Nathan Lee Graham
All Things Bright and Beautiful
The Green Room 42, NYC, October 11, 2018
Reviewed by Randolph B. Eigenbrode for Cabaret Scenes
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines singular as “being out of the ordinary: unusual.”
Nathan Lee Graham, full of expressive magnetism, is indeed an anomaly. While he spends time in this showcase extolling talents he finds truly singular, including the evening’s sole composer—Stephen Sondheim—it’s Graham’s individuality in both artistry and persona that makes for a remarkable evening.
Simply put: Graham does what he wants, when he wants.
There’s his overly rolled Rs and impeccable diction (with a mid-Atlantic accent that sounds right out of the MGM finishing school). There’s the flashy but classy ensemble he slinks around in as he owns the stage, itself dressed with vibrant accoutrement. And the arrangements, courtesy of top-notch MD Tracy Stark, are unexpected and original.
His voice has a rich bottom end, particularly evident in a bossa nova “Love I Hear,” and his vibrato teeters between shimmer and rapid-fire shot gun, at times recalling Eartha Kitt.
His physicality also alternates between economical restraint and expressive abandon, particularly in his hands, which seemingly have a mind of their own. Of course, there’s the brazen persona which could be an easy distraction from Graham’s dexterity as an actor.
But it’s his interpretations that have the most lasting effect.
Graham presents the situations, almost conversationally with his audience, yet never comments on them. “Good Thing Going,” free of any cheap sentiment, cuts like glass with chilling stillness.
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A driving “There Won’t be Trumpets” comes alive with assured bravado. And “Could I Leave You?” cements Graham’s mastery in its sardonic playfulness. It’s this fiery and sly combo that reverberates on a theatrical level, typically difficult to put over in a cabaret room, that Graham winningly achieves.
With the docket consistently full of performers who seemingly seek the approval of their audiences, what a relief it is to experience an artist who eschews endorsement. And it’s this quality, bright and beautiful in itself, that makes Graham truly singular.
