John C. Reilly has been a staple of Paul Thomas Anderson’s films, starred in serious and satirical biopics, made a legend of a man-child stepbrother, and was nominated for an Oscar in 2003 for his haunting turn as Amos — “Mister Cellophane” — in “Chicago.” But the character closest to him just might be a know-nothing who emerges, openhearted and singing, from a box.
For the past three years, Reilly, 60, has performed as Mister Romantic, a retro crooner who just wants to find everlasting love. A vaudeville-esque act of his own creation with mostly American songbook numbers — “What’ll I Do,” “Dream” — and a backing band, it’s a quasi-improvised set that has him interacting with the audience in a way that’s sometimes wryly funny, sometimes tender and sad, but always sincere. Connection, of any kind, is the point.
After a series of sold-out shows in Los Angeles, Reilly is taking his persona on the road, to Cafe Carlyle starting Wednesday. And he is releasing a concept album, “What’s Not to Love?,” his renditions of classics and more, on Friday.
His alter ego’s origins are deep-seated. “I’ve been a romantic person my whole life,” Reilly said. “My mother would play these standards on the player piano at our house, and I would sing along.” It was “Mister Cellophane” that reawakened in him, he said, an appreciation for a bygone era of theatricality. He finished shooting the HBO series “Winning Time,” about the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers, on a Friday, “and on Monday night, I had my first Mister Romantic show,” he said. “I was like, oh, I just want to get out onstage and express myself.”