Richard Shelton

Sinatra: Raw

The Green Room 42, NYC, September 22, 2022

Reviewed by Bart Greenberg

The audience may have entered The Green Room 42 in New York City in 2022, but as the lights lowered, they were transported to The Purple Room in Palm Springs in 1971. A lone musician (the excellent Jordan Piper) is at the 88s playing an introduction when Frank Sinatra comes crashing on stage. He’s already announced his final appearance later in the year in a Hollywood Bowl concert with Count Basie, but tonight he’s chosen to return to one of his favorite clubs for a casual performance in a room that he has played in for years. In fact, it’s where he met Dean Martin and the Rat Pack was born—or so he tells his audience. He’s just in the mood to sing some of his standards and reminisce a bit.

And reminisce he does, spurred on by his bottle of Jack Daniels which he imbibes with dedication. He even sings a love song to the liquor—“I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” As the alcohol takes its affect, his mood shifts from affability to anger and resentment with a dangerous edge. The songs become more and more personal to him, evoking even more memories. They go from a very reflective “It Was a Very Good Year,” with remembered romances crossing his face as he recalls each age in the song, to a trio of songs devoted to the love of his life, Ava Gardner—“My Foolish Heart” (sung a cappella), “I’m a Fool to Want You,” and “Angel Eyes,” all evoking their very complicated love/hate romance.

Sinatra proudly spoke of his involvement in the civil rights movement, denied his deep connections to the mob, and expressed fury at Bobby Kennedy and Peter Lawford for what he considered a major betrayal when he was kept away from JFK. And though this led to his “accept-it-all” delivery of “That’s Life,” the bitterness remained. However, he recovered enough to ask for suggestions from the floor as to which standards the audience wished to hear. “Just the Way You Look Tonight,” “Come Fly with Me,” and “Mack the Knife” were given the fine Sinatra treatment, with Piper demonstrating his command of the material by quickly shifting from one song to the next with little warning. At one point the singer, having kicked off the first song again a cappella, turned to the pianist to ask with a grin, “Am I in the right key?,” to which he received a shrug and a “just-keep-going” nod. The thrilling musical part of the evening climaxed with the definitive “bar song,” “One for My Baby (and One More for the Road),” followed by Sinatra’s defining “My Way.” Both were beautifully rendered; then the Chairman of the Board departed the stage.

But it was Richard Shelton who returned to thank his audience. This remarkable actor/singer has toured the world with this show, but this was his New York debut. During his performance he had made it clear what a fine singer—one could argue that his baritone is stronger than Sinatra’s was at that point in his career—and an effective actor he is. What wasn’t apparent until he presented himself out of character was his thick English accent that clearly shocked the audience, given that it had not slipped through his subtle Jersey accent as Frankie. As theater and as cabaret, his performance was quite an achievement. Hopefully, he will return to the New York stage very soon.