Feinstein leads a grand night for singing
The name of the show was “Michael Feinstein and Friends,” and by the end of 90 entertaining and talentsoaked minutes, Feinstein was everybody’s buddy.
He cracked jokes, made fun of himself, gushed about his Central Florida guests, raved about the new Steinmetz Hall and generally acted like he was having the time of his life hanging out with a bunch of new pals.
Feinstein was personally chosen by Chuck and Margery Pabst Steinmetz to be part of the opening festivities of the hall that bears their name, the newest addition to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Orlando.
Saturday, Chuck Steinmetz got the first laugh of the night — or was that a roar of approval? — when he considered the hall’s predecessor for touring shows: “I don’t want to mention the Bob Carr,” he said, “but that was a dump.”
For his part, Feinstein paid tribute to the new venue by first noting the famous places in which he has performed: The White House, Buckingham Palace, the Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall.
“I think this is probably the most beautiful and incredible theater I’ve ever seen,” he concluded to cheers.
Steinmetz Hall was certainly a grand place to experience Feinstein’s show. It’s easy to feel part of the action with the intimate vibe of the room. The stage lighting, while simple, was classy and dare I say sophisticated: deep purples, royal blues, aqua accents.
And the sound? Wonderful.
Now, this was still amplified sound — we don’t hear the hall’s natural acoustical abilities until a Royal Philharmonic Performance on Jan. 19 — but this is precisely the type of amplified sound suited for this type of hall. Every word was sharp, the tight jazz combo’s individual instruments were clearly heard and it all crisply blended together.
That was a very good thing because you didn’t want to miss a note during the evening, which brought together four talented singers with different styles — yet made them all feel equally at home.
Feinstein has become known as the keeper of the Great American Songbook — that trove of music written and created from roughly the 1920s to the 1950s, what we now call “standards.” His voice has a jazzy lilt and the swagger of that era.
Davis Gaines, the Orlando-raised Broadway star, has a showtune voice — big, bold and resonant. Norm Lewis, who grew up in Eatonville and also made it big on Broadway, can do both jazz and showtune, with colors of the blues and opera thrown in.
Sofia Victoria Deler, another homegrown talent, brought a burst of brassy fun to “Come Rain or Come Shine,” dueting with Feinstein.
Feinstein strutted through Sinatra, saluted Broadway with a rousing “Lullaby of Broadway” (and a very funny sendup of the ubiquitous “New York, New York), and turned wistful on a lovely rendition of “The Way We Were,” dedicated to his friend Marilyn Bergman, the song’s lyricist who died last week.
Gaines was in fine voice on Broadway’s “This Is the Moment” — a song he performed at the groundbreaking of the arts center in 2011 — as well as a medley from “Man of La Mancha,” featuring monologues from the musical. It reminded not only of his singing power but how his spoken delivery draws you in.
Lewis displayed prowess with both jazzed-up Broadway and straightforwardly operatic versions of “I Got Plenty of Nothin’ ” and paid tribute to the late Stephen Sondheim with a heartfelt “Being Alive” from the composer’s “Company.”
With toes tapping and a grin under my mask, I could hear Gaines’ words echoing in my mind: “Congratulations, Orlando. It was worth the wait.”