Claybourne Elder is bringing & singing Sondheim & much more to San Francisco

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 2/22/25 at 9:42pm

Claybourne Elder, who was dandy as the handsome Andy in the Tony-winning revival of ''Company,'' will be headlining Friday, Feb. 28, and Saturday, March 1, at 8 p.m. at Feinstein's at the Nikko, 221 Mason St., San Francisco. In his newest cabaret show, ''If the Stars Were Mine,'' he'll sing songs by Stephen Sondheim, Whitney Houston and many more as he explores ''sex, fatherhood, religion and love.'' His Sondheim credits include the 2017 revival of ''Sunday in the Park With George,'' where he understudied Jake Gyllenhaal, and ''Road Show,'' where he co-starred with Michael Cerveris and Alexander Gemignani at the Public. Elder made his Broadway debut, opposite Jeremy Jordan, in ''Bonnie & Clyde,'' and earned a Drama Desk nomination for being a knockout as a former boxing champ in Tennessee Williams' one-act play of ''One Arm.'' Plus, he's a stellar storyteller and showman in his cabaret act with his gorgeous pipes, delightful sense of humor and leading-man charisma. General admission: $60. For more information or tickets, visit feinsteinssf.com. 

Below: Elder sings ''Moments in the Woods'' (''Into the Woods'')

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-KTeTuXTAg

 

 

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 3/1/25 at 12:36pm

In the geometry of his life, Claybourne Elder has had a number of full-circle moments, and he shares how they've shaped him in his latest cabaret/stand-up comedy act. It opened last night (Feb. 28) at Feinstein's at the Nikko in San Francisco, and the Broadway pro wowed the crowd with his funny anecdotes and vibrant vocals. But what really stood out was Elder's insightful writing and his personal way of putting it together. He set up songs and stories and paid them off as he recalled growing up gay and Mormon in Utah and acting on his instincts to perform in New York.

"If you get to know me, I'm pretty dark and twisted,'' the all-American-looking actor admitted, noting that the line between love and obsession can be very thin. He then launched into a comically creepy and menacing medley of love songs, as if they were sung by a stalker, starting with Lerner & Loewe: ''I have often walked down this street before. ... All at once am I, several stories high, knowing I'm on the street where you live.''

Perhaps no one has played a bigger role in his full-circle moments than Stephen Sondheim. When Elder was a young visitor to NYC, a perfect stranger gave him $200 to buy tickets to ''Sweeney Todd,'' starring Michael Cerveris and Patti LuPone, and said it would change his life. And it did. It inspired the aspiring actor to move to New York. And his first big break was playing Hollis in Sondheim's ''Road Show'' at the Public, co-starring ... Cerveris. His last Broadway show was ''Company,'' where he co-starred with ... LuPone (who also recorded the pre-show announcement for Elder's act).

Sondheim would come to champion him and kept in touch. In a poignant nod to children and heart, Elder recalled the time the composer invited him, his husband and their then-4-year-old son, Bo, to visit him in the country. Elder said Sondheim really got along with Bo, spending an hour talking to his boy about the sea. In a touching tribute to Sondheim, Elder sang ''Finishing the Hat'' from ''Sunday in the Park With George.''

Elder has one more show tonight (March 1) at 8 p.m. If you're in S.F., I urge you to get a ''Move On'' and catch it! Info: feinsteinssf.com.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHQTa3VtVIA