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SHOW BUSINESS Magazine

There aren’t too many cabaret performers who offer such oldies as There’s No Place Like Home or Those Endearing Young Charms. Russell Brauer, however, is a fan of old songs, and in his show at Danny’s Skylight Room even included a Civil War tune by Stephen Foster. Although he also offered more modern tunes, he was still most at home with standards. The robust 1939 Dietrich signature song, The Boys in the Back Room, Garland’s Over the Rainbow and the Burke/Van Heusen Here’s That Rainy Day are about as contemporary as he wants to be. The program delivered what the title promised: Russell Brauer singing, while Paul Greenwood’s arrangements and accompaniment tastefully complemented Brauer’s collection of songs.

Brauer has a lot going for him. His chatter with the audience about his search for an apartment and adopting a St. Bernard is both personable and ingratiating. So much so, that it’s doubly surprising when he surrenders that connection to his audience in much of his singing. His wide-ranging and resonant bass baritone is an instrument that would have many vocalists seething with envy. But it is so striking that he takes advantage of it too frequently to substitute a big delivery for a meaningful rendition of the lyrics. The ability is clearly there. In a few numbers, such as Rodgers and Hart’s You’re Nearer, and Over the Rainbow, his interpretation is right on the mark. What would considerably enhance Brauer’s cabaret performance is a director to concentrate his focus on the lyrics and rein in random body language while he sings.

Peter Leavy
Cabaret Scenes, December 11, 2005
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