Working the quirks out

John C. Reilly has had one of the quirkier Hollywood careers. With a face of the best friend rather than the leading man, he has played supporting roles in dramas (What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Boogie Nights, Gangs of New York), even earning an Oscar nomination as the jilted Mr. Cellophane in the movie Chicago.

Then came the Will Ferrell blockbusters: Talladega Nights and Step Brothers. He took his penchant for deep-diving into character as a young Elvis-type in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and the beyond-nerdy Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule.

Now, live on stage, Reilly appears as Mr. Romantic, a club concert in which, backed by a live band, he sings standards and love songs. Fully in character, Mr. Romantic lives in a steamer trunk and can’t escape the box unless he’s performing “an evening of love, longing and song.”

Quirky indeed. The show, a sell-out in small venues in L.A. and beyond, comes to the Sebastiani Theatre on Friday and Saturday, October 28-29. 8pm. $50. Sebastianitheatre.com.