Nicolas King Takes to the Art House
by Steve Desroches
By all accounts, Nicolas King is a big star—with the exception of his actual height. At five-two, the Broadway actor and singer knows that it is unlikely he’ll be cast in a leading man role, as usually actors of his stature are the sidekick or some other supporting role. He’s never let it get him down, though. His show-business pizzazz allows him to reach the rafters with his big voice and performance style. A working actor since age four, King is a giant in the cabaret world. So it’s appropriate that on a recent trip to Mexico someone called him “Short King,” meant as not just a play on his name, but as a compliment for his mastery on stage.
“I think I peaked in the third grade and I’ve been waiting for my growth spurt ever since,” says King. “I’m a little guy. While I don’t usually do shows with a theme—I find them limiting—I was sitting on the beach in Puerto Vallarta and I thought why not do a show of all the men in show business who were short. Whenever I have a good idea, or an idea that I think is good, it comes together pretty quickly. Within 20 minutes I had a set list in my head.”
The result is Short King, a cabaret show featuring the music of short men, like Frankie Valli, Sammy Davis, Jr., Billy Joel, and Paul Williams, which King is bringing to the Art House this Thursday, combining a variety of musical styles so there’s something for everyone. But who made the cut? How short, or rather how tall could a man be and still make the show? King laughs when he hears men who are five-eight or five-nine say they’re short. “I’m like, girl please,” says King. So he drew the line at five-six and under, which meant he couldn’t sing the songs of Peter Allen who stood at five-ten. With many celebrities’ heights available after a quick Google search, King had no shortage of materials, however.
King literally grew up on the stage, starring in three Broadway productions before the age of 12, including A Thousand Clowns with Tom Selleck, Hollywood Arms with Carol Burnett, and he was the longest running “Chip” in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. It was an amazing education as a child of Broadway, he says. “It was very fun, first of all,” says King. “Secondly, I felt very protected. The things that can happen to child actors didn’t happen to me. I always felt like I had this big family around me. Andrea McArdle treated me like she was my aunt. Tom Selleck was very protective of me, especially since we were working together during 9/11. Hal Prince was great. Linda Lavin was very loving. I never encountered any ego trips. You know, the recent death of Hayden Panettiere…we were pals and we did commercials together as kids. It’s just a heartbreak what can happen to children in this business. But to this day, I still surround myself with people who are supportive and kind.”
One of those people is none other than Liza Minnelli. King’s grandmother was Minnelli’s longtime vocal coach, and as such the legendary singer was over the house quite a bit. When only 11 years old, King was offered a spot at Don’t Tell Mama’s, the famed piano bar and cabaret venue in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen. Minnelli sat with him and helped him develop his show. “I don’t think that many 11-year-olds have had to come up with a nightclub act,” says King. “She was my real life Auntie Mame.” And then came one night where King was home with his parents in Rhode Island when the phone rang. It was ten o’clock at night. It was Liza. She wanted to know if young King wanted to open for her at a show in two months. She said he’d need to come up with 20 minutes. He didn’t know what that meant, but he said sure. That led to King performing as Minnelli’s opening act for 11 years from 2002 to 2012.
In 2021, King celebrated another milestone, releasing an album titled Act One: Celebrating 25 Years of Recording. And come November 3, King’s latest recording will be released, a live album recorded at New York’s 54 Below, which is a tribute to his longtime musical director, the late Mike Renzi, who worked with King, as well as a long list of greats, including Tony Bennett, Peggy Lee, Mel Tormé, Lena Horne, Blossom Dearie, Ruth Brown, and more. His Provincetown show will feature several arrangements by Renzi, and he’ll also throw in a song or two in celebration of Minnelli’s recent 80th birthday. He’s excited to return to Provincetown, a place he first visited when Patricia Fitzpatrick invited him to perform in the annual CabaretFest held each June. He fell in love with the town, even though he admits his first time was full of some surprises.
“I had the time of my life,” says King. “I do have to admit I was a little green to Provincetown. I was in my suit after a show. A group of guys who had been in the audience suggested I go to this cool bar, the Vault. I thought, ‘Great. I love a cool bar. Maybe it’s a converted bank or something.’ I got there, still in my suit, and quickly realized I was dressed for a very different bar. But then later I went to my first underwear party. I just love it out there.”
Nicolas King presents Short King at the Art House, 214 Commercial St., Provincetown, Thursday, August 27 at 4 p.m. For tickets ($35/$45) and information, visit the box office or thearthouseptown.com.
