Jeff Harnar: I Know Things Now: My Life in Sondheim’s Words

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Jeff Harnar

I Know Things Now: My Life in Sondheim’s Words

Laurie Beechman Theatre, NYC, June 15, 2022

Reviewed by Bart Greenberg

Jeff Harnar
Photo: Helane Blumfield

Just when you thought you had seen every Stephen Sondheim tribute possible, along came Jeff Harnar and I Know Things Now: My Life in Sondheim’s Words, his compelling, surprising, and mesmerizing interweaving of more than 37 songs by the maestro. Some were delivered as snippets; some were given full treatment. Some of the juxtapositions were dramatically resonant (merging “Buddy’s Blues” and “Sorry-Grateful”), and some added comic ingenuity (“I’m Calm” and “Getting Married Today”). Of course, it is impossible to know who contributed what in these cases, but Harnar’s golden team of director Sondra Lee and music director Jon Weber joined with the singer seamlessly to achieve the heights of this program. The evening was also a celebration of the concurrent release of Harnar’s same-named CD from PS Classics which features a full orchestra and guest star KT Sullivan. At the Beechman, the “orchestra” consisted of Weber, drummer Ray Marchica, and bassist Steve Doyle, who were far more than fine.

Harnar has lost none of his fine musicality and has gained tremendously in his dramatic interpretation of lyrics. Not a syllable is sung that is not invested with meaning. When he sang to the wonderful new man in his life (“The Best Thing That Has Ever Happened to Me”) or when he watched him depart (a heartbreaking “What Can You Lose?”), we could see the lover through his eyes. He was also adept at moving back and forth between outwardly directed conversation and interior monologue (in a complete one-act play that consisted of “The Little Things You Do Together,” “Marry Me a Little,” “I’m Calm,” and “Getting Married Today”). There were fresh interpretations of songs taken out of their original context so that “I Know Things Now” became about sex, complete with lascivious wolf calls that recurred at appropriate moments throughout the program.

Other highlights included a slyly camp delivery of “Can That Boy Foxtrot” that surprisingly included some lyrics from West Side Story; it flowed perfectly. It showed that there was an underlying assumption that the audience was also smart and knowledgeable enough to get the abundant musical jokes. On the other hand, “Send in the Clowns” was delivered with a cool simplicity that just hinted at the emotions bubbling below the surface. It was devastating. Mention should be made of the only non-Sondheim material of the evening; Harnar’s encore of a riotous and smart take of “Sondheim’s Oklahoma!” by Rick Crom; it was a dazzling delivery of copious lyrics that paid honor to both lyricists, mentor, and student.

This was an evening brimming with deep emotion, wit, and intelligence; it showed respect for the songwriter and for the audience. What more could one ask for? It was one of those nights at the cabaret when everyone in attendance was simply grateful for being alive.

Bart Greenberg

Bart Greenberg first discovered cabaret a few weeks after arriving in New York City by seeing Julie Wilson and William Roy performing Stephen Sondheim and Cole Porter outdoors at Rockefeller Center. It was instant love for both Ms. Wilson and the art form. Some years later, he was given the opportunity to create his own series of cabaret shows while working at Tower Records. "Any Wednesday" was born, a weekly half-hour performance by a singer promoting a new CD release. Ann Hampton Callaway launched the series. When Tower shut down, Bart was lucky to move the program across the street to Barnes & Nobel, where it thrived under the generous support of the company. The series received both The MAC Board of Directors Award and The Bistro Award. Some of the performers who took part in "Any Wednesday" include Barbara Fasano and Eric Comstock, Tony Desare, Andrea Marcovicci, Carole Bufford, the Karens, Akers, Mason and Oberlin, and Julie Wilson. Privately, Greenberg is happily married to writer/photographer Mark Wallis, who as a performance artist in his native England gathered a major following as "I Am Cereal Killer."