Rob Sutton's recent Don't Tell Mama show, "Not the Boy Next Door," was not so much an autobiographical program as it was a deeply personal musical reverie on what it means to live an authentic, self-aware life. That theme was hinted at in the show's opening number, Alan Jay Lerner and Burton Lane's "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever," cabaret's go-to song when it's time for exploring issues of self-fulfillment.
Sutton sang the number in a deep, rich, strong voice—full of fervor and perfect for ballads with an anthemic dimension. Yet he wasn't bombastic. He had a centered presence, and every few seconds he would flash a reassuring smile. He followed up "Clear Day" with two rousing numbers that helped explain further the territory he would be covering during the set: "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (Bono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr.) and "Not the Boy Next Door" (Peter Allen). Collectively those three songs established Sutton as an introspective seeker who refuses to put on a front in order to live up to other people's expectations.
Only after the third number did Sutton take a break from the music to speak to the audience. He explained his belief that living an authentic life involves not harboring any secrets. This idea was explored in a sequence built around the song "Secrets" (Mary Lambert, Maureen McDonald, Eric Rosse, Benedetto Rotondi). (Sutton's version included some lyrics apparently written just for him. I checked online; the lyrics Lambert sang don't seem to mention a sex sling). The secrets that Sutton revealed in this sequence dealt with gluttony, vanity, and incidents of wild abandon. Some of his confessions were met with an "I've been there" nod from the audience, while at least one earned a "you didn't just go there!" gasp.
During the remainder of the show, Sutton became more specific about his personal journey. He talked about his experience with online dating—which, unsurprisingly, involved players not at all concerned with being authentic. He spoke of growing up in a churchy Arkansas home, and of making the first tentative move toward breaking away from a religion that made him feel unworthy and "icky." He confessed that fulfilling his boyhood dream of performing in a Broadway musical didn't give him the satisfaction he imagined it might. Sutton's inclusion of this particular revelation was the most provocative and even daring sequence of the show, as he ran the risk of being viewed as ungrateful. He explained his disappointment frankly yet sensitively—and without a single allusion to the Peggy Lee hit "Is That All There Is [to being on Broadway]?"
Toward the end of the show, he described how, in his early teens, he learned via MTV just how invigorating secular pop music could be. This led to a crowd-pleasing mega-medley, in which he sang snippets of every number-one pop hit from 1984—everything from "Karma Chameleon" to "Footloose" to the theme from Ghostbusters. Several of the chart-toppers he sampled are not especially accomplished compositions, but Sutton made them all sound fresh and energetic.
As an encore, Sutton allowed pianist-musical director Steven Ray Watkins, percussionist Donna Kelly, guitarist Ted Stafford, and bass guitarist Dan Fabricatore to sit things out while he accompanied himself on piano and sang the contemplative "I Was Here" (Hillary Scott, Gary Burr, Victoria Shaw), which expresses the desire to do "something that matters." This made for a nicely scaled-down, personalized sign-off.
With the help of Watkins and director Lennie Watts, Sutton fashioned a show that was consistent in tone both thematically and musically. My sense is that the songs had been picked largely to reflect Sutton's own background and temperament. They were mostly numbers with a pop-rock or folky-country-pop vibe. The only inclusions of theatre music—other than “On a Clear Day”—were "A Change in Me" (Alan Menken, Tim Rice) from Beauty and the Beast and a spirited "Goodbye Until Tomorrow" (Jason Robert Brown) from The Last Five Years. It would be exciting to hear what Sutton's big warm voice could do with more rousing ballads from traditional musical theatre. But there will be room for such forays in engagements yet to come. That is, if Sutton finds cabaret to be a good outlet for accomplishing "something that matters." Let's keep our fingers crossed that he will.
"Not the Boy Next Door"
Don't Tell Mama – April 27, May 2, 6
