Review: WREN RIVERA Steps Into Their Superstar Skin In 54 Below Solo Show Debut

It's always exciting getting to know a new artist, whether they are new to you but well-known by others, or whether they are an emerging artist, just stepping into the spotlight. On January 31st, at 54 Below, a room packed to the rafters saw an artist step into the light - only the light that this artist brought to the room was brighter than any man-made light that a tech director might cast on them. On this night, January 31st, in this show at 54 Below, singing actor Wren Rivera took to the stage and claimed their spot as a superstar.

Now, the word superstar is overused, and no mistake. It is a word this writer devoutly avoids, indeed, this may be the first time the word has appeared in a review penned at this desk. And although I can be prone to flowery language and occasional hyperbole, I say this from the deepest and most sincere place in my heart: Wren Rivera will be a superstar. This does not happen every day. Talented people come along, sometimes incredibly talented people come along, but incredibly talented people with a spark of something undefinable do not happen every day - that is what makes them special. Those theatergoers who were there to see Audra McDonald in Carousel, Kristin Chenoweth in Steel Pier, and Lin-Manuel Miranda in In The Heights were there at the beginning, they got to see that something indefinable, and they got to tell themselves to pay attention, that they were getting in on the ground floor of something that, in the years to come, they would remember and speak of with a still-active sense of excitement.

Wren Rivera is this generation's ground floor experience.

Wren Rivera is not new to the business, only to the solo club act aspect of it. They have played Broadway in Jagged Little Pill, they have played Off-Broadway in Between The Lines, and they have played the concert stage as a guest of Sutton Foster's. For their eponymous cabaret and concert debut, Wren put together an intimate evening of spectacular musical entertainment ranging from musical theater (the foundation of the program) to pop music (a little bit of Adele) to The Great American Songbook (a famous Streisand number) and even some original music ("Ruth And Naomi" by Ethan Carlson, an evening highlight that featured producer Vaibu Mohan as Wren's duet partner). Whether singing all by their lonesome or with special guests, Wren's vocals leaned into the unbelievable - a big part of their impending superstardom. There is an intersection where Wren's natural-born talent and their training meet and, there, we are introduced to a mind-blowing musical artist. Layer in the exquisite instincts and further training of an acting storyteller who is able to switch gears on a dime, putting on a story and scenario as though dressing for the day, and what you have is show business genius. To double down on the genius on display, the contrasting energy in the room and stage presence that occurs when Wren pivots from patter to performance is night and day.

The connecting tissue between numbers like a gorgeous "Flying Over Sunset" and a devastating "Loving You" is just Wren Rivera talking with their audience, their band, their guests; they are telling stories from their life, sharing thoughts and feelings both frivolous and deep-seated, and they are giggling, they are laughing, they are guffawing. They are having the time of their life and they are doing it on a stage, in front of a room full of people. Then, out of nowhere, they are in the moment. They are in the lyric. They are in the story. And we do not exist. It is as though we are watching a person in the privacy of their living room, having the most emotional day of their life, unaware that they are being observed... but they are. The most perfect example of this phenomenon was the unquestionable triumph of the night, Wren Rivera's performance of "You Oughta Know" from Jagged Little Pill. Rivera explained that, even though they never got to go on in the role of Jo, they wanted to give their 54 Below audience this treat "for one night only." It wasn't a treat, it was a treasure. It was the moment when, just halfway through their solo show debut, after wowing the crowd from opening notes to the real-time moment, when Wren Rivera locked down their trajectory into superstardom, without ever, once, alienating a person with their enormity. At all times during their hour-long program, Wren Rivera was accessible and attainable, like your best friend with the biggest personality and most adorable qualities - that person you love for all the things they are, even when all the things they are could be intimidating through greatness. Speaking personally, I don't know if I have ever felt so relaxed and comfortable in a nightclub - that is how disarming and engaging this young person is, in every second that they shine their light on an audience.

For their scene partners for the evening, Wren Rivera invited Gabriella Joy Rodriguez and Tommy Kaiser to play the Aida throuple moment "A Step Too Far" and Nathan Salstone to assist in a sweet and tender "All I've Ever Known" straight from Hadestown to the Basement, and Rodriguez, Mohan, and Lexi Angel were on BFF duty, making repeated returns to the stage to offer vocal support in any capacity where it might be needed, welcoming Jerusha Cavazos to the finale, the rousing, raucous and resounding rock and roll song right out of Between The Lines, "Do It For You." It was a perfect, upbeat, appropriate, and festive way to end an exemplary musical program, painstakingly (and brilliantly) arranged by Musical Director Topher Paolucci (making a 54 Below debut on the occasion) and executed without flaw, thanks to producer Vaibu Mohan, who gave Wren Rivera a place to live their best, most authentic life, a place to feel safe enough to discuss the vulnerable, the intimate, the important topic of being a non-binary actor that is not only being allowed to live in the light - they are being invited to do so, and that is what the entertainment industry and the world needs more of.

Our trans and non-binary family members have reached an important time in their lives, and although there are those who still don't understand, more and more members of society and various industries are digging in deep to stand with them as allies, supporters, and family. Wren Rivera made history by being a non-binary actor playing a non-binary character in Between The Lines, and the community of non-binary people have representation in theater. That will grow. Opportunities for trans and non-binary people of the Thespianic persuasion will find doors opening to them, and having artists like Wren Rivera leading the way, representing, and putting the conversation in the middle of the room not only shines a light on the need for that discussion, it normalizes it. Wren's face was a vessel of light and joy while discussing the experience of being a non-binary actor working at their craft... well, one should say especially at these moments, since Wren was, in fact, a vessel of light and joy for the entire evening, one that was a fundraiser for their upcoming top surgery.

A vessel of light and joy - that's Wren Rivera all over the place; a gifted, unique, adorable, and adoring human being who just happens to be a Superstar in the making.

Not bad for a solo show debut.

Wren Rivera's band:

Ryan Blihovde (drums)

Kat Cartusciello (Bass)

Sarah Fazendin (violin)

Daelyn Kauffman (viola)

Tonic Nguyen (guitar)

Jessica Want (cello)

Contribute to the Wren Rivera Top Surgery Crowdfunding campaign HERE.

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

THIS is the Wren Rivera website.

Photos by Stephen Mosher; Visit the Stephen Mosher website HERE.

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