Tony Danza: Standards and Stories
Tony Danza
Standards and Stories
Café Carlyle, NYC, June 16, 2015
Reviewed by Elizabeth Ahlfors for Cabaret Scenes
Photo: Stephen Sorokoff
Good times, bum times. His Broadway musical closed prematurely, but a new show opened at the Café Carlyle and Tony Danza charmed a packed first-night audience with catch-up stories and a package of standards, a few ukulele tunes, a little terpsichore and a lot of laughs.
Always relating with the audience, he is obviously glad to be back in New York and debuting at the posh Carlyle. There is a maturity about Danza these days, which does not dampen his boyish nature and ebullience. Almost a senior citizen, he is still the boy from Brooklyn who tells it like it is, even removing his jacket to show off his soaking wet shirt. (The room’s air conditioner was broken.) Like many guys from the neighborhood, his mother idolized Sinatra and any musical influence at home was Sinatra. Taking a note from Ol’ Blue Eyes, Danza is adding the names of the songwriters to his selections, many, of course, recorded by Sinatra. One notable selection in this show is a melancholy arrangement of Ervin Drake’s “It Was a Very Good Year” featuring Dave Shoup on guitar.
Concentrating mostly on standards, Danza’s voice is agreeable with a marked vibrato. Nothing is a throw-away. He puts the songs across with genuine respect and, like his rendition of Matt Dennis and Earl Brent’s “Angel Eyes,” he stays in the moment through to the end. He seems especially fond of Artie Butler’s “I Don’t Remember Ever Growing Up” and, actually, it’s hard to think of Danza growing up completely.
The ukulele is his instrument these days. “This is great. You can play it for yourself and your friends for the rest of your life.” He went on to illustrate the uke’s versatility—a little Hawaiian tune, a bit of “Ain’t She Sweet?” and “Love Potion #9”— encouraging the audience to join in and breaking out in a wide grin when they do. When he begins to tap dance to “How About You?” (Burton Lane and Ralph Freed), his expression is tense as he focuses on the steps, and then again the broad grin.
Discussing his Broadway show, Honeymoon in Vegas, with a score by Jason Robert Brown, Danza offers several songs from the show: “Out of the Sun” and “You Made the Wait Worthwhile.” He also admitted a fondness for costar Rob McClure’s song, “I Love Betsy.”
Accompanied by Musical Director/pianist John Oddo with Shoup on guitar, John Arbo on bass and Ed Caccavale on drums, Tony Danza remains an unquenchable showman. You gotta love the guy.
Tony Danza continues at Café Carlyle through June 27.
Category: Cabaret Reviews, New York City, New York City Cabaret Reviews
