British heartthrob Julian Ovenden made a critically-acclaimed Broadway debut last October in the revival of Simon Gray's Butley, starring opposite such heavy-hitters as Nathan Lane and Dana Ivey. But it's his cabaret debut at the Metropolitan Room this January that has theatre and cabaret insiders buzzing, asking themselves how someone with such a fantastic voice could have been doing a play (and not starring in a musical!) all these months. Talk about hiding your light under a bushel.

But what's news to us in the states is a well-known fact in Great Britain. Ovenden made a name for himself in musicals like Grand Hotel and Merrily We Roll Along at the Donmar Warehouse while also starring on three hit UK television shows: Foyle's War, The Royal and The Forsyte Saga. He has a creamy, rich lyric tenor that's most surprising for it's ability to sound radically different depending on what genre of music he's singing - and he sings everything brilliantly. Accompanied by musical director and frequent Sondheim collaborator, Paul Ford, Ovenden turned to director Scott Wittman (Hairspray) to assist him with his nightclub debut and, together, they came up with a fascinating and fun melange of material.

A raw, sexual magnetism exudes out of Ovenden when singing the Welsh pop star Tom Jones' hits "I (Who Have Nothing)" and "Thunderball" (though no underwear was thrown at him); when singing Italian and Spanish art songs his voice modulates to an impressive operatic sound that evinces obvious classical training; when singing Broadway standards like "I Wish It So" and "Make Someone Happy" Ovenden's voice shifts registers to that of an experienced West End balladeer, and, finally, when singing the British standards of Ivor Novello, such as "And Her Mother Came Too" and "We'll Gather Lilacs in the Spring," his voice mellows into a vintage music-hall wistfulness that recalls the iconic sound of the 20's and 30's. All in all, it's an impressive feat, vocally. Add to the mix that Ovenden is distractingly handsome and totally comfortable on-stage in front of an intimate crowd, and you have one spectacular debut. Whether singing Steven Sondheim's "Finishing the Hat" or Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" (whereon he accompanied himself on the piano!), Julian Ovenden knows exactly what he’s doing and is a name American's are going to be hearing a lot more of very soon.

David Hurst
Cabaret Scenes
June 24, 2007
www.cabaretscenes.org