Ryan James Monroe is a big singer in many ways. He’s physically imposing—someone you wouldn’t mind accompanying you if you were planning on navigating some dark alleys. As far as his wardrobe and styling choices go, he seems dedicated to flair and flamboyance. (At the show I saw he wore a heavy-looking, floor-length black skirt and a jacket that bared most of his chest.) His voice is also large: confident and commanding—also warm and smooth.
Ryan James Monroe(Photo: Danny Bristoll)
But, even more important, he knows how to rein in that voice. Unlike some singers—many who’ve been at it for a lot longer than he has—Monroe doesn’t start the song at such a high decibel level that, by the time it’s reaching its zenith, he’s either pooped out or hollering like a contestant at a hog-calling contest. Monroe seems aware of the power of his vocal instrument. He knows when to pull out all the stops, but also when to keep that power sheathed and at the ready.
The show of his I saw at Chelsea Table + Stage was the final one in his year-long residency there. Unlike other shows of his at CT+S, he had no supporting ensemble to play for him this time He relied only on his musical director and pianist Tracy Stark. And so, intimacy was the order of the day. (He remarked at one point that this was his first show with only piano accompaniment since an early-career gig at the Duplex in 2022.)
Monroe has a way with his audience that is welcoming and tinged with humor. His surefooted patter sounds off the cuff. If it was actually written, edited, memorized text that he spoke, he certainly had me fooled.
He sings a lot of stirring songs with big themes: anthems, really. At the top of the show there were a number of these, including Idina Menzel and Glen Ballard’s “I Stand” (“I stand for the strange and lonely”) and “The Joke”: Brandi Carlile’s song along with co-writers Phil and Tim Hanseroth and Dave Cobb (“We’ve gottta dance with the devil on a river to beat the stream”). Also on the bill was Paul Simon’s hymn-like “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and the Christmas song “Grown-up Christmas List” (Linda Thompson, David Foster), with its calls for peace and justice.
Rallying-cry songs seem tailor-made for Monroe (and self-made in the case of “Break the Bone,” which he wrote with Thomas Hodges). But I liked it when he took on other sorts of material, especially his deft take on Stephen Sondheim’s “Finishing the Hat.” His aforementioned sense of humor suggests that he could add to his lineup some friskier, comedic numbers and do them justice. Also good would be some ballads that stay simple and soft—lullaby-like—rather than swelling up to make big statements. And maybe some medium-tempo songs with lilt.
In any case, Monroe is someone who is going places in the cabaret world. I look forward to hearing more from him, whatever direction his repertoire takes. (And I’ll be eager, also, to see what the wardrobe’s like, next time out.)
###
Presented at Chelsea Table + Stage, 152 W. 26th Street, NYC. Seen Dec. 16, 2025, final show of a year-long residency.
Mark Dundas Wood is an arts/entertainment journalist and dramaturg. He began writing reviews for BistroAwards.com in 2011. More recently he has contributed "Cabaret Setlist" articles about cabaret repertoire. Other reviews and articles have appeared in theaterscene.net and clydefitchreport.com, as well as in American Theatre and Back Stage. As a dramaturg, he has worked with New Professional Theatre and the New York Musical Theatre Festival. He is currently literary manager for Broad Horizons Theatre Company.
