Brent Barrett - Broadway star's 'Night Songs'

After two years playing the title role in The Phantom of the Opera–The Las Vegas Spectacular between 2006 and 2008, Brent Barrett moved to Germany, where he phonetically sang the part on a national tour of Das Phantom der Oper. These days, one of several projects he's involved in is The Four Phantoms, a touring concert by a quartet of tenors who, between them, have played the creepy divo more than 6,000 times.

So it would seem entirely justified if Barrett named his solo cabaret show –which he brings to the intimate Orinda Theater on May 2– after the half-masked man's signature number "The Music of the Night." Instead, it's called "Night Songs."

Off-key marketing? Nope. It's a title that accurately describes the clever program that Barrett will present in Orinda. In a welcome departure from the many touring theater stars who lean hard on show tunes they're identified with, or cobble together soppy musical autobiographies, Barrett has put together a refreshingly creative set.

"It's a journey from sundown to sun-up through music," he explained in a recent conversation with the Bay Area Reporter. The idea came to him about five years ago, inspired by hearing a rendition of "While The City Sleeps," a song from the Charles Strouse musical Golden Boy.