Craig Pomranz kind of sneaks up on an audience.

He’s telling you stories in song — caressing the lyrics ever-so-gently — and before you know it, he’s moved to a booming tenor that brings the song to a strong, powerful, satisfying climax.

And then he does it again, and again — and very effectively each time.

In his new show about love in all its varying aspects, Pomranz wove a delicate new web with each song, and his audience seemed to go along with him willingly because he made the songs — even the standards —so engrossing and the journeys so pleasant.

Pomranz relied primarily on ballads, including a poignant “When I Fall in Love” (Edward Heyman/Victor Young); a slow, sensual “You Go to My Head” (Haven Gillespie/J. Fred Coots); a thoughtful lullabye-like “My Blue Heaven” (Walter Donaldson/George hiting); a tender “My Eyes Adored You” (Bob Crewe/Kenny Nolan); and “I Never Meant to Hurt You,” a more contemporary song (by Laura Nyro) that reflects all the pain and hurt feelings at the end of a relationship — each of them evolving from a sweet, gentle beginning to a full-voiced, powerful conclusion in its own unique way.

Pomranz also scored on more up-tempo numbers like “Make Someone Happy” (Comden & Green and Jule Styne) and “I Love Being Here with You (Peggy Lee/William Schluger); and a medley that acknowledged the local geography — “Hollywood Party” (Rodgers & Hart) with “Hooray for Hollywood” (Richard Whiting/Johnny Mercer).

In an amusing change of pace Pomranz also sang Murray Grand’s “Doris Was Nice,” about a man who loves a gorilla (who was, nevertheless, nice); plus a jazz-tinged medley that reached across the decades to pair “You Make Me Feel So Young” (Mack Gordon/Josef Myrow) with Paul McCartney’s “When I’m 64,” with accompanist Steve Bocchino singing sweet harmony on the latter and providing sure-handed support throughout.

Pomranz closed the show with the wistful, heartbreaking “Some Other Time” (Comden & Green/ Leonard Bernstein), then returned to encore with “When Do the Words Come True?” (John Meyer) — a question no one has to ask when Pomranz performs because he makes sure all the words and emotions he wants to convey come true.

Elliot Zwiebach
Cabaret Scenes
July 17, 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org