Charles Evans
I Left My Heart at Carnegie Hall
Don’t Tell Mama, NYC, October 4, 2025
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg
Charles Evans made his New York City cabaret debut at Don’t Tell Mama with his charming show I Left My Heart at Carnegie Hall. It was mostly a tale of how two major musical figures of the 20th Century—Tony Bennett and Stephen Sondheim—influenced his life, in part thanks to his mother’s subscription to the Columbia House Record Club. There was also a brief mention of his family connection to Leonard Bernstein, but that came and went quickly. With strong support from artistic advisor Lennie Watts and music director/pianist Tracy Stark (playing arrangements originally created by Dwight Yakumoro), Evans drew in the audience with his warmth and humor.
Some of the highlights of the evening included a jaunty “I’m Just a Lucky So and So” (Duke Ellington/Mack David) and a deeply felt “It Amazes Me” (Cy Coleman/Carolyn Leigh). Evans used a vocal style of natural phrasing, which allowed for a good deal of subtle acting, given that he favored numbers that have emotional content. The fact that he looks less like a cabaret singer than like an actor cast as a veteran cop or a truck driver with a novel tucked in his back pocket added to his authenticity. That was true even when he tackled such unlikely numbers as “Could I Leave You” (with all original pronouns) and “Send in the Clowns” (both Sondheim).
Despite an assumed attitude—“It’s fun to be bitter and scared”—as he reflected on turning 71, Evans presented himself as a romantic with two interesting blendings of songs tht created some very dramatic moments: “Imagine” (John Lennon) and “In My Own Lifetime” (Jerry Bock/Sheldon Harnick). He united two numbers from different worlds that thematically flowed together. For an encore, two Sondheim songs—”Take the Moment” (music by Richard Rodgers) and “With So Little to Be Sure Of”—created a lovely way to bring the evening to a close with as he encouraged us to take a chance on our dreams.
