Review: DAVID MARINO LIVE AT THE ORINDA at Orinda Theatre

David Marino

Live at the Orinda

10 May 2026

It’s every reviewer’s joy to attend an exceptional performance – it makes our job so much easier. It’s rarer to witness the creation of a star who delivered just such a performance as David Marino gave at his sold-out show for Live at the Orinda’s season finale. At twenty-four years of age, Marino’s vocal skills and Stage Presence are so well-defined it’s as if he’s channeled Bennett, Torme, Aznavour and Bobby Darin. As a critic, I notice flaws and imperfections as part of the game, and in my humble opinion Marino’s set was absolutely flawless. Setlist amazing, backup band superb, Marino’s meticulous styling – even his suit was exactly right.

Marino made his West Coast debut at the Orinda Theatre in 2024 and since then his life has changed dramatically. A finalist on Canada's hit TV show, The Voice, Marino has been touring the world with sold out shows at New York's Birdland Jazz Club, Montreal's Place Des Arts, throughout the U.S., London, Paris, and Rome. He’s currently starring in the hit production of Michel Legrand's Les Demoiselles de Rochefort at the famed Lido Theatre in Paris (through June 14, 2026). An impressive resume to date and his future is full of possibilities.

Awarded New York's Bistro Award for Outstanding Vocalist in 2026, Marino is multilingual and presented material in French and Italian during his set. Living in Paris for the last ten months while starring in de Rochefort, Marino has a new perspective on that city and has even fallen in love. Being from Montreal, his French is impeccable evidenced on"La Chanson de Maxence" (also known as "You Must Believe in Spring") composed by Michel Legrand with lyrics by Jacques Demy for the 1967 French film Les Demoiselles de Rochefort (The Young Girls of Rochefort). That segued to Cole Porter’s “I Love Paris” with a lovely arrangement by David and musical director/pianist John Gilbert.

Marino has the charm of a seasoned pro, the wisdom to cull the intent of a lyric and the vocal expertise of someone much, much older. Michel Le Grands “Windmills of Your Mind” and Jacques Brel’s “If We Only Have Love” display a sophistication that is an innate knowledge. In a love note to his mom, Marino sang “Not While I’m Around” from Sweeney Todd and for himself, a cover of "Corner of the Sky" from Pippin, a song about finding one’s purpose.

In a set chock full of highlights, here’s my faves: the British novelty song “And Her Mother Came Too,” “Charles Aznavour’s “For Me… Formidable,” and a sensational version of Michel Legrand’s jazz tune “Quand ça balance. You can’t get a better rhythm section than Bay Area in-demand artists Daniel Fabricant on bass and David Rokeach who provided the textures of jazz, pop, and even Latin sway. With his youthful enthusiasm and unlimited talent, Marino is poised for a long, interesting career.

Photo Credit: Tracy Braunstein, Steve Murray

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