"You all like Rock 'n Roll?" Michael Cavanaugh asked his audience at Feinstein's at the Regency.

They cheered. They sang along. They clapped. Of course, most of the audience was from the Billy Joel, Elton John, Bob Seger generation, but even for those who were not, Michael Cavanaugh, in a two-night engagement, revealed himself to be an engaging, energetic, outgoing performer. He gave a show as loose and comfortable as if it were in his living room, although it would have to be a very large living room. This Piano Man has a heavy piano hand and considerable musical energy.

Cavanaugh, the acclaimed vocalist/pianist in the hit Broadway musical, Movin' Out, played what his audience came to hear, a portion of the Billy Joel songbook, starting with "My Life" and moving into "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant." He goosed the energy level more by urging the audience to sing along on cue, and then moved to "It's Still Rock 'n Roll to Me". Only after did he switch gears to a gently bluesy Mark Cohn tune, "Walkin' in Memphis." Accompaniment came from tenor sax player John Scarpulla, also from Movin' Out, who helped working the crowd and playing a fiery sax.

Cavanaugh is a skilled pianist and a rock 'n roll vocalist. He skillfully phrases Billy Joel tunes; this was his mentor, after all. Cavanaugh linked into the vocal and instrumental vigor Billy Joel put in his songs, that fierce mix of love, hate, loneliness and frustration. While the concentration kept returning to Billy Joel, including "Honesty" and "Only the Good Die Young," Cavanaugh included Jerry Lee Lewis' "Great Balls of Fire" and "Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On", and a winning group of Elton John selections, "Daniel," "Tiny Dance," and "Rocket Man."

As much fun as the show was, however, one left without knowing Michael Cavanaugh except as an appealing, gifted musician. A cabaret demands some intimacy, and while Cavanaugh connected smoothly with the audience, it never went deeper than performance level. There is obviously more creativity in this showman, and hopefully, in the future, he will include more dimension in his show.

"Did you have a good time?" he asked, looking around the room. You can guess the answer. Then the Piano Man played his encore, and you can guess what that was too.

Elizabeth Ahlfors
Cabaret Scenes
March 5, 2007
www.cabaretscenes.org