It is not an easy task to review Paul Harris and the Cleverlys, for it is impossible to describe their show. So, let me say right up front, this Branson show is so good that I wish it was a weekly TV series. I would love to see it again tonight.
Staged with no decoration, no back drop, no special effects, and no fancy lighting, this show is a throwback to the early days of Branson (before the dancers, the Vegas-style lighting, and the Broadway staging). Harris need not apologize for the minimalist staging, however, for once he and the boys start playing, it’s obvious that they are a talented bluegrass band, and that is the only thing that matters.
What isn’t so obvious – at least up front – is that the bluegrass is just an added bonus. It took me about a song and a half to realize exactly what I was watching, but I don’t feel bad, for some in the audience took longer to catch on. What we were watching was perhaps the funniest man to pick up a stringed instrument since Tommy Smothers or Steve Martin. From the minute Paul Harris walked on stage until the time the lights went out, his tongue was firmly planted in his cheek.
The show is really a mock concert. Paul Harris and his band are the opening act. When they are finished performing, Paul Harris warms the audience up with his comedy. After intermission, the main attraction takes the stage. The main attraction is the band, The Cleverlys, which is, of course, the alter-ego of Paul Harris and his band. Like the original Blues Brothers, one just doesn’t know how seriously to take them.
Harris is from Arkansas, and when he is in character as Digger Cleverly, the Arkansas drawl is exaggerated by ten-fold. He dons sunglasses and a cowboy hat and never cracks a smile. It is his straight face, and the straight faces in the band, that left some in the audience wondering if they were serious. Let me advise those going to this show, the only thing serious is that this band is seriously talented. Harris presents a couple of classic bluegrass tunes, and gives a nod to Bill Monroe, the father of bluegrass, and to Earl Scruggs, but most of their music is unconventional.
Let me clarify: they present unconventional songs set to bluegrass music. Music selected includes a Black-eyed Peas tune, a Fergie song, and a number from Bruce Hornsby. There is even a rendition of a video game theme. Sound stupid? I told you I wouldn’t do justice describing this show. It is absolutely fall-out-of-your-seat-funny.
Harris’s stand up, between music acts is just as funny, but don’t get me wrong when I said that this show is a throwback to the early days of Branson. Harris is no toothless clown in baggy pants. His humor is drawn from his days growing up in the Ozarks. Harris is genuinely funny. He doesn’t just tell funny jokes. He is a story teller. While I have no criticism of this part of the show, for I thoroughly enjoyed the stand up, I do have a suggestion. If Harris would realize that the most humorous parts of his stand-up are the stories, and not the jokes, he could rise from the ranks of the standard funny man to the ranks of Will Rogers.
2012 Branson Passport Rating for Paul Harris and the Cleverlys (out of 5):
Family Friendly – 4
Entertaining – 5
Musical Abilities – 5
Vocal Abilities – 5
Professionalism – 5
Total Score – 4.8
Paul Harris and the Cleverlys perform at The White House Theatre in Branson, MO at 8pm (most nights). For a complete schedule, go to http://paulharris.kungfubranson.com/show_dates.html. Also check out: http://www.paulharriscomedy.com/ and http://thecleverlys.com/
Branson Passport 