The Return of Scott Barbarino and the Bev-Naps

Scott Barbarino & The Bev-Naps is a group with a long history in contemporary cabaret. The one constant, of course, is Barbarino, who plays a mock Dean Martin kind of character while his backup group has been ever-changing. The current edition of the Bev-Naps has been recruited from Ellen's Stardust Diner. They're a talented bunch of guys who sound so solid together it was surprising that Barbarino didn't take greater advantage of them in their recent show at the Metropolitan Room.

Curiously, while the current crop of Bev-Naps is all new, much of the musical material in the act is not. Most of the same classic '50s and '60s pop songs used in earlier shows were performed in the most recent show, among them "Everybody Loves Somebody" and "Twilight Time" with the same arrangements as before. If you haven't seen the act before, well, it's more than a bit slapdash but the music, at least, is nostalgically satisfying.

The one really wacky addition was the appearance both early and then late in the show by a young wild man identified only as Zach. While neither of his numbers clicked in the show, it was readily apparent that this young man is immensely talented and simply needs a strong director to help focus his gift. His rendition of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" was a train wreck, but not many trains can crash at that kind of speed! The debacle was mighty impressive!

Scott Barbarino and the Bev-Naps return to the Metropolitan Room for another show on Thursday, August 28th at 7:30 pm. Visit www.metropolitanroom.com for more information.


-- Barbara and Scott Siegel (The Two of Clubs) ©www.talkinbroadway.com