Titus Burgess
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, Scottsdale, AZ, January 23, 2025
Reviewed by Lynn Timmons Edwards

The Scottsdale Center booked Titus Burgess as part of its Broadway Series. That was appropriate, given his Broadway credits, which include the roles of Harold Zidler in Moulin Rouge, Nicely-Nicely Johnson in the 2009 revival of Guys and Dolls, and (when he was in his mid-20s) Sebastian in The Little Mermaid. But he is better known for his television work on the Apple TV+ series Schmigadoon! and his starring role in the Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
Four talented musicians backed Burgess who referred to them as the “Tight-Ass” band. They were featured on several solo jazz numbers and could headline at The Nash or the MIM Theatre on their own. As a singer, Burgess is hard to categorize. He opened like a rock singer with “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” (Roland Orzabal/Ian Stanely/Chris Hughes), followed by two John Mayer songs: “Bigger Than My Body” and “Stop the Train.” He declared that he doesn’t like to talk much (not true) and that didn’t have any fucking stories. But I spied a cabaret singer in there somewhere when he talked about his aging parents and the time he spent flying before he sat on a stool to sing “Stop the Train.” Here, his voice was more conversational, and the lyrics were clearer.
Burgess has a huge tenor voice which he showed off on “Goldfinger” (John Barry/Leslie Bricusse/Anthony Newley). He ventured into the house with the lights up to flirt with the audience who adored the attention. He followed with two Cole Porter songs recorded by Bette Midler, “I Still Got My Health” and “Miss Otis Regrets.” I thought he rushed them both. “Guess Who I Saw Today” (Murray Grand/Elisse Boyd) found him back on the stool and slightly more contemplative, but there were too many unnecessary vocal flourishes. Jason Robert Brown’s “King of the World” got too loud and was pitched too high, and I lost the thread of the story. I would love to see him work with Lina Koutrakos and Sue Matsuki on a show because he’s “got the goods.”
After intermission, he came out into the audience for an extended Q&A, which was enlightening. He admitted to being more comfortable in front of a camera, but he is going back to Broadway to star in a play to be announced in a couple of weeks. He is now 45 and manages his Type 2 diabetes. He is an only child who spent time alone or with adults and credits himself for his sense of humor and knowing who he is. He is the composer/lyricist of a new Broadway-bound musical, The Preacher’s Wife, based on the film of the same name. The audience was small but full of devoted fans who had more questions than he had time to answer. We got his bio, news, and gossip without Seth Rudetsky being there to probe him.
Burgess and his band finished with a Gershwin medley that culminated in a stellar “I Loves You, Porgy.” His voice was so high that a song can become genderless and the music takes over. Although there was little Broadway in this Broadway Series offering, he left us with “Poor Unfortunate Souls” (Alan Menken/Howard Ashman from The Little Mermaid). He nailed the character of Ursula from start to finish and admitted it was a part he really wanted to play. Burgess has earned his star status with his talent and over two decades of work, and he brought his authentic self to Scottsdale for his Arizona debut.