Robbie Rozelle

Songs from Inside My Locker

(Broadway Records)

October 17, 2020

Reviewed by John Hoglund

Robbie Rozelle is fearless; he goes where few cabaret singers would dare to go. When not directing or teaching, he’s designing sophisticated graphics for Broadway Records, and with unbridled brio, this singer/comic pursues his childlike love of entertaining. Now, in his 40s (as he lets us know) and looking back on what might have been, he refers to himself as an “accidental performer” for various reasons. In spite of some bumps along the way, he brings his dreams, warts and all, to the stage and pours his heart into this autobiographically themed mélange of wacky musical comedy songs. The results of a buoyant pre-pandemic night at Feinstein’s/54 Below are on display on this CD which captures his latest showcase, Songs from Inside My Locker. Clearly, his love of entertaining is obvious and likely the most potent ingredient in what is a mixed bag of raucous nightclubbing celebrating some interesting, if unlikely, novelty and show tunes that recall the fantasy life of his gay youth and roles he never got to play. The show is a trip down memory lane that he gleefully shares with his audience. Drawing on his truth, it is filled with non-sequitur patter that is met with outbursts of cacophonous laughter from his fans.

In a show that can only be described as free-style musical madness, Rozelle mixes chutzpah with flashy musical shenanigans in an act that fuses the absurdities of life and of Rozelle. It’s all there in his song selections. While fairly new to cabaret, he has a respectable list of credits (and sold-out shows) and his focuses on comic antics backed by his loud band led by Josh D. Smith. There’s a place for all this clownishness but it must be well honed to work to optimum effect. Rozelle, who is certainly talented, seems to be a potpourri of vaudeville types ranging from the buffoonery of old timers like Jerry Lewis to today’s campy Randy Rainbow (minus Randy’s socio-political Trump inflections). That’s the good part. He runs the gamut of musical madness with free abandon but lacks perfection.

To begin, it’s clear that he is no Tony Bennett. His voice is generally forced, plagued with pitch problems and lacking rounded tones. He has a fast vibrato (a.k.a. wobble) and, annoyingly, he pays little or no attention to phrasing. In cabaret, few things are more important than interpretive finesse, and few things can make or break a performance more than attention being paid to the subtle nuances intended by songwriters. This applies even to the silliest comic ditty. He sets the stage for what’s ahead by opening with Cole Porter’s “Let’s Misbehave,” which is just what he proceeds to do. With more imagination, his act might have been built around the theme of that song (which might have been the intent). 

Repeatedly, Rozelle’s delivery and inane patter lack the personal touch needed in an intimate venue. This is particularly obvious on some missed opportunities such as “Little Girls” from Annie (Charles Strouse/Martin Charnin) and “Captain Hook’s Tango” from Peter Pan (Jule Styne/Comden & Green). Sung in medley, these lesser-known songs may not be the wisest choice given his throwaway phrasing and unsteady range.
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It all adds up to a sameness that is, at times, the stuff of amateurs. Similar tics infuse other songs in this mixed set. Many selections are over sung in a way an inexperienced musical comic might throw at an unexpecting audience at an open mic. The biggest problem lies in balance and structure. Other songs didn’t quite hit their mark in a show with too many medleys preceded by patter that needed pruning. These quibbles are fixable starting with selecting material more suitable to his brassy, openly gay stage persona.
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An experienced cabaret director would have helped shape all this into something that flowed rather than just outlandish songs randomly strung together. There is no director credited with the act.

There were exceptions such as a guileless reading of “If I Only Had a Brain” from The Wizard of Oz (Harold Arlen/E.Y. Harburg). Here, he is more comfortable and focused with more care in his delivery. Consequently, he nails the song with a cleverness and heart. The band here (again) is too loud (as they are throughout the set). To his credit, Rozelle’s results are a performance less forced and more convincing. More of this is called for, and it should inform his future outings. It also proves he really is capable of finding his real voice sans the bellowing and rambling. He did a fine job with William Finn’s “I Have Found”; here he was simpler and created a heartfelt moment that was a highlight. His bawdy presentation, along with random, off-the-cuff sounding patter on so many numbers, takes away from the personalized moments that call for more.

After all, his through line is about his life and the rainbows he’s chased. Along the way, the listener is treated to a mixed bag of novelty songs that occasionally push the boundaries of good taste in such a posh nitery, such as “First Penis I Saw” (Rachel Bloom/Jack Dolgen/Adam Schlesinger) with lyrics like “let me put my genitals in your genitals/let me show you something big/not the dirtiest, not the cleanest.” Really? In a posh room? Of course, the ridiculousness of this number (a song from television’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, a musical-comedy series from CW that ran from 2015 to 2019), is strictly shock value. He does get lots of guffaws from an adoring fan base who packed the club to see the show. Yes, that song is predictably funny.
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Yes, Rozelle has the comic chops to pull it off. However, it just might work better in a drag act. Whether it belongs on stage in any elegant bôite that hosts major names from Broadway is questionable.

In an ode to “my two fathers,” he pays tribute to two of his gay childhood idols, Charles Nelson Reilly and Paul Lynde, with a medley of their signature songs. To his credit, he kicked it up a notch and the second half worked better and had more merit. Even the band eased up on some decibel levels and shined in a better light as a result. In a medley of “Tomorrow” (Strouse/Charnin) and the Beatles “Here Comes the Sun,” he delivers an optimistic note that is real.

Regardless of the quiddity and quirks, this is a man who loves the stage and, with the right guidance, he is sure to come up with the ideal show for such a bold performance style. He has the makings of a skilled entertainer. There is no question that his fans loved the show. Hopefully, his next endeavor will mix comic antics with pathos in a manner more reflective of some late greats like Kaye Ballard or Dorothy Loudon who could breeze through side-splitting soliloquies and balance it all when they rip your heart out with a gut-wrenching ballad. Robbie Rozelle is very capable and has time to come up with a well-balanced and structured act that will better show off his big heart and genuine love of performing. He has the goods; he’s authentic and he is an entertainer to watch as he grows into the bofo performer he can be. For now, he needs to trust himself enough to step back, drop some gimmicks and find that rainbow he once chased with attention paid to the golden rule of cabaret: less is more.

The show was produced by Rozelle and Michael J. Moritz. Josh D. Smith was is credited with musical direction and arrangements (along with Rozelle). Smith is on piano, Wes Bourland (bass), Josh Endlich (percussion), Nick Ujhazy (guitar), Peter Pearson (cello), and John Lowry (reeds). Backup singers Sarah Naughton and Shoshanna Richman completed the ensemble.