By Sandi Durell . . .

From the moment JLY takes the stage at the historic Café Carlyle, you’ve entered his world. You can’t help but be expedited into the magic the keeper of the key to the treasure trove of everything Jersey Boys provides and, so much more. His ever-recognizable vocal patterns replete with a falsetto that rings clear, grabs, holds and is remarkable. The touch of sunglasses keeping him close but maybe just a little aloof as his first song “Can’t Keep My Eyes Off You” lands to great applause, the memories of this original Tony Award winning Broadway’s first Frankie Valli spinning through your brain. He’s dramatic as ace pianist and friend Tommy Faragher breathes,  blends, and duets with and provides harmonies throughout a memorable opening night – an obvious JLY fan club in tow cheering them on.

Forever young, John has become the penultimate storyteller as he shares tales of the great ones who stood on that same stage surrounded by the famous murals painted in 1952 on the walls – Eartha Kitt, Barbara Cook, Elaine Stritch, Debbie Reynolds, Judy Collins – He’s a lover of New York classic history and to honor it all he slides effortlessly into the first song written by the first resident of Café Carlyle, Richard Rodgers (back in the late 30s), “I Have Dreamed,” (The King and I ), putting his own more modern spin on the tempo.

And then it’s back to what he calls “dirty Rock n’ Roll” – Elvis’ “Only The Lonely,” “My Prayer” and Little Anthony’s “ Hurt” – the sad, emotional tunes that make our hearts skip a beat. And lest we forget, JLY and Tommy Faragher are also songwriters – their emotional breakup song “Slow Dawn Calling” having received raves from Times critics as John walks thru the audience making contact with many. John is a charmer, with lots of personality and panache.

Always generous, he leaves Tommy’s hot little fingers to work the keys and sing “Bring It On Home to Me” returning with “Walk Like a Man/Big Girls Don’t Cry” – that falsetto ever present as the audience is given permission to participate (which we did several times during this show).

Stories about making the Jersey Boys movie at Warner Bros. were engaging, fun driven adding an element of excitement hearing what we call backstage gossip . . . Dirty Harry himself, Clint Eastwood, was the director. Young had to come up with the Frankie Valli emotion of a dad when he had to sing “My Eyes Adored You” to his ‘daughter’ (a child actress he’d never met). And did you know Clint is the great protector of all things living including cockroaches (and their understudies) who had their own shining moment in the film along with the great Chris Walken as the mobster.

There are so many Jersey Boys songs we don’t get to hear including this one from the cockroach scene “My Mother’s Eyes” – the first song Frankie Valli recorded.

And the evening continued with “Show and Tell” sprinkled with more personal stories of John’s love for performing at clubs and venues nationwide that hold the great history that makes him swoon, like the Purple Room in Palm Springs (where the Rat Pack got their name) and where he’ll be heading after his five nights here at Café Carlyle.

His love of language pushes him to explore and sing songs in other languages – French, Spanish, Italian – and a love song in Taiwanese which took him 2 years to master. But it is an ultimate sad goodbye movie song from 1973 of falling in love across a room, the lover apologizing when he must go away forever. JLY talents are far-reaching and no need to understand the words as the pure agony and emotion is enough to tear your heart out.

We are in falsetto heaven as JLY takes another walk around the room singing “Caramia” as the evening closes with encores “Maybe I’m Amazed/“Working My Way Back to You” and . . . you guessed it “Sherry” – the audience standing, applauding, singing. The perfect close to a classic evening with John Lloyd Young.

John continues at Café Carlyle (35 East 76 St.) thru April 23 – reservations: HERE

Photos: David Andrako

He returns to New York’s Feinstein’s/54Below August 27 thru Sept 1, 2022 with “Beloved Soul: Hits from Motown to Broadway”