There's something different about Benjamin Scheuer, and not just the cool new leather jacket he wore up to the Post-Gazette Studios, where he stopped by for a video chat Friday, before three concerts at City Theatre.
The singer-songwriter-guitarist who so impressed Pittsburgh audiences with his award-winning show "The Lion" back in May and June was singing about a love found and lost as part of that solo performance. For the first concert this weekend, there was more electric guitar in the mix and he had company on stage -- drummer Brian Wolfe of Sufjan Stevens and bass player Geoff Kraly of paris_monster.
Mr. Scheuer also has another story to tell this time around -- he's a man in love, about to get married to Welsh illustrator Jemima Williams, and that infuses the mood of many of his songs. There were still the more harrowing pieces from "The Lion" that refer to his treatment for and recovery from cancer in the hour-long concert Friday night. But this is a happy guy, one who offers up "Weather the Storm" as a sincere hope that we can all find a way through rough patches this November.
All of Mr. Scheuer's songs tell a story, and more often than not, the new songs match the spring in his step. The Mainstage at City Theatre has been set up for a cabaret-style show, with tables in the middle of horse-shoe seating. It’s just the right kind of atmosphere for a storyteller so willing to share intimate details of his life with his audience.
As he crisscrosses the States, it was great to see Mr. Scheuer again on a Pittsburgh stage. Listen to the video, and hear his stories about why he loves coming to our town.
The singer recently had been with "The Lion" in San Diego recently, and he stopped in London for the premiere of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" -- he and star Eddie Redmayne were schoolmates at Eton. He came to Pittsburgh from his home in New York, and his next tour stop is Los Angeles.
Benjamin Scheuer has one more show at City, where he will be chasing away the doldrums tonight at 7. Details: citytheatrecompany.org or 412-431-CITY.
Sharon Eberson; seberson@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1960. Twitter: @SEberson_pg.
First Published: November 13, 2016, 6:07 p.m.
