Review: Mr. Bojangles, The Ultimate Entertainer - Mohegan Sun Cabaret

Mr. Bojangles, The Ultimate Entertainer is a tribute to the late Sammy Davis Jr. and is being produced by his wife, Altovise Gore Davis.

Mr. Bojangles had its World Premiere on February 22, 2006. The show is being specifically marketed to the burgeoning casino market. It opened in Mohegan Sun's Cabaret, which is one of the finest cabaret spaces that exist today.

I have been in many of the best performance spaces in the country. With its size, space, ambiance and acoustics, Mohegan Sun's Cabaret is comparable to, or better than, any showroom or cabaret space in New York, Atlantic City or Las Vegas.

As the audience enters the showroom there is a vignette of Sammy Davis Jr.'s dressing room in the foyer. His shoes, jackets, photos and a western holster are on display around his dressing table. On top of the table is a hand-painted sign that welcomes "all people, regardless of color or religion" to the Davises' home. The suit jackets on the wardrobe rack were made for a very small person, which seems odd, given Sammy Davis Jr.'s larger-than-life personality and talent.

Mr. Bojangles, which stars Ted Levy and Darrell Grand Moultrie runs a tight one-hour and ten minutes long and has most of the ingredients expected in a successful cabaret show with the unfortunate exception of a live band. It has a wealth of material, some of the greatest music ever written, Broadway-caliber singing and one of the best tap-dancers around.

This tribute differs from other Sammy Davis Jr. tribute shows in a couple of ways. First, no one is trying to make you suspend reality and make you think that you are seeing Sammy Davis, Jr. or some facsimile of him. Second, it is a tribute that, given the producer, does not veer into caricature of its subject.

The show is built around the premise that one man couldn't, alone, pay adequate tribute to Sammy Davis Jr. However, if there is one man that could do it alone, it is Ted Levy.

Mr. Levy has been on stage with the legendary hoofers in Black and Blue and choreographed tap for the cast of Jelly's Last Jam. He captures, in voice, body language and tap, the essence of Sammy Davis Jr., without veering into parody. His tapping is athletic, with each hit sharp and distinct. His vocal impression of Sammy captures what should be captured without trying to do an exact impersonation. The highlight of the evening is Mr. Levy tapping along with a black and white video of Sammy. Mr. Levy taps with Sammy, perfectly synchronized. For a few beats Mr. Levy taps in between and in contrast to Sammy.

Darrel Grand Moultrie (who was in Aida on Broadway) is in the role as the other Sammy. Mr. Moultrie has a beautiful, baritone voice and has the vocal chops to take on any song. He does a fine job interpreting one of Sammy's numbers from Broadway's Golden Boy. He has the un-enviable task of singing a cover of the universally known "Candy Man". The original innocence of the song is firmly intact as it is performed with an obviously 70's era video of children dancing in the background.

Both men change costumes and props to evoke different periods in Sammy's career. Conservative tuxedos and square black-rimmed glasses give way to psychedelic Nehru jackets and enormous gold peace signs.

The show ends with a rousing rendition of "Birth of the Blues". Both men are on stage, with video of Sammy performing in the background. By the closing number the show builds the energy to put the audience on its feet. The show goes out strong.

The show references Sammy beginning his career in the Will Maston Trio with his father and uncle doing a "Flash Act." A "Flash Act" was an act that came out between other vaudeville performers and did a flashy routine to grab the audience's attention. This show could take a lesson from that. The show has a less structured opening than it could have. Mr. Bojangles could use more "flash" in the beginning, to grab the audience.

The show incorrectly assumes that all of the audience will have a certain level of knowledge of who Sammy Davis Jr. was and why he was the greatest entertainer of the 20th century. Many in the audience will know Sammy's story, but many won't. This show misses its opportunity to share that story to an, obviously, interested crowd. There is some narration but the show is still very light on song introduction and highlights of Sammy's career and life.

Both of these observations are about structural aspects of the show and would be an easy fix. Mr. Bojangles, The Ultimate Entertainer has all of the tools, material and talent it needs to be the best show it can be.

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