James Barbour: Love Songs

James Barbour: Love SongsWho said that romance is dead? It’s certainly not at Sardi’s on Saturday nights, where James Barbour is performing his concert series “Love Songs.”The Broadway actor, most recently see in A Tale of Two Cities, has been treating audiences to evenings of romantic melodies from Broadway as well as a few from pop culture.Barbour, whose rich baritone has been heard in Jane Eyre, Carousel and Camelot as well as one of the title roles in Beauty and the Beast has lost none of the smoldering appeal that made him the unarguable star of A Tale of Two Cities. Dressed casually in jeans and a black button-down, he dominates the upstairs room at Sardi’s with the undeniable charisma of a leading man.Joined onstage with guest stars Ryan Silverman and Andrea McArdle, the evening’s lineup included “Loving You Keeps Me Alive,” “If I Loved You,” and “If I Would Ever Leave You.” Another highlight of the evening was McArdle’s rendition of “You Could Drive a Person Crazy,” styled as a wistful lounge ballad instead of a fast-paced ditty.Peppering the lineup with personal remembrances and anecdotes of his career, Barbour kept the evening light-hearted, despite the wistful tones of many of his musical selections.The final song (Barbour claimed it was impossible to do an encore, because he had no stage to disappear from) was a particularly moving rendition of “If I Can’t Love Her,” from Beauty and the Beast .In a world filled with news of a battered economy and lost jobs left and right, escape is a necessity for everyone, and anyone longing for some good old-fashioned romance should make the trip to Midtown and to see Barbour’s concert.