By Michael Barbieri***In his wonderful show, Extra! Extra!, Scott Raneri sang “It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish and you’re gonna finish on top.” Well, Raneri was definitely on top! On top of his game, that is! This show ticked a lot of boxes for me—it was charming, cohesive, relatable and above all, very entertaining.
Scott Raneri is a Broadway World and MAC Award nominee for his 2019 show The Marvelous Mr Marzo. He has appeared in The Tempest and Of Mice and Men at the Fairbanks Theater in Alaska, A Christmas Carol at the Walnut Street Theater of Philadelphia, Beauty and the Beast at Theatre West Virginia and A Little Night Music at the Orlando Shakespeare Theatre of Florida. He has also appeared extensively as an extra in films and television. This was the jumping off point for Extra! Extra!
The set list for the entire show was thoughtfully chosen and absolutely perfect. Opening with “Let Me Entertain You” (S. Sondheim, J. Styne) and a personalized “I’m the Greatest Star” (J. Styne, B. Merrill) with special, show-specific lyrics by Director Mark Corpron, Raneri not only set up the premise of the show (i.e. his life as an extra), but also gave us a little glimpse into his life, career, hopes and dreams.
With his renditions of “Where Was I When They Passed Out Luck” (L. Grossman, H. Hackady) from Minnie’s Boys and “Last One Picked” (D. Gallagher, M. Waldrop) from Whoop-Dee-Doo!, Raneri delved into his past and showed himself to be affable and endearingly self-effacing—and trust me, I could identify with his 
plights! The other side of that coin was his ability to deliver more intimate material like Janis Ian’s “Watercolors” and “Something’s Coming” (L. Bernstein, S. Sondheim) from West Side Story. On these softer numbers, his vocals were gorgeous and confident, with Dr. David Ashton on flute and woodwinds, adding texture and romance, making the songs that much more beautiful.
Some of Raneri’s best moments were comedic ones, including showing off his own vocal range with a line about having ‘the biggest range’ his coach had ever heard: ‘F to D’—a joke literally written into the lyrics of Nick & Nora’s “Everybody Wants to do a Musical” (C. Strouse, R. Maltby) and a clever take on Bricusse and Newley’s “Look At That Face” from The Roar of the Greasepaint—The Smell of the Crowd, which became a funny juxtaposition of critiques from casting directors for whom he’d auditioned. Best of all was his delivery of Fred Barton’s “I Can Be An Icon Too,” which he set up with a story of wanting to feel important whilst standing next to some of the big stars he’d worked with. In this number, he tossed off Barton’s smart, intricate lyrics like, “To be Midler or Madonna, I’d even play a sauna” and “I’ll do what Celine and Cher do, and do it in a stranger hairdo” like he was born to them!
While Raneri’s vocals were strong throughout the show, he did save a few big moments for the latter part of 
the performance, including a terrific rendition of Frank Wildhorn and Jack Murphy’s “Big Time.” Here, he went through all of the physical changes wanted by an agent to facilitate his rise to fame—surgical augmentation, sexier clothing, well-placed friends and dynamite eight by tens. He also gave us a spirited “Back in Business” (S. Sondheim) and a jazzy “Only In New York” (J. Tesori, D. Scanlan) from Thoroughly Modern Millie.
I’d like to commend the band: Steve Picataggio on drums, the aforementioned Dr. David Ashton on flute and woodwinds and Musical Director Fred Barton at the piano for their lively, accompaniment. They often added levels of drama to the act, while never overpowering Raneri’s vocals. Mark Corpron’s direction was tight and beautifully understated, and J.P. Perreaux did his usual excellent job on lights and sound, especially considering the challenge of a complex new lighting system that had been installed only two days before the show!
Closing with a medley of “It’s Not Where You Start” (C. Coleman, D. Fields) and “Nothing Can Stop Me Now” (L. Bricusse, A. Newley), Raneri and the band pulled out all the stops! Not only was it a rousing finish, but Fred Barton’s ingenious arrangement involved bringing back snippets of every song we had heard during the show. The word that leapt to my mind was “callbacks,” which, considering the subject of Extra! Extra!, seemed appropriate.
Scott Raneri may be an “Extra! Extra!” in films and on TV, but in the world of cabaret, he’s certainly at home, and most definitely a star!
Scott Raneri brings “Extra! Extra!” back to The Triad Theater on Sunday, December 5th at 3 pm. For tickets or more information go to www.triadnyc.com or www.scottraneri.com.
All photos by Michael Barbieri
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