Dean Christopher brought his considerable charm and talent to the confines of the Flim-Flam room at the Cabaret at Savor with an act that provided the audience with the chance to see a “one-man summit” of sorts. His spot-on impressions of the Rat Pack, Bobby Darin and Johnny Mathis gave the room the feel of a vintage Vegas lounge. Christopher delivered a set of swinging standards, discussing the material in engaging fashion, while being capably backed by pianist Eddie Pitt and guitarist Terry Thompson.

Dean doesn't shy away from using his own voice to sing this material, even though so much of it is associated with the idols he portrays. He opened strong with an upbeat version of  Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn's “Come Fly With Me” and Cole Porter's classic, “Night and Day,” both familiar to any fan of Sinatra. A song made famous by Dooley Wilson in the film Casablanca, “As Times Goes By” followed. Christopher then launched into “I'm Gonna' Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter” and the Rodgers and Hart favorite from Babes in Arms, “The Lady is a Tramp,” which was given a slower paced, almost bluesy approach. Choosing to perform these selections without affectation set up a nice transition into the next portion of his show.

After capturing the unique, silky and smooth sound of Johnny Mathis on “Misty,” Christopher briefly touched on Dean Martin with an early number from his career, the delightful “Powder Your Face With Sunshine.” A lovely rendition of “(How Little it Matters) How Little We Know” was next and featured the lyrical entendre of: “that sudden explosion when two tingles intermingle”.  

Then it was time to do a bit of his Rat Pack act, and despite being under the weather due to ingesting  tainted tomatoes, he was able to emulate, vocally and physically, the mannerisms of these three icons of show business. Starting off with “Everybody Loves Somebody,” Christopher expertly captured Martin's boozy swagger and pun laden patter, and even bummed a cigarette from an audience member to complete the illusion. Sammy Davis Jr. was next on the bill and a convincing take on “What Kind of Fool Am I” led into Sinatra's upbeat affirmation, “That's Life.” But, most impressively, Christopher switched between all three for “You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You.”

Extending an already lengthy and visibly exhausting set to nearly two hours, Christopher continued to entertain the crowd with his tour of the Great American Songbook, leading the trio through “Georgia On My Mind,” “I've Got the World on a String,” “Learnin' the Blues,” a Bobby Darrin-inflected “Mack the Knife,” “Ain't That a Kick in the Head” and “Too Marvelous.” Surprisingly, he came back for an encore of “The Sunny Side of the Street.”

This was an excellent show, with the backing of Pitt and Thompson proving to be exceptional. Both musicians added fills and riffs to flesh out arrangements that were often designed for much larger and brassier ensembles. And both provided stunning lead work as well, with the emphasis rightly placed on the melody.

Elsie Parker is next on the bill at the Cabaret at Savor (June 27^th, 2008). Go online to www.cabaretatsavor.com for more information on their upcoming schedule of events.

Chris Gibson
Cabaret Scenes
June 20 2008
www.cabaretscenes.org