Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – From Bowery to Barrowman: An account of night life outings with THE BOWERY BOYS and JOHN BARROWMAN

• By drediman
• November 7, 2026
• No Comments

Over the past week or so, in between the covering the onslaught of fall theater openings, I’ve had the opportunity to sneak in a couple of night life outings, enjoying shows from the likes of acclaimed podcast duo The Bowery Boys, as well as veteran West End leading man John Barrowman. As per usual, read on for my thoughts.

THE BOWERY BOYS: GHOST STORIES OF OLD NEW YORK
Joe’s Pub

This Halloween, I chose to immerse myself in the spirit of the popular secular holiday by attending, for my first time, The Bowery Boys’ Ghost Stories of Old New York (RECOMMENDED), a live podcast recording that has become an annual tradition at Joe’s Pub. Although advertised as an evening of ghost stories, what audiences get instead here is a multi-faceted affair in terms of overall entertainment. Indeed, in essence, the recording session collides history lesson, ghostly storytelling, and cabaret, making for a surprisingly balanced experience. The show is hosted by Greg Young and Tom Meyers, who have made a name for themselves as the talents behind the popular The Bowery Boys Podcast, which has garnered a fan base for its tastefully curated, well researched stories and the duo’s effortless rapport. Both are intelligent and personable, and they throw off a pleasant retro air. This “old” New York vibe carries over to music director Andrew Austin and vocalist Lisa Karlin, who lend the show a sense of levity with the occasional lighthearted, albeit Halloween-appropriate ditty. Suffice to say, the show is not necessarily frightening as it is fascinating. You see, The Bowery Boys are less interested in scaring audiences as they are invested in investigating the historical characters and circumstances — namely from New York’s Gilded Age — around alleged spectral occurrences. This year, they regaled the sold out Joe’s Pub gathering with four discrete segments, namely spooky speculations around the curious happenings at the imposing Bailey Mansion House, the humble beginnings of the Spiritualism movement, the 1865 fire that destroyed Barnum’s famous museum of curiosities, and the possible connection between Harry Houdini’s masterful illusions and Spiritualism. To their credit as storytellers, Young and Meyers elegantly tied these seemingly disparate threads together, giving the overarching experience a satisfying thematic through-line. Taken as a whole, Ghost Stories of Old New York is greater than the sum of its parts. Also worth mentioning is the visual aspect of being able to observe subtle body language shifts and facial expressions — delicious details that are otherwise lost by merely listening to the podcast.

JOHN BARROWMAN
54 Below

Then over at 54 Below, veteran West End leading man John Barrowman intimately held court for a room full of his eclectic fans with his latest cabaret act (RECOMMENDED), a breezy show he’s been touring extensively abroad. Although beloved for his appearances in such television series as Doctor Who, Torchwood, and Arrow (there were even a few audience members at the show I attended who came in costume to reference these shows), Barrowman’s showing stuck squarely to his long and accomplished career in musical theater, which has included starring appearances in such shows as Sunset Boulevard, Anything Goes, La Cage Aux Folles, The Phantom of the Opera, and Miss Saigon. Although primarily a star of the London stage, he’s made some notable appearances on our side of the pond, namely as Bobby in Company as part of the celebrated Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration in 2002, as well as being featured as a member of the wonderful ensemble cast of Putting It Together on Broadway in 1999. Overall, Barrowman put on an undeniably entertaining show, getting much mileage from his gay card and terrifically hamming up all the while. The act was evenly balanced between charismatic bantering, amusing storytelling (a couple of recounted episodes involving Dame Elaine Paige, with whom he co-starred in Anything Goes and Sunset Boulevard, were to die for) and fine singing. Indeed, I’m happy to report that Barrowman’s voice remains in fantastic shape, and every bit as robust as in the recordings I’ve heard him in (throughout the evening, Barrowman was accompanied capably and gamely by music director Ben Papworth on piano). In terms of his set list, some highlights included a convincingly youthful “Corner of the Sky” from Pippin (one of his first audition songs), a dramatically nuanced mash-up of “With One Look” and “Sunset Boulevard” from Sunset Boulevard, and sophisticated takes on “I Get a Kick Out of You” and “Anything Goes” from Anything Goes. But perhaps best of all were his two closing numbers — the one-two punch of “Being Alive/Marry Me a Little” from Company and “I Am Who I Am” from La Cage aux Folles — which he imbued with genuine personal meaning and his effortlessly winning personality.