Art Garfunkel played to a sold-out crowd in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday, but his voice was a “troubled water”

SHADE-O-METER RATING

2 OUTTA 5 WERKS: “NOT FEELING IT”

Who’s Art Garfunkel?  He’s a singer, poet and actor, and, most famously, he was part of the folk rock duo, Simon and Garfunkel.  What’s Parker Playhouse?  It’s a neo-classical theater in Fort Lauderdale.  It opened in 1967, and it holds about 1,200 people.  How was the venue?  Slightly ostentatious.  How was the parking?  They have valet, or you can park in grass-lots and walk a short distance to the venue.  Does the venue serve liquor?  Yes.  They have a full bar.  How were the drinks?  Wine was $9 for a single and $14 for a double.  We didn’t get any liquor.  Does the venue serve food?  No.  How much were the tickets?  $52.50.  Where were the seats?  Towards the back.  Was the show sold out?  Yes.  Was there an opening act?  No.  How was Garfunkel’s voice?  Unfortunately, there wasn’t much there.  And I had no idea that he lost it (from vocal fold paresis) until Garfunkel told the audience that it disappeared in 2010.  But one wonders, if you’re a singer, why do shows—and charge the audience for tickets—with what appeared to be a chronically damaged voice?  The desire to sing does not necessarily supplant one’s ability to do so.

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How was the show?  One seldom sees less austerity in a concert.  The set consisted of one keyboard, one piano, a couple of stools, and a table—that was it.  Garfunkel and his two musicians—a pianist and guitarist—unceremoniously walked onto the stage to temperate applause.  I’m not even sure that everyone realized it was him at first.  The show, as described by Garfunkel, consisted of one-third poetry and two-thirds songs, and it was presented within the confines of legitimate theater.  I.E., patrons were only shown to their seats in between numbers, and NO photography was allowed (I actually had to take notes by the dim illumination of an aisle light; not fun).  The stage lighting was murky and virtually nonexistent, there were no video screens, a spotlight on him was conspicuously absent, and, if you weren’t close…  Well, good luck discerning any facial features.

However, Garfunkel was an emotional singer, gesticulating with his hands and body in an organic manner, which does enhance the songs.  He played a fair-amount of the Simon and Garfunkel catalogue, including “Scarborough Fair,” “Homeward Bound” (the last song before the intermission), and a souped-up version of “The Sound of Silence.”  Regarding the poetry parts, and his intermittent banter (he has a dry, somewhat droll, sense of humor), some of Garfunkel’s more interesting comments were: “The 60s was a big decade for me.”  “Do you remember a time before iTunes and cell phones?”  And, “I was born in 1941.  It’s how old I am; it’s how old you are.  We’re all in this together” (which was met with chuckles from the audience).  And finally, the moment came for the signature song, prefaced with, “If I don’t at least attempt ‘Bridge over Troubled Water,’ I won’t make it out of Fort Lauderdale alive.  But there won’t be any high note.”  And none there were.

How was the crowd?  About Garfunkel’s age, which is 76.  And when he rhetorically asked the audience what they thought was the best venue (answer: the Royal Albert Hall) that he ever played in, some moron yelled out, “Parker Playhouse.”  Pure class.  What could have improved the show?  Nothing.  If there’s no voice, bitch gotta’ give it up.  What was surprising about the show?  That despite what one may think about the show, at least have the courtesy to stay to the end.  But about one-fifth of the crowd exited the theater as Garfunkel was singing his one encore.    

Parker Playhouse is located at 707 Northeast 8^th St., in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.