Oct 14 min read

Review: Tituss Burgess - The Indecisive Warrior (Phoenix Arts Club)

Review by Daz Gale

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You may be more used to seeing Tituss Burgess light up the screen with scene-stealing turns in shows such as Schmigadoon and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (if you can read those words without singing the theme tune, you’re a better person than me) as well as star turns on Broadway, but now it’s London’s turn as he brings his new show ‘The Indecisive Warrior’ to the gorgeous Phoenix Arts Club for an intimate residency. As someone who has admired his talents through the screen for a number of years, I jumped at the chance to attend the first night of this residency and experience his talents in person – so pour yourself a glass of Pinot Noir and find out what happened when Tituss came to town.

In ‘The Indecisive Warrior’, Tituss Burgess attempts to weave as many genres as it is possible to fit in a snappy 90 minutes with everything from jazz to pop to Broadway getting a look in during a set which constantly keeps you on your toes, never knowing where he is going next. While the setlist is likely to vary each performance, for this opening night at the Phoenix Arts Club, Burgess opted to open with Tears For Fears’ 80s classic ‘Everybody Wants To Rule The World’ – a motif he repeated on several occasions throughout the night on several songs, before launching into a John Mayer double with ‘Bigger Than My Body’ and a tender highlight of the evening with ‘Stop This Train’.

Rihanna’s ‘Don’t Stop the Music’ was transformed into a smooth and sultry number with Tituss speaking the opening verse before launching into the number, showcasing his musicality and ear for transforming iconic numbers into something rather unique. His ability to act through song was at its finest in ‘Guess Who I Saw Today’ where he artfully told the story in an understated and emotional performance. Of course a bit of musical theatre had to be present and a rendition of ‘King Of The World’ from Songs For A New World demonstrated Burgess’ affinity for theatre beautifully.

The second act started in the boldest way imaginable with Burgess doing Bond for a rousing ‘Goldfinger’, a number that saw him diving into the audience, pouncing on unsuspecting audience members and engaging in conversation, all while never missing a beat with a spectacular performance. It was this almost dangerous dynamic of not knowing what was coming next that provided the most excitement. This was most apparent upon clocking three performers from Six standing behind the bar, resulting in a seemingly spontaneous rendition of ‘Summertime’. A brilliantly chaotic and all too brief Q&A gave us the briefest of titbits into Burgess but more provided an outlet for his naturally funny talents.

In an incredibly varied evening thematically, the one constant was in Tituss Burgess’ stunning vocals. Whether he was reigning it in to bring every drop of emotion he could from the more poignant of numbers or showing off his full vocals with a range that seemed to know no limits, dangerously risking of taking the eyebrows off of those sat in the front row. His skill and talent was awe-inspiring to witness, and he ensured the audience were in the palm of his hands at all times.

The show closer saw Tituss channel his inner Ursula the sea witch from The Little Mermaid for a fabulously camp, overstated yet effortlessly breath-taking ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’. Embodying all of his talents in one number, it may not have been the finale I expected but that was in keeping with the theme of the evening, and more than brought the house down, leaving the audience on an incredible high. Now where do I begin the campaign for him to play the role the next time the musical or movie is revived or readapted?

Tituss Burgess’ versatility was as impressive as his undeniable talents, with his refusal to be pigeon-holed leading to a surprising but always delighting evening. Backed by a fantastic band who brought a jazzy nature to the evening, holding the stage on their own on several occasions, ‘The Indecisive Warrior’ was as enjoyable an evening as you can get in the theatre and what felt like a rare chance to experience such a phenomenal talent up close and personal. My only criticism is I found Tituss to be so captivating as a person, I wanted to learn more about him and would have loved a bit of storytelling through the songs and even more banter with the audience. However, this was a show that showcases all the strings to Burgess’ bow and it managed to do that pretty well. Tituss Burgess is a star and London is lucky to have him treading its boards for the briefest of times. If I already loved Tituss on screen, it is impossible not to love him even more after seeing him in person – he really is the full package and there is no indecision about it.