Oh, Boy!

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Australian chanteur Darren Williams, who has spent the last several seasons delighting audiences both in mainstream theatrical productions in his homeland and on cruise ships, recently brought his one-man show and Peter Allen tribute, Not the Boy Next Door, to the Metropolitan Room. While the hour might occasionally smack of being a tad too glitzy and over-the-top, for the most part Williams isn't merely captivating, but paints an absolutely glorious love letter to the late great composer and showman.

With his face eerily reminiscent of Andy Gibb and endless amounts of sex appeal, and accompanied by the resplendent Dennis Buck on piano along with Ray Kilday on bass and Ray Grappone on drums, it's a mere few moments after opening the show on a rendering of the title number, that Williams hits his stride with a gorgeously-communicated coupling of "I Could Have Been A Sailor" and the haunting "Harbour." Another coupling, namely the sultry and enticing "6:30 Sunday Morning," packs a punch when delivered in tandem with arguably the only version of "Two Boys" in the history of cabaret's last four decades worth hearing, save for the late Mr. Allen's own rendition; in point of fact, this beautiful song, which has for so long been brushed off as a joke when delivered by other artists, is completely revitalized in the capable hands and voice of Williams, and is followed by a version of "Bi-Coastal" that proves not merely supercharged, but super-sexy.

By the time Williams settles into "Quiet Please, There's A Lady On Stage," in which he accompanies himself on the ivories, and more than capably, besides explaining that the song was written by Allen in tribute to both Judy Garland and Julie Wilson, he's then gnawing at our communal soul with a pairing of "Don't Cry Out Loud" and "I Honestly Love You," followed shortly by ripping the audience to emotional shreds once and for all, with "Tenterfield Saddler." And "Once Before I Go" provides a perfect ending, before a high-powered encore of the perpetual favorite, "I Go To Rio."

Whether or not this show adds up to a typical evening of what one might want to see on a cabaret stage, is anyone's guess. It's extremely flashy, full of a nightclub idiom that some might consider unappealing, and there's one bit in particular when Williams flexes his pectoral muscles in a bizarre and oft-disconcerting display of physical acrobatics. But given the whole of the evening as opposed to the sum of its parts, Not the Boy Next Door is absolutely worth catching when next it graces a club in New York City. If nothing else, those who wish to attend should by all means bring a guest from out of town, or a loved one visiting from Australia, for they are certain to simply enjoy every second therein.