By Bart Greenberg***Storyteller Earl Grey (they/their) is an international artist with a concurrent career as a psychotherapist. Their travels and their compassion were on full evidence in their debut show at The Laurie Beechman theater: I Am ME – On Purpose! 
With careful guidance by director Michael Kirk Lane, and the fine support of music director, Yasuhiko Fukuoka, this highly-revealing program (symbolized with the shedding of layers of clothing), traced their progress from an intersex baby to a teenage performer to a confident adult (with some unfortunate romantic sidetracks along the way).
They started the evening by weaving through the audience singing the always inexplicable “MacArthur Park” (Jimmy Webb), almost making sense of the lyrics. This opening certainly announced the off-kilter nature of the evening. They immediately acknowledged their vulnerability (“I wear my heart on my skin”) with an emotional “Just Around the River Bend” (Alan Menkin, Stephen Schwartz). Speaking about their early childhood, they confessed an early obsession with Wonder Woman (which became a reoccurring theme in the well-structured show) leading to a delightful “I Enjoy Being a Girl” (Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II) and a terrific revised version of “In Between” (Walter 
Donaldson, Harold Adamson)—originally a sad complaint by tween Judy Garland revamped into their issues as an adolescent.
A medley of “Alone in the Universe” (Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens) and “It’s You I Like” (Fred Rogers) was very touching. The latter was enhanced by the participation of Grey’s backup singers, Aurora Renee and Xavier Sarabia. Grey showed his expertise with story songs, such as “Sister Clarissa” (Michael Peter Smith) and “Will the Sun Ever Shine Again” (Alan Menkin, Glen Slater). They also demonstrated a wry sense of humor with a passionate delivery of “How Could I Ever Know?” (Lucy Simon, Marsha Norman), directed to their twin loves, pastry queens Sara Lee and Little Debbie.
There was also a shimmering version of “Falling in Love with Love” (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) and a thrilling gospel delivery of “Lean on Me” (Bill Withers), which again spotlighted their backup singers. Credit should also go to the on-stage musicians besides Fukuoka: Micah Burgess (guitar) and Bobbie Lee Crow III (cello), creating a unique sound quality to the evening. It is to be hoped that Grey returns soon for more personal fun.
Photos by Bart Greenberg
