Robert Davi
Robert Davi Sings Frank Sinatra
Feinstein’s/54 Below, NYC, May 16, 2018
Reviewed by Ron Forman for Cabaret Scenes
You have seen Robert Davi in many of his 150 movie and television roles, so you know that, dressed in a tuxedo, he has the perfect look to do a Frank Sinatra tribute. What made this show memorable is that the operatically trained Davi is a marvelous vocalist. His very masculine baritone makes him the perfect guy to remember Sinatra on the 20th anniversary of his passing. Davi is relaxed and confident on stage and connects with the audience by walking into the crowd to shake hands during three of his numbers. His acting ability was on display in every one of the ballads he performed. Like Sinatra, Davi pays attention to the lyrics and every word is perfectly enunciated to extract the full meaning intended. In addition, his patter was delivered smoothly and featured a number of amusing anecdotes.
Davi opened, as Sinatra often did in his concerts, with “I’ve Got the World on a String.” Remembering Sinatra’s Rat Pack pal Dean Martin, Davi began “On an Evening in Roma” (“Sott’er Celo de Roma”), singing in Italian before finishing the number in English. He displayed his ability to do soft and tender ballads with “Where or When,” “Didn’t We,” and an especially poignant “Forget to Remember,” with just guitarist Brian Koonin backing him.
Davi’s acting talent was on full display with his dramatically moving “Send in the Clowns.” Performing “You and the Night and the Music” while walking through the audience, he surprised the crowd by whistling the last few notes. Next to closing, he did a rousing “That’s Life” and, remembering another Sinatra friend, Sammy Davis, Jr.
, he presented a masterful “Mr. Bojangles” for his closing number. It takes great confidence for a vocalist to sing “My Way,” but Davi sang it brilliantly as his encore.
