Tim Connell
Dreamin’ Again
Pangea, NYC, January 21, 2022
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg
Tim Connell is a cabaret minimalist. From the casual elegance of his green sport jacket and vest to his limited props of a stool, a glass, and a decanter of water (all used sparingly) to his simplicity in presenting lyrics, this is a performer who lets his songs and his tales speak for themselves.
He is the most casual of story tellers who takes a pause and considers what he will share next. Even when drawn into a conversation with one or another member of the audience, he keeps it all light and moving along—no fuss. This approach allows the audience to relax and enjoy.
Connell’s song list is truly eclectic, ranging from Billy Joel to Sting to Jerry Herman and Stephen Sondheim. While his rhythms and body language may shift with the varying styles of the material, his clear enunciation and his musical flexibility remain consistent. But it is the emotion beneath each song that sets him apart, and brings fresh breath to even the most performed songs. One shining example is his crystalline freshness on “Skylark,” transforming it into something new and shimmering.
He and musical director James Followell selected the perfect opening number for a semi-post-pandemic show, “Summer in Highland Falls” (Billy Joel) with its dynamic drive.
Speaking of Followell, his emotional and expansive piano playing balances really well with Connell’s subtlety and creates a dynamic that fills the space with energy. He also provides beautiful vocal harmonizing on several numbers. He also created some highly effective medleys that brought out new meanings to both songs involved. “Bless the Beasts and the Children” (Barry De Vorzon, Perry Botkin, Jr.) and “Children Will Listen” (Sondheim) was poignant and almost painful in its passion for the youth; “Yesterday Once More” (Richard Carpenter /John Bettis) merged with “Sing” (Joe Raposo) made for a joyous celebration.
Connell has a powerful sense of humor, so his show was peppered with comic numbers, including a hilarious delivery of the deliciously racy “He Never Did That Before” (Debra Barsha/Mark Campbell), the intricate tongue-in-cheek Sondheim tribute “Playbill” (John Bucchino), again enhanced with Followell touches, and an updated “Anything Goes,” with delicious lyrics by Bryan Batt and Connell that even Cole Porter would approve of.
The entire evening was guided with a light touch by director Steven Petrillo. While a bit of trimming might have been wise for a show that had only the lightest of threads to hold it all together, spending an evening at the cabaret with the simple touch of Tim Connell was a present indeed.
