West Coaster Barry Lloyd made one of his periodic but all-too-infrequent appearances at New York’s Metropolitan Room, making a grand slam in carrying out all the performance tasks personally. He sang, he accompanied himself at the piano, he arranged all the numbers perhaps on the fly, and he totally charmed his way through a show almost an hour and a half in length. It was the first time he’s performed without other instrumentalists since 1999, he stated, and their absence never cast doubt on Lloyd’s ability to own the stage.

Opening the show in a you-and-me fashion by calling for the house lights to be raised – “I want to see what I’m dealing with” – Lloyd initiated a high-energy expansive performance that never let down. Referring to his show’s sub-title, Lloyd explained that a diseur is, essentially, a storyteller, and that was a fitting description of his approach to his show and his songs. The selections were wide-ranging, penned by a strikingly diverse group of composers that included Cy Coleman, Tom Jones, Billy Strayhorn, Ronny Graham, Jule Styne, Carol Hall and Lloyd himself. Originating primarily in the 'fifties to the 'seventies, the songs were fine cabaret fodder, although few so familiar that most everyone could hum along.

Dramatic in his piano arrangements as well as his vocals, his expansive manner often hit the top but never went over it. In an all-too-rare achievement, with his easy patter, he managed to interweave his seemingly random songs into a near-autobiographical narrative. A tale of a close but long-unseen friend arriving at his dressing room just prior to the show with an open bottle of champagne led into a grandly overstated “When I’m Drunk I’m Beautiful.” The New Faces of 1952 hit, “Penny Candy,” was preceded by recalling his growing up with his brothers in San Francisco, pressing his nose to the window of the local candy store.

Barry Lloyd is as theatrical a cabaret performer as one will find, managing to be flamboyant and exuberant while keeping his banter, singing and accompaniment moving along as smoothly as a gondola. It was a noble accomplishment, worthy of great admiration.

Peter Leavy
Cabaret Scenes
October 11, 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org