Concept Can’t Sustain ‘Confidentially, Cole’

Sean Hayden’s solo musical “Confidentially, Cole” uses Cole Porter lyrics to explore the nature of love in the lives of two gay men of different generations. It’s a catchy but contrived concept, and it falters toward the end of this 80-minute showcase at the Tiffany Theater.

Hayden’s voice is certainly up to performing the music, and the onstage band led by Bryan Schimmel is also fit for the task. But the homosexual potential of Porter’s lyrics, based on the possibility that his songs were inspired by his gay encounters, hardly justifies this forced conceit.

As the cafe society gigolo Cliff, Hayden takes us from Harlem 1940 to World War II Europe and Hollywood 1950. The press notes rationalize that Porter, who remained closeted during his lifetime except to a chosen insider group, might have met someone like Cliff.

Hayden then portrays Cliff’s hip New Yorker nephew Chase in the present. But why we go from Cliff to Chase isn’t clear.

Both characters go through a number of quick costume changes. The show almost becomes a fashion show masquerading as a cabaret act pretending to be theater. The piecing together of various Porter melodies with additional music by Steve Ross and Ann Hampton Callaway has an inspired beginning, but eventually all the snippets run together, sounding the same.

This hour-plus vocal workout is little more than an imaginative, overly long commercial for a talented singer.

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* “Confidentially, Cole,” Tiffany Theater, 8532 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. Thursdays-Sundays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays-Sundays, 3 p.m. Ends Nov. 5. $30. (310) 289-2999. Running time: 1 hour, 20 minutes.