Scott Barbarino: Barbarino Takes a Nap for the Holidays

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Scott Barbarino

Barbarino Takes a Nap for the Holidays

Don’t Tell Mama, NYC, October 9, 2024

Reviewed by Bart Greenberg

Scott Barbarino and The BevNaps (l-r) JD Smurthwaite, Anna Anderson, Dylan Berkshire

Scott Barbarino has revived his MAC-winning trio The BevNaps (albeit with new vocalists) for a monthly series of holiday-related events based on 1950s and ’60s hits. This rollicking evening was a delightful mix of solos and group numbers, standards and forgotten gems, sincerity and camp. It was a show that managed to seem both improvisatory and well-rehearsed, and somehow it held together as an organic whole.

The BevNaps (short for beverage napkins) consisted of Dylan Berkshire, Anna Anderson, and music director JD Smurthwaite. Each one had their moment to shine, and each had distinct personalities. Berkshire seemed to be channeling Bobby Darin himself with his classic “Dream Lover,” and Anderson soared with “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” (Gerry Goffin/Carole King) as she evoked all The Shirelles in her single powerful voice; she also displayed a sly sense of humor. At the piano, Smurthwaite scored with another Darin specialty “More” (Riz Ortolari/Nino Oliviero) and warned the audience with a grin “if you know the words and want to sing along, please don’t.” Special guest star (there will be a different one each month) David Colbert showed versatility with his solid falsetto on “Only You” (Buck Ram) as the BevNaps backed him up à la The Platters. He then shifted to a lower register for the only holiday-related number of the evening, “Monster Mash” (Bobby Pickett/Lenny Capizzi). He even threw in a nice approximation of Boris Karloff’s famous accent.

But Barbarino was the definite center of the show as he regaled the audience with tales about the group’s history along with some quick and funny interactions with the audience. His sly Dean Martin impersonation on “Everybody Loves Somebody” (Sam Coslow/Irving Taylor & Ken Lane) delighted the audience, and his leading the BevNaps in The Duprees’ “Foolish Things” (Jack Strachy/Eric Mashwitz) brought a sentimental ending to the evening. The following shows promise to be just as endearing.

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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 & Noble, 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."