1st - coincidentally, Canada Day, appropriately enough.

Mr. Stackhouse is a one-time employee of the Feinstein's organization, having worked in the club as a server, pre-pandemic, so his artistry has been up on the 54 Below stage before, in some of the club's staff shows. It is, therefore, only natural that when the time came for the Canadian-born songwriter to step out on his own, it would be on the Feinstein's stage, and in 2019 he presented his first Canada Day concert. Having two of these celebrations under his belt, Joshua Stackhouse is ready to premiere a concert of his songs away from the theme of Canada; he is a known commodity, now, with a catalog of good songs and nine 54 Below appearances on his CV, not to mention a growing list of actors who want to sing his songs, as evidenced by the talent he got to join him for the Canada Day celebration.

As concerts go, CANADA DAY WITH JOSHUA STACKHOUSE & FRIENDS played like a fun sketch comedy variety show, with silly songs and clever lyrics, and with actors who were prepared to go out onto the sketch comedy limb. There were wacky characters, Canada-themed set decorations (that spilled out into the audience and only the tables), props, and a hand puppet named Justin Beaver. There was a great band, there was levity of script and corniness of joke, and there was good singing of many comedy compositions (and one number, sweet and sincere). In short, Joshua Stackhouse put together a fine night of entertainment for the 9:30 slot.

Following the storyline device of the threat to the very existence of the Canadian National Anthem,"O Canada," Stackhouse and co. praised Canada in words and in song and with a great deal of tongue-in-cheek humor as Eric Coles portrayed a Lumberjack, Jordan Bell did double duty as Justin Beaver and resident Canadian Gay (his LGBT-oriented number "Canada Is Pretty" was a hilarious highlight, especially with Stackhouse feeding him lyrics from the piano in the most stylish and amusing of ways), and The Drinkwater Brothers served up some American buffoonery. Joshua has a very clear brand, when it comes to what he wants to present, and it all seems very authentic to who he is in life. A likable fellow with both a demeanor and singing voice most accurately described as pleasant and pleasing, Stackhouse is on a track to be a writer of musical theater (if he wants it), specialty material for television programs like, either, Sesame Street or The Kids In The Hall (if he wants it), or songs for nightclub singers looking for more than show tunes and The American Songbook to sing. If he stays on course, Joshua Stackhouse could join the list of songwriters that continue to cause growth in the music available to singers, a list that includes names like Goldrich & Heisler, Alexander Sage Oyen, Christine Lavin, and Billy Recce. There is no questioning his talent, though it will be interesting to see what a Joshua Stackhouse concert looks like without the Canada Day device, which may be a safe place for Joshua right now - but safety doesn't bring reward, only risk does.

As for the casting of his Canada Day musical sketch comedy show, Joshua Stackhouse didn't scrimp. He curated a cast of extreme talents, featuring fellow Canadians and fierce divas Cassie Nadeau and Jacqui Sirois, and a couple of Americans named Meaghan Sands and Michael Ray Fisher, who made a musically hilarious bit out of a medley of American chart-toppers all created by Canadians. And special mention must be made of Veronica Vale Duffy, who stepped in at the last minute for a covid-caught cast member, because even though Joshua mentioned that Veronica would be working from a lyric sheet, and even though Veronica carried that lyric sheet, she never actually looked at the lyric sheet, which gave her freedom to invest all her energy into telling, wonderfully, the musical story "Vancouver, Here I Come." The entire program, from start to finish, was an absolute delight, as a sketch show, as a concert, as a Canada Day celebration, and as a showcase of the words and music of Joshua Stackhouse.

Keep an eye and an ear out for this dude. He will be one to watch.

The CANADA DAY Band:

Bart Milczarczyk (guitar)
Brian Shaw (reeds)
Scott Still (drums)
Andrea Veneziani (bass)

Find great shows to see on the 54 Below website HERE.

Read about Joshua Stackhouse and his work on his website HERE and, singers, there's a contact link so you can get a Joshua Stackhouse song into your repertoire.

Photos by Stephen Mosher

Visit the Stephen Mosher website HERE.

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