Photo: David Andrako
“You’re just too good to be true,” goes the lyric of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” a signature hit for John Lloyd Young. Now in his eighth residency at the Café Carlyle, the line, the first of the night, also describes his dreamboat performance. Some men just don’t get old: Dark glasses cannot hide John Lloyd Young’s dimple-chinned prom date good looks, but then again, his music does not age either. Just ask his fans who follow wherever he plays, and return to the Carlyle night after night.
John Lloyd Young’s repertoire includes “Ming Ri Tian Ya (If Tomorrow Comes),” from a 1972 Taiwanese movie with a “Love Story” theme; a terminally ill man apologizes to his lover for leaving. Gabriel Ruiz’ “Usted,” extends the evening’s love theme. It’s the first song he learned in Spanish as a professional singer, he tells the rapt crowd. A medley of Roy Orbison’s songs includes “Only the Lonely” and features “Say No More,” written and shelved in 1969, until it was released in 2000. He lauds the “killer arrangement” for Rogers & Hammerstein’s “I Have Dreamed.” It’s clear he wants his fans focused on his musicianship, performing “Slow Dawn Calling,” and “Almost There,” songs he co-wrote with Faragher.
Cabaret is not, by definition, cutting edge. John Lloyd Young updates his repertoire with a tune from Crazy Rich Asians, Jon Hendricks’ “Wa Yao Ni Do Ai (I Want Your Love),” in Mandarin. Of course he’s best known for his Tony-winning role as Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys. I am proud of that, he says, and wanted to do well, but he wants everyone to know that he’s made this music his own. He closes the act with Jerry Fuller’s “Show and Tell,” before crooning “Sherrrrreee Baby.” As with his many fans, some songs just follow you around.
Graphic Design: Salpeter Ventura
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