Review: THE BARRICADE BOYS Take No Prisoners at 54 Below

Today, readers, I would like to tell you a true story about taking chances. This is a real story about going into the unknown. It isn't a nature adventure story or something about outer space, or anything like that - it is merely a story about taking a chance on an unknown entity in cabaret and concert.

I was looking at the calendars of the various clubs in New York City, deciding what shows and performers to see and review, and I saw a name on the 54 Below calendar: The Barricade Boys. Well, that said everything, right there: it was a singing group made up of actors who had done the play Les Miserables. I clicked on the date and was taken to the event page, where I saw an attractive, albeit busy, graphic of four men who, from the look of them, were just ripe for the Les Mis picking. I read no further than the first six words: The UK's No. 1 West End... Ok, I was in.

On Monday night, at 54 Below, I was seated with a stranger who was gregarious enough to engage another stranger in conversation and, as we chatted, I asked if he was familiar with this group. No, he said, he didn't know them, he said, he chose the show off of TDF, he said, because it looked interesting. Before the start of the show, a 54 Below patron that I see, regularly, stopped by my table to say hello, and I asked why they had chosen The Barricade Boys show and they told me because the breakdown on the 54 Below calendar looked good, that it interested them in seeing this act of which they knew nothing. After the show, I bumped into a gentleman I know, outside the men's room, and he extolled the virtue of deciding to come see The Barricade Boys, even though he had never before heard of them.

That's four people, including me, who did not know The Barricade Boys but who, thanks to good advertising and an adventurous nature, had a sen-bloody-sational night out on Monday. I fully expect that, moving forward, being unknown in the U.S. will not be a problem for The Barricade Boys. It will not be a problem because The Barricade Boys should prepare to be booked into all the cabaret and concert venues across the country.

Sen. Bloody. Sational.

The Barricade Boys are Kieran Brown, Scott Garnham, Craig Mather, Simon Schofield (the fifth Barricade Boy is their supremely gifted Musical Director/arranger/pianist James Doughty) - four of the most talented singing actors a person could hope to see in a solo concert, let alone as a tight-harmonizing, boy band dancing singing group. As musical theater actors working on the stages of the West End and the world, the gentlemen must be able to sing any and everything, which they do. Natch, there is an abundance of Les Mis in their program (this is not a complaint) as well as a plethora of other genres of music, from a Motown medley (it was unbelievable) to a Four Seasons medley (staged within an inch of its life). There was some Journey (not that song), there was some Beatles (it was fab) and there was a medley from West Side Story that actually didn't land with this fan of the legendary musical who never wants to hear "Tonight" and "Somewhere" as a club remix. Particularly satisfying, though, was an epic medley of songs by famous British rock and roll bands, but nothing could top the unquestionable highlight of the evening, an astounding performance of "Bohemian Rhapsody" that was, authentically, worth the price of admission. From start to finish, the musical programming of the evening was beyond reproach, particularly when considering that The Barricade Boys chose to share their New York City nightclub debut with West End actress and star Rachel Tucker, who solo'd with "The Man That Got Away" and "Home" from The Wiz, a song that is always welcome in any show but that was especially beautiful in the hands of this one-time Elphaba.

And on the subject of solos - each of the gentlemen had a chance to stand in the solo spot and showcase that which makes him a unique talent that directors seek out for their plays. Kieran Brown solo'd with a "Music of the Night" that reminded this writer that I actually like that song, something I had, long, forgotten. Craig Mather (who holds the record for the most performances of Marius) devastated with his "Empty Chairs At Empty Tables." Simon Schofield tore up the stage with his tap dance solo during "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing" and he also stood out, all night, as the most outrageous of The Boys. Scott Garnham slayed with a hilarious (and vocally impeccable) musical comedy arrangement of Bon Jovi's "It's My Life." And even though their group harmonies were first-rate all night, there is a kind of poetic justice in the fact that the stand out group numbers were both from Les Mis - the harmonies on their "Bring Him Home" are gloriously breathtaking, and their finale number "One Day More" is everything that a finale number should be. From start to finish, the Barricade Boys are responsible for one of the slickest, most professional, best put-together concerts this writer has seen on either side of The Atlantic.

And I wouldn't know that , had I not been drawn in by their clever name and advertising... or if I weren't willing to take a chance on an act I don't know. So, dear readers, please take this true story about taking chances to heart, and apply it to your own nightlives. Scroll through the websites, the club calendars, the listings, and pick a show, once a month, that you don't know. Pick an artist, now and then, that is unfamiliar. Take a chance with an act, with a club, with a show and see what it gets you. You never know: you might get lucky and pick your own version of The Barricade Boys. And if you see The Barricade Boys listed on a club calendar, don't hesitate: get a ticket and go and hear the people sing.

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

THIS is the website for The Barricade Boys.

Rachel Tucker will be appearing at 54 Below on February 9th in a concert staging of JOHN AND JEN. For tickets visit the 54 Below event page HERE.

James Doughty peforms at The Green Room 42 on January 18th at 7 pm. For tickets and reservations visit the Green Room 42 website HERE.

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