Many know Jason Danieley as that dreamy tenor in Broadway musicals like Candide, The Full Monty, Floyd Collins and currently Curtains. His look at Love: A Work in Progress at Birdland, however, illuminated additional facets of this St. Louis, Missouri native who started singing in his father's church when he was four years old and did not even think of a musical career until college.

Love: A Work in Progress is pure Americana reaching back to the Jazz Age with a vivacious "All of Me," accompanied by Michael Aarons' plucky banjo. Even farther back was one of the show's high points, Stephen Foster's, "No One to Love," romantically sad, yet remindful of an undercurrent of optimism in the words like, "this beautiful world."

His show had a theatrical arc—the enthusiasm of finding love, the promise in Lionel Bart's "As Long As She Needs Me" and the uneasiness in "Something to Say," (George Michaels), the loss of love and the regret reflected in music director, Dan Lipton's, "Honey." A notably tender moment was Adam Guettel's "Love to Me" from The Light in the Piazza. Pure silliness was Chuck Berry's "My Ding-a-Ling" in sing-a-long, an audience pleaser. "Be My Love" (Cahn/Brodszky) was closest to the captivating vocal tone most associated with Danieley. Here he brought it up to a belt with a dramatic key change and the sweet accompaniment of Christian Hebel on violin.

Danieley is a trained vocalist who can draw on hearty chest tones, warm vibrato and head voice, and professional microphone use. He also shows a likeable ease on the cabaret stage and a jaunty sense of humor. He was supported by top-grade backup musicians, including the above mentioned Dan Lipton, Michael Aarons and Christian Hebel, as well as bassist Mark Vanderpoel, Damien Bassman on percussion, and Theresa McCarthy with back-up vocals.

Jason Danieley's final song on the subject was, "Spread A Little Love Around" (Harley Allen/ John Wiggins), with a final word of advice from his great-grandfather: "You be good and I'll try."

Elizabeth Ahlfors
Cabaret Scenes
February 4, 2008
www.cabaretscenes.org