** JP Coletta’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Piano Man opened Sunday, Nov 8 in the Stackner Cabaret at the Associated Bank Theatre Center in downtown Milwaukee.  The title is an apt description of the show.  Coletta, who is best known for playing Jerry Lee Lewis in Million Dollar Quartet, is a Piano Man, and has chosen an evening of signature Rock ‘N’ Roll hits by iconic performers from the 50’s through the 80’s.  Pour me a drink, give me a comfortable chair, and it’s a pleasant enough way to spend an evening.
Coletta is a very high-octane performer with a definite style which he referred to at one point as, “my way.”  Early on, he performed “Great Balls of Fire” and demonstrated why he played Jerry Lee Lewis for over 700 performances.  It was very entertaining.  But that fun didn’t stop.  Every one of his songs, whether they were from Lewis, or the Four Seasons, or the Beatles were performed in that same manic style and it made them indistinguishable.  His over-the-top showmanship: the shaking head, the closed eyes, the gritted teeth were fun to watch for a song or two or three, but not for 100 minutes.  And the character upstaged his musicianship.  He interestingly took the time to explain stylistic features of rock and roll, but didn’t showcase those points in favor of this character and style he was comfortable with.
Guitarist Chance Michael Hall sang music from Carole King, and it was a lovely and much appreciated tonal switch.  And when Bassist Nathan Yates Douglas performed the Rolling Stones, you could tell that the song and the original performers meant something to him personally.  But those personal feelings were missing from most of Coletta’s performance and I was left with a collection of songs that all seem to have been chosen simply because he could perform them a certain way, not because they moved him or influenced him personally.  And if the headliner’s name is in the title of the show, I expect to get to know them a little bit more.
However, towards the end of the show he shooed the band off-stage, told us he was going to sing a song that was very personal to him, and then treated us to “She’s Always a Woman” with a moving interpretation and a great display of tenderness at the piano.   This is what I had been missing all evening. I was captivated, and loved that he finally revealed himself.  This was followed by a creative and innovative medley  of rock hits, most of which we had heard already that night, but arranged in a skillful and clever juxtaposition.  And yes, it was, “his way.”  But the skill of the arrangement made it about the music and that, combined with Coletta’s style, made it one of the best concert finales I’ve seen in a long time.
JP Coletta’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Piano Man performs Tuesdays through Sundays at Milwaukee Rep’s Stackner Cabaret through Jan 3.
Tickets are available at milwaukeerep.com or by calling 414-224-9490.