Juan Pablo di Pace
The Green Room 42, NYC, January 9, 2020
Reviewed by Joel Benjamin
Okay, let’s start with the obvious: Juan Pablo di Pace is a very handsome, sexy, charismatic man. Is his singing at the same high level as his looks? Fortunately, the answer is an unhesitating yes!
Backed by a fine five-piece band led on piano by his music director Charlie Alterman (who also harmonized beautifully with him), di Pace, with his rich pop tenor, flew through a set that was shaped by his interesting life experiences, beginning in Argentina where, on a local kiddy show, he first discovered the high of performing.
He was then off to London to expand his technique and his reputation. It was a long slog despite his initial optimism, expressed in a rousing “Join the Circus” (Cy Coleman/Michael Stewart).
He had time to ponder his newborn niece—expressed in a lovely, smooth “Moonchild” (di Pace) and prefaced by Simon Kafka’s soft guitar solo. He also became a one-night wonder as an understudy stepping into the Billy Flynn role in the London staging of Chicago with an exultant rather than sleazy interpretation of “All I Care About” (Kander & Ebb) to reflect his momentary triumph.
In London he was involved in caring for the mentally challenged including one named Phillip who was always angry. Di Pace took Phillip to Swan Lake. The beauty of the dancing and music burrowed into Phillip’s mind causing a rare state of happiness. Di Pace crooned the Nat King Cole classic “Nature Boy” (Eden Ahbez) in a poetic tribute to that incident in an arrangement that began with a beautiful cello solo played by Mary Dorman.
He told how he found himself in the original Mamma Mia film where he learned the hard way not to treat Meryl Streep with kid gloves, leading to a bittersweet “The Winner Takes It All” (Björn Ulvaeus/Benny Andersson).
His thoughtful version of George Michael’s “Through” expressed how concentrating on his career caused him to miss many important personal moments. This led to his singing the premiere of his own “Without You,” a wistful song of longing.
Unbuttoning his jacket he went into Tony Manero’s dance to “Night Fever” (The Bee Gees) from the stage version of Saturday Night Fever in which he had starred in Argentina. His dancing was quite sensual and made clear why part of this upswing in his career involved his appearing on Dancing with the Stars on TV.
Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” followed. It’s amazing how much each singer has found in this now classic song. Di Pace’s version was more lighthearted than most, which contrasted with his final number, “Sunrise, Sunset” (Jerry Bock/Sheldon Harnick), a surprising inclusion but one he tenderly made his own.
The other excellent band members who each contributed to Alterman’s seamless, flowing arrangements were Michael Blanco on bass and Eric Halvorson on drums.
