Kevin Chamberlin: Finding the Joy

Post author:Bart Greenberg
Post published:December 14, 2024
Reading time:3 mins read

Kevin Chamberlin

Finding the Joy

The Green Room 42, NYC, November 24, 2024

Reviewed by Bart Greenberg

Kevin Chamberlin, the multi-Tony-nominated Broadway star (he has the impressive achievement of having been nominated in three of the four acting categories) made his solo cabaret debut at The Green Room 42. It was not surprising that a man who has brought to life a heroic elephant and a creepy uncle in love with the moon would present such a varied evening that reflected on his life and his career highlights. He brought along some surprise guests who added greatly to the delight of the evening. In company with his music director/pianist Michael Orland and co-writer and director (and husband) Michael Ganz, he delighted his audience.

He began his show in a positive mood with a medley of songs about his happy place, the theater, that included “Get Happy” (Ted Koehler/Harold Arlen), “Make Someone Happy” (Betty Comden & Adolph Green/Jule Styne) and “Put on a Happy Face” (Lee Adams/Charles Strouse) that put the audience in just the right mood before he moved on to memories of his childhood. Those memories were reflected in “Sodomy” from Hair (Galt MacDermot/James Rado & Gerome Ragni) and “Times Like This” (Lynn Ahrens/Stephen Flaherty). The latter two songwriters would play a large part in his career when he played Horton in Seussical, from which he recreated “Alone in the Universe” in duet with one of his young students, the talented Joel Crumb. This was certainly one of the emotional highlights of the show.

Another highlight was “Mr. Cellophane” (John Kander/Fred Ebb), sung by the character Amos Hart in Chicago, the role he had played on Broadway with great warmth and understanding. He shifted gears and brought his buddy and former co-star Roger Bart on stage to recreate a number from Triumph of Love, “Henchmen Are Forgotten” (Jeffrey Stock/Susan Birkenhead); it stopped the show. For further joy, Chamberlin invited three high school classmates to join him on stage to recreate his sterling “If I Were King of the Forest” (Harold Arlen/E.Y. Harburg). He introduced them by first names only, but Jack, Susan, and a certain Seth (Rudetsky) joined in the outrageous fun. He brought the evening to a close with a very touching “Some Other Time” (Comden & Green/Styne). We certainly hope he’ll be back with another rewarding show some soon.

Tags: Nightclubs, American Songbook Association, Cabaret Scenes, Director, Roger Bart, Broadway Musicals, Mr. Cellophane, Musicals, Alone in the Universe, Fred Ebb, Henchmen Are Forgotten, Bart Greenberg, Lyricist, ASA, Chicago, Cabaret Reviews, Jeffrey Stock, Jule Styne, Susan Birkenhead, Charles Strouse, Music Director, CD Reviews, If I Were King of the Forest, Betty Comden, Seussical, Lee Adams, Kevin Chamberlin, Great American Songbook, Clubs, Adolph Green, Put on a Happy Face, NYC, Finding the Joy, Broadway, Get Happy, Hair, ohn Kander, Pianist, Michael Ganz, Harold Arlen, E.Y. Harburg, James Rado, Triumph of Love, songwriter, Ted Koehle, Seth Rudetsky, Michael Orland, Gerome Ragni, Vocalists, Sodomy, Cabaret, Some Other Time, Galt MacDermot, The Green Room 42, CD, Joel Crumb, Stephen Flaherty, composer, American Songbook, Times Like This, Singer, Amos Hart, Lynn Ahrens, Make Someone Happy

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."