jackbenny's Tuneful Show Is a Smartly Delivered Crowd-pleaser -

By Michael Barbieri****Music that’s tuneful, entertaining and thought provoking? Oh, yeah, I’m on board for that! With All Aboard the Train of Thought, twin brothers Jack and Benny Lipson, known professionally as jackbenny, have created a show that features a diverse musical mix of jazz, pop, Broadway and cabaret. Their recent engagement at the Birdland Theatre was a smart, fun, crowd-pleasing evening that showcased the brothers’ many talents.

Based primarily in Los Angeles, Jack and Benny have played with stars like Idina Menzel, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, Barry Manilow and others at iconic venues like The Hollywood Bowl and Disney Hall. They also serve as the house band for Jonnie Reinhart’s Revolver Revue and A Queer Cabaret, where they’ve collaborated with Darren Criss, Michael Arden and others. They co-founded For Good: a monthly night of showtunes to save the world, they curate events for Center Theatre Group and they’re currently preparing two musical engagements for the L.A. Philharmonic in 2020. I first encountered jackbenny over a year ago, when they were the band for drag diva Anita Procedure (aka Jonnie Reinhart). In my review of that show, I called the brothers “a show unto themselves.” This new act certainly proved that to be true!

All Aboard the Train of Thought began with an announcement over the sound system that “the train is now departing,” followed by a toot on a train whistle and a slowly chugging rhythm on the bongos from their superb drummer, Spencer Inch. The rhythm led into “Train of Thought,” a brisk welcoming tune with Benny on acoustic bass and smooth vocals, while Jack, on piano, delivered his verse with a sharper, more staccato feel. Eventually, both parts of the song combined to create a wonderful counterpoint—sort of a double-decker train, as they put it. Their follow-up, “I Wanna Hold You,” featuring Benny on electric bass, had a sort of free-form jazz-rock feel to it as well as ironic lyrical twists like “I wanna hold you… accountable.” It was an intriguing, amusing start to a show that just got better as it chugged along!

The cleverness continued with “Draft Dodger Rag,” an acoustic mockery, as they called it, which dealt with the physical and psychological issues used as excuses not to serve in the military. With Benny on acoustic guitar, the song brought to mind the humorous, folksy styles of Country Joe McDonald or Arlo Guthrie, with lyrics like “I’m only 18, I got a ruptured spleen and I always carry a purse.” We were also treated to two beautiful love ballads: “Frankly, Plainly, Simply,” a song about the simplicity of what was actually a very complex song and “Occupations,” a sweet, lilting melody about the need for love, no matter what your profession.

Guest singer Catriona Fray joined the boys for “National Weather Service Warning,” a subtly political piece about climate change—the social climate, that is. Her lovely, strong soprano lent power to this fiery piece, which we were told is the opening number for Brainstorm, an original jackbenny musical. Jack then soloed on “Asking,” a wistful song about coming out and the inevitable questions one has during the process. This segued into Benny’s rendition of “Queer,” a lighthearted but compelling ballad about labels and self-identification. Each brother brought poignancy and self-reflective humor to these tandem songs, which I’ve begun to think of as their signature number. At the end of the piece, they were joined by Jonnie Reinhart and saxophonist Nathan Farrell. Together they exemplified the lyrics “We’re arranging a new common truth… the world is queer like me, like me, like me.” By creating lovely harmonies and indeed a sense of unity and family onstage, they made the moment even more powerful.

Other notable songs included “The Warmth of a Stranger,” a romantic, 1950s style ballad featuring sensitive piano work, and a seductive vocal from Jack and “The Eye Doctor Song,” another political jab which asked questions like “Can we really see clearly in 2020? Can we stay focused… our vision corrected in 2020?” The message of hope and positivity, along with more gorgeous harmonies from the brothers and Catriona Fray, really brought the whole evening together and made the entire journey worthwhile!

The boys wrapped up the evening with a few more songs, including a “Train of Thought” reprise, which brought one of my favorite lyrics of the night: “This locomotive journey soon ends as we’ve now reached our caboose. We ask that you stay seated until the show’s completed, then vamoose!” But once the train reached the terminus, nobody stayed seated; we, the passengers, rewarded the brothers with a rousing ovation!

Previously, I had only known the Lipson brothers for the “Asking/Queer” medley they had performed with Anita Procedure. This show made me a fan of their intelligent, textured, multi-layered songs and their modern jazzy style. If you should see the jackbenny train pull into a station near you, hop aboard—because this is one musical trip you’ll be glad to take!