Tim Connell …and so it goes

Tim Connell is charming and sincere. He has a splendid voice, acting chops, and a gift for communicating with audiences.

“Monday comes, and it feels like the end of the line/There’s nothing to say, there’s nowhere to go/There’s no one to listen…” (“Wait Till You See What’s Next” – Jason Robert Brown) Helluva way to open a show. “Lately I’m running on my reserves and my reserves are fumes…” Connell has apparently had a tough time during the pandemic and/or at this point in his life. We empathize. Though Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “The Waters of March” shows excitement with simple things, uplift doesn’t hold.

“…perfect moments have their perfect endings and that’s how I’ll remember you,” he sings with a deep sigh. (“Perfect” – Ann Hampton Callaway.) An instrumental parentheses finds the performer wistful, reflective, never breaking focus. “There was this man…” he tells us. The next two song choices are fearful, melancholy. Frame of mind pervasive, tunes lack real melody – a surprising issue throughout the show by a vocalist whose skill with lyricism is superb. (That a Connell show is articulate and honest is a given.)

“I Need to Find the Child in Me Again” (“Child in Me Again” Annie Dinerman) is apt. “I’m just gonna say it, we all need, hanker for, want kindness…” Two more downcast songs follow. There are clouds over the room.

I don’t understand the inclusion of Bruce Springsteen’s “Thunder Road.” Though it speaks of a hopeful run-for-it, Connell employs southern/rock lilt to his speech and uncomfortably drops consonants. It lands inauthentic. John Bucchino’s descriptive “Sweet Dreams,” on the other hand feels natural, personal.

By the time the artist gets to “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”(Eric Idle), we’re more than ready – yes, please!- to join in the chorus. Connell genially ambles to and fro across the small stage whistling. (Having toured in Spamalot, the song is organic in his hands.) “I see the world through your eyes/And possibilities expand…” he sings next implying battered respite. (“Infinite Joy,” William Finn.)

An encore includes Harry Nilsson’s “Remember” and a heartfelt  “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” (Hugh Martin/Ralph Blanes) both lovely – though where are we in the journey? The show is both dark and lacks a path to follow. And no, one doesn’t require constant optimism, but selections could be better balanced – and more melodic.

My caveats are unusual for a Connell show. I remain a fan and will return to the next offering with anticipation.

Tim Connell…and so it goes
Director-Stephen Petrillo Musical Director/Pianist – James Followell

Pangea 
178 Second Avenue at 11th Street

Again on Saturday 17, 2022

About Alix Cohen (1706 Articles)
Alix Cohen is the recipient of ten New York Press Club Awards for work published on this venue. Her writing history began with poetry, segued into lyrics and took a commercial detour while holding executive positions in product development, merchandising, and design. A cultural sponge, she now turns her diverse personal and professional background to authoring pieces about culture/the arts with particular interest in artists/performers and entrepreneurs. Theater, music, art/design are lifelong areas of study and passion. She is a voting member of Drama Desk and Drama League. Alix’s professional experience in women’s fashion fuels writing in that area. Besides Woman Around Town, the journalist writes for Cabaret Scenes, Broadway World, TheaterLife, and Theater Pizzazz. Additional pieces have been published by The New York Post, The National Observer’s Playground Magazine, Pasadena Magazine, Times Square Chronicles, and ifashionnetwork. She lives in Manhattan. Of course.