We do not wish to delay you. If you clicked on this article, it’s because you read that headline and then all other thought left your mind, replaced by a fervent need to watch Jake Gyllenhaal and Rufus Wainwright sing a song by The Everly Brothers, together. So here you go.
That sadly short snippet comes courtesy of Jake “Mr. Music” Gyllenhaal himself, and it’s from the Rufus Wainwright edition of Lincoln Center’s American Songbook series, which took place on Wednesday, January 22. It is possible that even those of you who tuned into John Mulaney’s marvelous Sack Lunch Bunch special might be surprised by exactly how good a singer Jake Gyllenhaal is, and if that’s the case, it’s because you’re not a hardcore musical theater nerd. Have no fear, for this writer is exactly such a nerd, and she has examples to share.
First up, here’s Mr. Gyllenhaal singing a really, really hard song from Sunday In The Park With George, a role originated by Mandy Freakin’ Patinkin:
Here is an obvious but invaluable bootleg (really, several bootlegs) from a concert version of Little Shop Of Horrors, in which Gyllenhaal starred alongside Ellen Greene, the original and eternal Audrey:
Here he is singing “Maria” from West Side Story, which he also sang at Lincoln Center as part of an event celebrating Leonard Bernstein:
And here’s Mr. Music.
So yes, the man’s got chops. As for Rufus Wainwright—well, he’s Rufus Wainwright, what did you expect? He’s also set to release an as-yet untitled album sometime this spring—his first since 2012—so consider this a reminder that when it comes out, it will almost certainly be well worth your time. And who knows, maybe Jake Gyllenhaal will sing on it somewhere.
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