"These guys are an ACT !"
Don K. Reed, WCBS -FM

"Scott Barbarino & the Bev-Naps are living advertisements for the palatability of cheese. The music is neat and the banter is even better" Michael Portantiere, In Theater
(see full review)

"Scott Barbarino & the Bev-Naps are like Rodney Dangerfield & the McGuire Sisters meet the Rat Pack on "Saturday Night Live!"They're cool campy and committed or at least they should be. " Marle Becker, WBAI Pacifica Radio

"Sublime silliness ... backed by good music!"
Maya T. Amis This Month On Stage

"Those who want to spend an hour smiling and feeling good should...
catch this group" Peter Leavy Cabaret Scenes
(see full review)

55 Grove Street Upstairs at Rose's Turn 8pm: Scott Barbarino & the Bev Naps. This endearing bunch of guys performs street corner doo-wop harmonies with a sense of irony. They're sure to induce pangs of nostalgia even in those way too young to remember. It's a fun and different way to spend the holiday.

 



Out to Lounge

Scott Barbarino and the Bev-Naps (Upstairs at Rose's Turn, Thursdays through Dec. 10) are living advertisements for the palatability of cheese, working their own special magic on Lounge standards of the '50s and '60s like "Slangri-La," "You Belong to Me," and "Route 66." The Bev-Naps - named after those serviettes so ubiquitous in Bars throughout the civilized world - are Michael Barbieri, Jimmy Rutland, and Jonathan Tomaselli; "the guy on the piano" is Mark Hartman; and the role of Scott Barbarino is hilariously played by Scott Barbarino, whose ultra-mellow, super-smooth, retro attitude makes Dean Martin seem like a type-A personality. The music is neat, and the banter is even better.

APPLAUSE! APPLAUSE !
Volume IV, Issue 9

Tree "Travel" - Scott Barbarino and The Bev-Naps
The Triad (158 West 72nd Street; 212-799-4599)
Reviewed 5/4/99 at 8:00 p.m.

1999 MAC (Manhattan Association Of Cabarets A Clubs) Award Winners (Outstanding Vocal Group) Scott & his Naps moved uptown for his one show. I think it was to show the uptown crowd what they are missing by not coming downtown to see how much fun the other half have. And fun it was. From their wild Hawaiian shirts on the Bev-Naps to the shiny silk jacket Scott wore, it was the "old days" again. "Old Days" to you, my "Youth" to me. Did I really dress like that ??

This show really tickled my fancy. The Bev-Naps, Michael Barbieri, who I watched grow from his early days at Brandy's to Jimmy Rutland, who is a talent in his own right, to Jonathan Tomaselli, his voice will make him a great force in the cabaret world of tomorrow. From "Sea Cruise" by Frankie Ford, "You Belong To Me" by The Duprees, Sam Cooke's Twistin' The Night Away", and The Platters' "Twilight Time" brought a sentimental tear to my eye. g worked the first Allan Freed Rock N Roll show at the Brooklyn, Paramount in 19 cough cough One of the highlights of the show was when their Musical Director, Mark Hartman, in purple sun glasses and a matching tux Jacket, popped through the group playing an accordion to the music of "Paradise For Two". A great moment for me and the audience. It's always great seeing, and hearing youngsters sing the old songs. It was a well put together show and I must ask their forgiveness for waiting so long to see this great show. Scott picked the best when he chose these Bev-Naps. All their voices blended so well that it was a fantastic accompaniment to the talent of Scott Barbariao. So for all you Submarine Race Watchers, the next time you hear anyone say Scott Barbarino & The Bev- Naps, travel and I do mean "Travel" to their show. It's fun, it's music, it's history. Four Branches Off The Ol' Tree. One quick note: BEST MUSICAL COMEDY GROUPING SINCE THE MARX BROTHERS AND MARGARET DUMONT.

Scott Barbarino and the Bev-Naps

     Since the acceptance of cabaret as a genuine art form, it often has generated discussions and reviews at a level once reserved for the more traditional, classical musical forms. In this atmosphere of high seriousness, it is easy to lose sight of the sheer pleasure cabaret provides, the pure fun that can supply an hour or so of respite from the dark clouds of personal - not to mention national and international - stress. Scott Barbarino and the Bev-Naps have cast their show, "Love Songs, Nothing But Love Songs!" to provide just such fun. Barbarino emphasizes the evening's purpose as he explains the name of his back-up trio. Bev-Naps are just that, the beverage napkins that are served along with drinks in club rooms as audiences are refreshed both by the beverage and the accompanying entertainment.
      The harmonizing Bev-Naps were Michael Barbieri, Jimmy Rutland, and Jonathan Tomaselli, with Mark Hartman designated as "the guy on the piano." Together at Rose's Turn they performed a rather loose collection of romantic numbers popularized by such notables as The Inkspots (apparently Barbarino's particular favorites), The Platters, the Moonglows and Elvis Presley. Listeners of a certain age happily reminisced to familiar renditions of the likes of "We Three," number one on all the charts in 1940, Roy Turk/Fred Ahlert's "I'll Get By," and the wartime hit, "Twilight Time," revived with such success in the 'fifties by The Platters.
      The Bev-Naps often accompany Scott as a kind of Barbershop Trio, with pianist Hartman frequently adding his own voice to the ad-libbed patter of Barbarino and his musical family, whose zaniness they are completely unselfconscious about. All in the spirit of good times, as they make amply clear on stage.
      Scott's performance adds a brief interval of his abilities as a true crooner, and the listener who witnesses his rendition of "Twilight Time" realizes that he is fully capable of delivering a less campy show, should he choose. Meanwhile, after a cooling-down period, he returns to Rose's Turn in November with the Bev-Naps and "an all-new show." Those who want to spend an hour smiling and feeling good should make their way on Thursday nights down to 55 Grove Street and catch this group. ...

Peter Leavy