Davis Gaines
Love Is in the Air
The Greenroom 42, NYC, February 13, 2025
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg
Photo: Courtesy of BRS/Gage
Davis Gaines has had a long career in musical theater, and he has the stories to tell about it. Happily, he presented many of them in his show Love Is in the Air at The Greenroom 42. Because it was Valentine’s Day Eve, he focused on love songs as he sang varied set of Broadway tunes. Assisted by his longtime collaborator and music director John Olearchick at the piano, Gaines’ good humor and fine acting skills were on full display. Although he was battling a head cold that many in New York seemed to be suffering from, his big, resonant voice barely required a microphone to reach the back of the room.
Some impressive moments included a touching “But Beautiful” (Jimmy Van Heusen/Johnny Burke), which he delivered with a comfortable casualness with the lyrics. Also touching was his delivery of his parents’ favorite song, “It Might as Well Be Spring” (Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II) and of the classic “Tea for Two” (Vincent Youmans/Irving Caesar), which he sang as a ballad. Happily, here and elsewhere, Gaines included the usually omitted verses. His rendition of “Right as the Rain” (E.Y. Harburg/Harold Arlen) was another emotionally effective moment.Gaines presented some interesting combinations of songs, including two from shows he’d been in (Sweeney Todd and The Rink) but that he hadn’t performed. These were “Nothing’s Going to Harm You” (Stephen Sondheim) and “We Can Make It” (John Kander/Fred Ebb), which in combination told a lovely story. He created another romantic tale by merging “Falling” (Marvin Hamlisch/Carol Bayer Sager) with “Maybe This Time” (Kander & Ebb).
He paid a heartfelt tribute to Carol Channing, with a performance of “It Only Takes a Moment” (Jerry Herman from Hello, Dolly!). It included the monologue from the show, which made it a highlight of the evening. He paid tribute also to his frequent co-star Rebecca Luker with the Jerome Kern/Hammerstein “All the Things You Are.” For something completely different, his was a rendition of “If Ever I Would Leave You” (Alan Jay Lerner/Frederick Loewe) included some revised lyrics that paid tribute to the unrestrained ego of Lancelot (and maybe of Robert Goulet). Gaines’ constant display of variety and invention is what made this show really special.
