By Bart Greenberg***New Orleans native Josh Daniel is a self-described Bayou Boy (naming his solo-debut cabaret show likewise), even though he’s not exactly sure what a bayou is. As a matter of fact, neither do his friends from his home town, many of whom were featured in a recurring series of videos throughout the evening—a 
very clever device to tie the event together and one of the several thoughtful touches in a show (at The Green Room 42) based on the virtue of “not knowing.”
With music director Robert Frost on the keys, bassist Tony Genovesi and Dominic LaMonte playing a variety of percussion instruments, the evening swung between rock and Broadway tunes (Daniel seemed more comfortable with the latter, but had great fun with the former). Early in the show, the singer delightfully joked around with a misleading “Epiphany” that he was a Catholic, but also comfortably speaking of being gay, beginning with memories of a sixth birthday with a Disney princess theme. The p
art of his world that was less comfortable was the violence of the weather, including the horrors of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. A mashup of “Louisiana 1927” (Randy Newman) and “It’s Amazing the Things That Float” (Peter Mills) was haunting, proving that Daniel could bring stillness to the stage as well as frantic energy.
Moving to more Broadway-oriented material, he offered a lovely version of “Colored Lights” (John Kander, Fred Ebb), rich in its detail. Even more fun for its theatricality was a medley of songs from Little Shop of Horror by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman: “Somewhere That’s Green,” ”Feed Me” and “Git It, ” adding great energy with the addition of puppeteer Eric Wright and vocalist Khadija Sankoh,
a powerhouse of a singer. Daniel had served as understudy to many of the performers in the current Off-Broadway revival, so he brought that authority to this sequence, which allowed for movement on the stage (he otherwise had an unfortunate tendency to plant himself center stage throughout most of the show). Another guest star for the evening was close friend Grey Henson, with whom he shared a great deal of chemistry on Madonna’s “True Blue.”
Taking a serious turn, Daniel explored what he did know about his battle with alcohol and maintaining his sobriety. Illustrating his struggle, he reached to the most obscure material of the evening with “No Champagne” (Joe Raposo, Dan Segal) from a long-ago Off-Broadway item called Sing, Muse! Paired with “Let Me Drown” (Orville Peck), this blend allowed Daniel to express his wide range of talent and style to deliver a very personal and intense moment. Following with “Forgiveness” (Matthew West), he created a fine dramatic arc. For someone who professes to find comfort in “not knowing,” Daniel sure knows—creating an excellent cabaret show.
