Will Swenson at Feinstein's/54 Below

Will Swenson's solo debut at Feinstein's/54 Below starts out with an expected boom as he jumps into a loyal rendition of The Police's "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic." Over the past decade, the Tony-nominated actor has grown accustomed to working the raucous crowds in some of New York's biggest and loudest musicals. His best-known performances have been in the tribal rock musical Hair (which earned him a Tony nod), the drag-pop Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical, and of course, Les Misérables, which he departed in May after over a year in the role of Javert. Swenson has proved his ability to hold the attention of a big Broadway crowd, but the wonderful surprise about him as a performer is that he is at his best when the walls close in and the audience is within chatting distance.

Everything about Swenson's résumé and class-clown persona forecasts a booming rock-star-for-a-night cabaret. But what he offers here instead is an emotional set list of deeply personal songs and stories, centered around his upbringing in the Mormon church. He candidly — and occasionally tearfully — recounts his lifelong wrestling match with faith and its implications on his relationships and career, narrating his winding path with a list of carefully chosen tunes. He pays homage to his mother with one of her favorite hymns, "Abide With Me," then makes a sharp left turn into a rap song from his tongue-in-cheek film Sons of Provo about a Mormon boy band. The story of his mission trip to Ecuador is prefaced with Neil Diamond's blaring "Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show," followed by a cathartic rendition of Alanis Morissette's "Thank You," marking the turning point in his spiritual life that led to both personal and professional success — most notably his relationship with current wife Audra McDonald, who he describes as a girl "touched by God" to a resounding "aww" from the audience.

It's not the first time Feinstein's/54 Below has seen a candid tell-all, but Swenson's pulls off one of the finest balancing acts of vulnerability, charm, storytelling, and entertainment. His show runs the gamut from moments of revealing honesty — including an acoustic performance of the song "Twilight" for which he accompanies himself on the guitar — to casual playfulness, which, the night I came was epitomized by his role-swapping version of the Les Mis "Confrontation" with his former costar Ramin Karimloo. The pair also paid tribute to their loving bromance with a tender performance of "A Little Fall of Rain," Swenson doing a fine death scene as the wounded Eponine (apologies for the spoiler). No matter the tone, Swenson holds the room in the palm of his hand. His vocal performances, reliable as always, almost take a back seat to the rest of the show, which features his talents as a well-rounded performer, able to keep an audience rapt — even without the trappings of a wild wig, a bare chest, or a high-tech Broadway suicide.