Hobart and William Smith Colleges

14 April 2015 Warr 05: Hits it Out of the Park

Love & Warr the new show by New York-based actor, director and singer Joshua Warr 05 recently debuted at Broadways famous supper club, 54 Below. In the shows April 12 review in Broadway World, critic Andrew Martin writes that Warr is one of the current cabaret scenes truest powerhouses since his MAC award-nominated debut some seasons agoat once so young, so accomplished, so poised and confident, and so adept at bringing a true sense of artistic sensibility to the arena unseen since the glory days of such 1970s clubs as Reno Sweeney and The Grand Finale. But with his new show at 54 Below, he hits it out of the park at every turn.

In Love & Warr, Warr sings a variety of musical genres ranging from pop and standards to rock and Broadway hits, including songs by Rodgers & Hart, Diane Warren, The Jackson 5, Aida and Pink. The show also features a surprise duet with one of Warrs close friends, Stormy Weatherz. Warr tackles the tough, love-centric subject with help from his creative team, which also includes director Miles Phillips and music director Jason Wynn.

Im doing this to share a story, and hopefully the audience will be able to see parts of themselves in these songs, says Warr. And most importantly, I want this show to be a party. The songs are upbeat, the fashion is out of this world, and that band is amazing! This show is my throwback to Vegas. To Liberace. And to us fools who fall in love. 54 Below is such a prestigious nightclub, so I feel humbled to be joining the ranks of people who have performed on the 54 lot.

Heading into the premiere of Love & Warr, the MAC and Broadway World Award nominee is fresh offrecent appearanceson the critically-acclaimed television show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, FX TV dramas The Americans and Logo TVs Hunting Season.

Dubbed byEntertainment Weeklyas wickedly funny, Warr is also a graduate of the Maggie Flanigan Studio and holds a B.A. in French and Francophone studies with a minor in dance from Hobart and William Smith Colleges. While at the Colleges, he was a member of Koshare and Chimera and received the Presidents Public Service Award.

HWS has shaped me in so many ways. It gave me the personal liberation I needed to grow as an artist, and it made me the adult I am today, Warr says. I loved the faculty. I love my friends from HWS. And I love the support it has given me, unconditionally, since leaving campus after graduation.

Following his time at HWS, Warr starred as the villain personality in TLCs reality dinner party competition, Dinner Takes All, a reality television program consisting of five dinner party hosts, five separate dinner parties, taking place over five consecutive days. Warr is a MAC and Broadway World Award nominee for his shows Sing No Evil and Joshing Around.

In addition, Warr has danced internationally in locations such as South Korea, as well as in off-Broadway productions at the American Theatre of Actors. He has worked with choreographer Susan Streater, can be seen in Joonhan Lees Columbia M.F.A. film, Sketchbook, in which he originated the role of David, and was in La MaMa E.T.C.s Soul Ascending directed by George Ferencz.

The full Broadway World review is reprinted below.

BWW Reviews: JOSHUA WARR Converts Cabaret Crowd Into Cult of Worshiping Warr-iors at 54 Below

By Andrew Martin

Its almost inconceivable thatJoshua Warr, one of the current cabaret scenes truest powerhouses since his MAC award-nominated debut some seasons ago, is at once so young, so accomplished, so poised and confident, and so adept at bringing a true sense of artistic sensibility to the arena unseen since the glory days of such 1970s clubs as Reno Sweeney and The Grand Finale. But with his new show at 54 Below, he hits it out of the park at every turn.

Warrs latest effort,Love & Warr, brings the gentleman solidly and indisputably into his own as a force with which to be reckoned. Aided and abetted by directorMiles Phillipsand musical directorJason Wynnbesides an incredible combo of musicians and backup singers, its hard to believe that this is the same person who at the outset of his cabaret career would refer to himself as a dancer/actor who just happens to sing. Gone are any doubts that hell ultimately take his place among cabarets greatest; from the moment he sets his more-than-capable feet upon the stage, the sold-out house fully realizes that theyre dealing with an irrepressible object.

In a set that is thankfully-focused upon both pop and Broadway, it is a joy to watch Warr make his entrance from the back of the house in a deliciously-bejeweled floor-length jacket to the strains of Pinks The Truth About Love coupled with Down With Love byCole Porter, through which his vocals are completely captivating. He sheds the coat after a marvelous rendition of My Strongest Suit fromElton JohnandTim RicesAidato reveal a beautifully-tailored outfit, but this unto itself immediately takes a back seat to a medley of such historical classic rock hits as The Book of Love, Why Do Fools Fall in Love? Tell Him, Shop Around, and Stop In the Name of Love.

Additional standouts include a heart-melting Where or When by Rodgers and Hart, the Fine Young Cannibals tune Drive Me Crazy, a definitive version of Dont Wish Too Hard byPeter AllenandCarole BayerSager, andDiane Warrens I Want Somebody. It all combines into a sumptuous salad of songwriting, and Warr emerges the perfect chef to offer up such a delicious dish.

WhenceLove & Warrreturns to 54 Below or elsewhere, it must be seen to be believed.