A piano, a pianist, a bar stool, a gifted entertainer. What’s not to like? If you are a fan of shows that do a lot with a few high quality ingredients then I think you’ll like I Think You’ll Like This.  

Beautifully accompanied by Fiona McCabe, who also provides the excellent musical direction, Jason Henderson links some well-chosen standards, mainly show tunes, with some lesser-known numbers in a slyly humorous narrative.

The story is all in the telling, but essentially it traces the ups and downs of Jason’s love affair with singing in the years leading up to his recent decision to commit full time to his art. 

This performer’s strength is his ability to communicate with the audience, to convey the songs and the story – and, of course, to devise a thoroughly charming show.  The songs all come as deft turns in the narrative, throwing a new light on the situations described. That story is at once emotionally authentic and wonderfully playful. At times, when Jason has his flow on, the combined effect is quite magical. It is somehow like being in a live, one person Wes Anderson movie. 

I suspect the whole show could fly on this plane but at times the performer’s memory and concentration are spread a little thin. This is no doubt a result of Jason doing no less than three shows in this festival.  In more technical terms, the performer has a lovely warm, light baritone with very clear articulation. Often, though, he covers too much on the higher notes and I am sure he is working on breathing deeper for a bigger column of air and relaxing the arms and torso around it, particularly the jaw and the wrists.

The excellent ‘negro spiritual’ number shows what he can do when he amps up his technique and cuts loose. The opening ‘Ugly Bug Ball’ and the later ‘New York, New York’ were both also great, in their very different ways. And who can argue with ‘Moon River’ as the final number, as Jason launches out on his dream? Here it is sung, as the show is conceived, with great taste and sensibility. You just know this performer is never going to try and sing you ‘Summertime’. 

Seriously though, there is something unique Jason Henderson can bring to the theatre. It has to do with the writing and devising of the material as well as a superb stage presence. It’s hard to capture this ‘something’ in words. It’s not faint praise, for example, to say that this show feels like it is the perfect length. With work, this sweet spot can only enlarge. 

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