Review: AN EVENING WITH JOSH HENRY at The Cabaret

By: Feb. 25, 2019
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Review: AN EVENING WITH JOSH HENRY at The Cabaret

The draw is easy: Joshua Henry, Broadway star, with a meteoric rise which includes HAMILTON. Enough said, right? But therein lies the beauty of the setting of a cabaret. It lays bare all of the flashing lights and glittering glare of a huge stage and leaves one element standing at the heart of it all: the performer.

Luckily for audiences at The Cabaret this Saturday evening, Joshua Henry showed with utter surety that his claim to fame has not been acquired under false pretenses. Instead, he approached the evening with a quite humble and unadorned approach.

What first struck us about his performance was his wardrobe choice. A white t-shirt. Nice jeans. Another item to note was his "band." A single guitar. There is a certain level of confidence (and perhaps a dash of cockiness) that leads a performer to put their trust into such a simple setup. It also added to the intimacy of the evening. It is rather hard to be star-struck by a man in a white t-shirt with his guitar. And perhaps a few drops of sweat. Or many, as the case may be. Regardless, it creates a sense of home and humbleness that enhances the experience.

Now to the heart of it all. The music. It was an eclectic mix very obviously chosen by Joshua Henry himself. It felt in many ways like the mixtapes of old on which you put the tracks that spoke to your very soul. It seemed as though he was sharing his soul's mixtape with us, lending us an unprecedented look into the songs that keep him singing and that push him to rise further.

The vocals were like listening to water undulating in a sure, steady, but gentle pulse against the shore. It ebbed and flowed to lend softness or power as needed. And certain moments were made to make you smile or laugh. It was never meant to be taken too seriously but as a representation of the best parts of his musical gift. It shockingly could not be described as showing off, although, with a voice like that, it would be hard to blame him. It was warm, it was welcoming, and it was well worth it.

It would not have been a thorough cabaret experience without a personal touch, and Joshua Henry was keen to let the world know how parenthood has shaped and changed his outlook on life. It lent another lens to the experience of his performance, pushing the audience to see life again through the eyes of a child or through eyes of someone who wants to make the world magical for a child. That addition made it more than music and more than performance and instead pushed into your thoughts and made you want to feel alongside him.

In summation, to enjoy a night at The Cabaret with Joshua Henry was to enjoy a journey into his musical soul and the see with new eyes what music can do to shape the world. The city of Indianapolis is lucky to have had such a star visit and such a venue to host what proved to be a very memorable evening.



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