“My Way” Abridged Reviews

 

La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts

February 11 – 27, 2005

 

 

 

Theater Listings

THE CHAIRMAN LIVES

The La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts and McCoy Rigby Entertainment present "My Way," a celebration of the life, music and mystique of legendary crooner Frank Sinatra. The 56-song musical review features singers Damon Kirsche, Nikki Crawford, Kevin Earley and Tami Tappan Damiano backed by musicians running through songs such as "Fly Me to the Moon," "It Was a Very Good Year," "The Lady is a Tramp," "My Way' and more. Kirsche has performed in productions of "She Loves Me' and "On the Twentieth Century' and has been the featured soloist at the Kennedy Center. Crawford is a Helen Hayes Award-winning actress whose resume includes "A Class Act' and "Play On!" Earley has starred in productions of "Most Happy Fella' and "1776' while Damiano has been seen in "Cyrano: The Musical' and "Miss Saigon."

 

"MY WAY," opens 8 tonight. Regular run is 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 and 7 p.m. Sunday; through Feb. 27. No 2:30 p.m. show Saturday or 7 p.m. show Sunday. La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada. $32-$40. (562) 944-9801 or www.lamiradatheatre.com

 

"MY WAY"

What: Musical review/tribute to Frank Sinatra Where: La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 and 7 p.m. Sunday; through Feb. 27 Tickets: $32-$40 Information: (562) 944-9801 or www.lamiradatheatre.com

 

Not quite Sinatra's 'Way'

By John Farrell

 

Frank Sinatra was undoubtedly the greatest singer and actor of the American 20th century.

 

For 50 years he recorded hit after it, some 1,300 songs in all. He also became an Oscar-winning actor, and, when his singing career seemed stalled after nearly two decades, he re-invented himself and the art of recorded music. Sinatra was a phenomenon, a man who earned critical adulation and the screams of teenage girls, a man who befriended presidents and mafia members.

 

It is likely, though, that the current generation remembers him for his songs and his leadership in the Rat Pack, and not for his phenomenal career.

 

It is those songs, 56 of them, and only tangentially the man's life, that are celebrated in "My Way," the musical review/tribute that made its West Coast debut Friday at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts. (Sunday's matinee performance is reviewed here.)

 

The stage is set in that faceless, early '60s Las Vegas cocktail lounge look that is what Sinatra is now remembered for. There's a bar at stage left, covered in padded and quilted brocade. A raised platform in the center, lit by suspended yellow glass tubes and backed by a swirl of a wall also in satin, two staircases and some see-through curtains re-create the Sands in 1963 — or any of a dozen fashionable nightspots on the Strip.

 

This is the mid-'60s, frozen in time, and there is plenty of smoking and drinking. If the four enthusiastic young singers in this revue actually drank as much as they pretend to in the one-anda-half hour show, they'd be singing "How Dry I Am' instead of the title tune, "My Way," at the show's end.

 

The four singers, Nikki Crawford, Tami Tappan Damiano, Kevin Earley and Damon Kirsche, are bright, good-looking and charming, and they wear the requisite tuxedos and cocktail dresses with comfortable ease. Easley and Kirsche even look like the young Sinatra (Could this be coincidence? ), as thin as two rails, moving with the same kind of cool that Sinatra always had (except when he occasionally slugged someone in a bar)...

 

… Their diction is wonderful; you'll hear every word from some of the wittiest lyricists of any era. And the five-piece backup band (all professional union musicians: it gets mentioned twice), pianist and conductor Tom Griffin, bass Tim Christensen, drummer Gordon Peeke, guitarist Tom Bethke and saxophonist Ray Herman, performs the often-brilliant, always uncredited arrangements, with a bright and swinging energy that is invariably delightful and appropriate.

 

…Even though some of the dozens of songs in the review, "Let's Get Away from It All" and "That Old Black Magic," came from Sinatra's 1940s recordings, the great bulk of these songs, whether written in the 1920s or decades later, are from recordings Sinatra made in the '60s and '70s, and have that Nelson Riddle smoothness and polish that became the Sinatra trademark.

 

"That's Life," "Witchcraft," "Love and Marriage," "Nice " N' Easy" and "Strangers in the Night' are pop standards that even those who know nothing of the Sinatra legend recognize. "It Was a Very Good Year' and the title song, "My Way," both express a philosophical point of view that is at least presumed to be Sinatra's own (though he wrote neither song). But, save for the few quips we get of Sinatra's wit ("Live every day like it's your last. One day you'll be right."), there is little in this show about the man. Instead it is a showcase of the music he made famous, and as that it has its own sparkle and charm.

 

Equally important, Sunday's audience loved it, applauding for favorite numbers, enjoying (and gasping) at some of the costumes. Sinatra's timeless voice you can hear on recordings. Live music, even with flaws, is something to be cherished, especially when you come into the hall humming the tunes.

 

—   John Farrell is a Long Beach freelance writer.

 

 

ACCESSIBLY LIVE OFF-LINE
(Vol. 10-No. 7-Week of February 14^th, 2005)

 

 

McCoy Rigby Entertainment presents MY WAY, a musical tribute to one of America's 20th Century icons, Francis Albert (Frank) Sinatra, and currently performs at the La Mirada Theater for the Performing Arts in La Mirada.

 

The stage setting is a vast cosmopolitan and 'hip' nightclub or cabaret, complete with a string-shiny curtain, art deco furnishings (sparsely arranged), and the most important element, a well stocked bar! The only thing missing is Frank himself. He is not present, nor is his likeness seen. Stepping onto the stage instead is four gown and tux wearing as well as musically talented guys and gals (Nikki Crawford, Tami Tappan Damiano, Kevin Earley, and Damon Kirschie) as they gather together around the nightclub and bar to pay a musical tribute to the man known as 'The Voice'. Over fifty songs that Frank had either recorded and/or made famous are presented in this livey setting, including I Get A Kick Out Of You, High Hopes, Fly Me To The Moon, Summerwind, the title tune, and a host of others!

 

The tuxedo wearing orchestra conducted by Tom Griffin, plays the songs under his musical direction in a style and mood that harks another era. Not just from a time that only holds nostalgia, but a moment that can and is just as hip today as it was way back when. David Grapes and Todd Olson conceived this production (with the book by Olson), as a musical tribute to Ol' Blues Eyes as he probably would have wanted to be remembered by. (Sinatra's personal life is yet another story!) That is why one never sees anything that looks like Frank. It's the music that is in focus. Only his spirit remains, and so does his kind of tunes.

 

Directed by musical theater veteran Nick Degruccio with choreography by Dan Mojica, MY WAY is a treat for Frankie fans, young and young at heart. For those who don't care about the once King of the Ratpack, after an experience with this show, one will most likely change their mind. It's fun, it's musical, and it's all-the-way Frank! Who could ask for more?? Ring-A-Ding-Ding!!

 

MY WAY, presented by McCoy Rigby Entertainment, performs at the La Mirada Theater for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Boulevard (at Rosecrans Avenue), La Mirada, until February 27th. Showtimes are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings @ 7:30 PM, Friday and Saturday nights @ 8:00 PM, Sunday evenings @ 7:00 PM, and Saturday and Sunday matinees@ 2:30 PM. Tickets are available at the La Mirada Theatre box office, or by calling (562) 944-9801 or (714) 994-6310.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT Friday, February 18, 2005

 

 

 

THAT SINATRA SOUND: At the La Mirada Theatre, Kevin Earley, Tami Tappan Damiano, Damon Kirsche and Nikki Crawford, from left, deliver a song from the musical revue “My Way.”

 

'MY WAY' Where La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada When Through Feb. 27. 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2:30 and 7 p.m. Sundays How much $32-$40 Length 1 hour, 45 minutes Suitability All ages Call (714) 994-6310 or www.lamiradatheatre.com Article tools

 

'My Way'

 

Review: The revue salutes Ol' Blue Eyes…

 

By ERIC MARCHESE

SPECIAL TO THE REGISTER

 

Frank Sinatra was a one-of-a-kind singer with an inimitable style, so it's easy to see why David Grapes and Todd Olson wanted to create a musical revue like "My Way."

 

… the show, with a libretto by Olson, is essentially a concert of songs by the likes of Rodgers and Hart, Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields, Harold Arlen, John H. Mercer, Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen.

 

It can be argued that "All the Way," "Fly Me to the Moon," "High Hopes," "It Was a Very Good Year," "My Kind of Town," "Strangers in the Night," "The Tender Trap" and several other songs are inextricably linked to Sinatra, and that "My Way," which Ol' Blue Eyes recorded in 1969, became a theme of his life. However, most of the revue's songs have been performed and recorded by many artists besides the Chairman of the Board.

 

How, then, should one take "My Way," now being taken for a spin around the block by McCoy Rigby Entertainment? One way is simply as an appreciation of the breadth and depth of Sinatra's talent - that elusive mixture of tough and tender, of bravado and melancholy, that made him one of the most versatile vocalists on the planet. He was also prolific, recording more than 1,300 songs, of which 56 are represented here.

 

The real problem of a show like "My Way" is circular: The more anyone tries to emulate the sound and style of Sinatra, the more you realize no one will ever come close to that kind of charisma. The more a singer tries to make a true "Sinatra song" his or her own, the more you long for the genuine article. The more you hear just a snippet of something Sinatra sang, the more you want to hear an entire performance by the master.

 

Many of Vince diMura's vocal arrangements drift away from that distinctive Sinatra sound, yet another element working against the show - so, you really have to tip your fedora to director Nick DeGruccio and company for trying. Nikki Crawford, Tami Tappan Damiano, Kevin Earley and Damon Kirsche are an attractive young cast with considerable vocal skills. Even at their best, though - and they openly admit this - they can only salute the master.

 

The show's opening medley is brash and loud, with the six-piece onstage band, led by musical director Tom Griffin, pushing the tempo … Things settle in with a "city" medley highlighted by Kirsche's easy take on "My Kind of Town," loaded with unforced personableness. Kirsche uses his silky tenor to softer effect on "Drinking Again," "Should I?" and "Witchcraft."

 

The singers score with their humorously deadpan delivery of "Love and Marriage"; on "New York, New York," an incomparable number and a true Sinatra signature; and with the 1966 tune "That's Life," as Earley affects a youthful version of the patented, carefree Sinatra style.

 

Earley briefly captures Sinatra's inflections on "Fly Me to the Moon" and offers studied nonchalance on "One for My Baby”… He's aptly tender, though, on the gently nostalgic "Tender Trap" and "Summer Wind," a song originally written in German, later translated by Mercer.

 

Damiano's rendition of Cahn and Jule Styne's "I Believe," with its lovely melody and lyrics, is heartfelt. The 1956 tune "Something Wonderful Happens in Summer" is likewise gorgeously melodic, making Damiano a wise choice to deliver it. She's reflective and wistful on "I'll Be Seeing You," yet shows a spunkier, more spirited side with "The Best Is Yet to Come."

 

Crawford shows longing on "All the Way," is soulful on "My Funny Valentine" and adds the proper levels of sadness to the Al Dubin-Victor Herbert ballad "Indian Summer." So, why have her cast mates join her, doing smooth, '50s-style harmonies, when it's so strong a solo? More stunning is when she and Earley re-create the sound of "Something Stupid," the 1967 number Frank sang with daughter Nancy.

 

Olson's libretto connects the songs with factoids: The singers rattle off a list of quotable Sinatra quotes and, more coy and amusing, a roster of his assorted wives and lady friends. A song, Olson asserts, "became a classic as soon as he sang it."

 

Freelance writer Eric Marchese has covered entertainment for the Register since 1984.

 

 

 

 

 

My Way

La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada

Blvd., La Mirada, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m.

Sunday, 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; Through Feb. 27

$32-$40, (562) 944-9801, (714) 994-6310 or www.lamiradatheatre.com

 

`My Way' skips the biopic and veers straight to Sinatra's best songs

 

By Frances Baum Nicholson

Correspondent

 

The McCoy Rigby Entertainment Series at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts is known for its eclecticism. New sits next to classic, Broadway musical next to one-man performance piece, family show next to challengingly controversial adult material. Every once in a while, they throw in something which is, plain and simple, a warm fuzzy for their tolerant, if occasionally stretched, subscription audience.

 

Such a tidbit is their current offering: ``My Way,'' a tuneful and completely stress-free salute to Frank Sinatra. Having feared it would be one of those bio-concerts, where some obsessive feels compelled to attempt imitation greatness in the guise of offering second-rate renditions of the star's greatest hits, it was a genuine joy to discover a quartet of fine young singers willing to salute the man without needing to become him. Instead, what this show does is to evoke the Sinatra era, with all its macho charisma and off-hand class.

 

The string of songs is impressive, including most of the predictable favorites and songs one would never have associated with Sinatra at all. Indeed, one of the most interesting things about the production is the program, which not only lists the songs in the usual manner (title, composer, lyricist) but also when and how many times it was recorded by Sinatra, and on which of his disks it appears. Some are obscure indeed, though

all are a pleasure to hear.

 

The performing ensemble collected by director Nick DeGruccio have amassed a host of impressive individual credits. Their expertise allows them to make the songs their own, either individually or collectively. It's a good choice, which brings to each tune a newness and vitality which has younger hearers perking up to listen even as those more familiar with the works sigh with remembered pleasures.

 

Nikki Crawford, Tami Tappan Damiano, Kevin Earley and Damon Kirsche gather together for the tight four-part big band harmonies often associated with such groups as The Modernaires, or break away for powerful solo moments. This all is backed up by a top quality jazz combo on a set worthy of the Rat Pack, in Scott Lane's fabulously rich period costumes. Cigarette smoke and highball glasses are the order of the day, as one is transported to that era of post-war cool of Vegas' early days....

 

``My Way'' is not about Sinatra's life. Indeed, other than learning he grew up in Hoboken, and had a string of lady-friends along with a string of wives, there is little talk of his biographical information during the show. The celebration's focus remains resolutely on the songs the man chose to sing, for that remains his true legacy. Romantic and nostalgic, warm and wry, the show celebrates the music which defined an era, and the man who provided the soundtrack for a generation. Not a bad way to spend an evening.

 

 

 

THEATER REVIEW

They get a kick out of revue

'My Way' singers and quintet glide from smoky to sparkling in a show of Sinatra tunes.

By Daryl H. Miller, Times Staff Writer

 

Great songs tell great stories, heard to best advantage when sung by someone who's a gifted storyteller as well as a skilled vocalist. Frank Sinatra was one such singer. In fact, you might say he led the pack. So his career is well suited to the theatrical treatment it receives in "My Way," the "celebration of Frank Sinatra's music and style" being given its West Coast premiere at La Mirada Theatre.

 

Rather than attempt to imitate Sinatra, the show sets out to re-create the late-night, bourbon-soaked, cigarette-hazed hipness that his singing evokes… the program — presented by McCoy Rigby Entertainment — tips its hat to a bygone era, while serving as a showcase for several popular Southland musical theater artists: director Nick DeGruccio and singer-actors Nikki Crawford, Tami Tappan Damiano, Kevin Earley and Damon Kirsche.

 

The setting is a nightclub that sports the sleek, sharp look of mid-20th century Modernism.

 

"Strangers in the Night" sets the mood as the four singers enter and hook up. Exchanging smoldering glances, they proceed to woo and rue.

 

Conceived by David Grapes and Todd Olson, "My Way" presents 58 tunes in a revue format that resembles "Ain't Misbehavin' " or "A Grand Night for Singing." Songs include "All the Way," "I Get a Kick Out of You," "I've Got You Under My Skin," "The Lady Is a Tramp," "Love and Marriage," "(Love Is) The Tender Trap," "My Kind of Town," "One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)," "Witchcraft" and, yes, "My Way."

 

Brimming with wit and sophistication, these tunes are grouped largely by theme: songs about cities, about love, about lost love and so on. Often, they're strung into mini scenarios, as when a guy's cocky rendition of "I've Got the World on a String" is deflated by a gal's sarcastic observation about his "High Hopes." Crawford, with her big, dusky voice, and Earley, with his velvety baritone, develop personas as the quartet's worldly wise members, while Tappan Damiano, who possesses a clarion soprano, and Kirsche, who has a boy-singer's shimmering baritone, are more wholesome.

 

Solos sometimes build into duets or slinky four-part harmonies. A superb quintet, led by Tom Griffin, accompanies with arrangements that are smoky and bourbon-soaked here, sparkling and martini-fueled there.

 

Costumer Scott Lane dresses the men in tuxes and the women, for the show's second half, in sumptuous evening gowns — one an inverted champagne flute of fuchsia, the other an elaborately side-bustled confection in violet.

 

Lighting designer Steven Young paints hot reds and romantic blues onto the set's gauzy curtains...

 

`My Way' Where: La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2:30 and 7 p.m. Sundays Ends: Feb. 27 Price: $32 and $40 Contact: (562) 944-9801 or www.lamiradatheatre.com Running Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

 

 

 

"My Way"

presented by McCoy Rigby Entertainment in association with and at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada. Tue.-Thu. 7:30 p.m., Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. 2:30 & 8 p.m., Sun. 2:30 & 7 p.m. Feb. 11-27. $32-40. (562) 944-9801 or (714) 994-6310.

 

West Southern CA February 16, 2005

 

My Way

Reviewed By Melinda Schupmann

 

Frank Sinatra was the singers' singer, and his spectacular career spans several generations of fans who still listen to his music. This production comes with a caveat: If people come to look for impersonations, they will be disappointed. A program note claims that the concert attempts to "recall the essence of the man."

 

The setting is a supper club featuring a six-man combo led by pianist/conductor Tom Griffin. Two men and two women (Nikki Crawford, Tami Tappan Damiano, Damon Kirsche, and Kevin Earley) dressed in their glamorous best share the spotlight in many duets, solo numbers, and even a choreographed (Dan Mojica) moment or two. Conceived by David Grapes and Todd Olson after Sinatra's death, the show includes biographical details…

 

The playwrights quote Sinatra as saying the secret of his success was that he sang great songs. …What Sinatra had was a velvet baritone, remarkable instinctive styling, and a sense of the soul of the song. He made the commonplace special…

 

 

Deaftifying Acts

…the four artists provided their own emotional interpretation, diction,

and vocal fireworks sung with sheer perfection.

 

By DANIEL G. LAM

THE GREEN ROOM THEATRE CRITIC

Sunday, February 13, 2005

 

La Mirada – Deafening is an understatement when experiencing the West Coast Premiere of McCoy Rigby Entertainment’s My Way – A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts. Neither Mr. Sinatra’s music nor was it the fault of the performers…

Originally conceived by David Grapes and Todd Olson with a book by Olson, My Way received a World Premiere at Tennessee Repertory Theatre in July 2000 with a subsequent production at Fort Worth’s Casa Mañana, where Betty Buckley once graced the stage. Fortunately, the four singers, Nikki Crawford, Tami Tappan Damiano, Kevin Earley, and Damon Kirsche delivered the 56-song revue with their own original sense of vocal style. This theatrical vocal style is suited best for a theatre audience. If patrons desired cheesy Frank Sinatra impersonations, Las Vegas should satisfy their needs. With nearly 1,400-recorded songs to Sinatra’s name, selecting tunes were indeed an arduous task. The 54-songs were presented both in medley form and as individual entries. From the uplifting “High Hopes” to the Big Band style of “Fly Me to the Moon” to the sentimental “My Way”, the four artists provided their own emotional interpretation, diction, and vocal fireworks sung with sheer perfection. Overall, Earley, Kirsche, Tappan Damiano, and Crawford complimented each other vocally.

 

However, Mr. Grapes and Mr. Olson should have incorporated a few of Sinatra’s lesser known recordings as well as informational tidbits, not gossip, between songs – perhaps more in the style of Kennedy Center Honors rather than Sinatra 101. Director Nick DeGruccio has had his share of revues from staging Putting It Together and Side By Side By Sondheim (twice) attempted to transform My Way to something more interesting.

 

The beautiful, sleek set is credited to Casa Mañana, Inc. consisted of a few platform stairs, a small lounge area, a bar, and the musicians situated center stage. Scott Lane’s costume designs were exquisitely ravishing and lighting designer Steven Young supplied the proper ambiance to each song. Choreographer Dan Mojica created simple, elegant style based on each of the singer’s capabilities. Music director, conductor, and pianist Tom Griffin guided the six-piece band with energy and the proper tempo. However, Frank Sinatra’s music would gain drastically improve if the music were performed by a full orchestra creating lush, rich sounds. This could only be accomplished if they did it “his way”.

 

My Way performs at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts; 14900 La Mirada Boulevard (near the intersection of Rosecrans Avenue); La Mirada, California; Parking is free; performances run through February 27, 2005: Tues. - Thu., 7:30 p.m.; Fri. 8p.m.; Sat., 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sun., 2:30 and 7 p.m. (no matinee performance on Saturday, Feb. 12 or evening performance on Sunday, Feb. 13); Tickets are $40 and $32 and seniors, student and children’s discounts are available. For more information, call the La Mirada Theatre Box Office at (562) 944-9801 or (714) 994-6310; Individual tickets can also be purchased online at www.lamiradatheatre.com