BWW Reviews: Chuck Lavazzi Waxes Nostalgic for His Cabaret Debut at the Kranzberg

Cabaret performers are always on the lookout for songs that they can utilize to define themselves as entertainers. It's all about trying to find your own unique niche in an ever crowding field, and Chuck Lavazzi has set about carving out his own piece of the pie by mining the whimsical tunes of yesteryear. Longtime actor Lavazzi made his debut as a cabaret singer at the Kranzberg Arts Center this weekend (March 26 - 27, 2010) with his interesting and informative show "Just A Song at Twilight - The Golden Age of Vaudeville", paying tribute to this bygone and largely forgotten era.

To a degree, I share Lavazzi's enthusiasm for this particular time in music history, having grown up watching a steady diet of films from the 1930's and 40's that featured a great many of the songs featured in his set list. And, of course, any number of these nostalgic novelties have been included in cartoon underscores, a fact illustrated by Lavazzi's personal fondness for the Warner Brother's creation (and occasional network mascot) Michigan J. Frog. You'll remember him as the frog with the amazing ability to suddenly burst into splashy renditions of tin pan alley and vaudeville classic, unless someone other than his owner is present, at which point he merely croaks.

Lavazzi began with an explanation of his fondness for this kind of material, detailing how his mother had sung these songs around the house, or as lullabies, continuing a tradition that had started when she was a child and they had been sung to her. His sentiments were summed up in the opening number "Love's Old Sweet Song", as well as the lilting tune "Bring Back Those Wonderful Days", which featured a few timely lyrical revisions by Lavazzi.

Tales of the first ladies of vaudeville, performers like Nora Bayes and Blanche Ring, brought forth amusing chestnuts like "Rings on My Fingers", "Nellie's Hat" and the venerable "Shine On Harvest Moon". Lavazzi also touched on the effects of modern technology with the hapless horseless carriage ode "He'd Have to Get Under - Get Out and Get Under", and the telephone driven "Hello Ma Baby". Before introducing a familiar tune by songwriter Andrew B. Sterling and Kerry Mills, he delivered a cute jingle Sterling had penned for a local brewery called "Under the Anheuser Busch". Then Lavazzi had the audience singing along to Sterling's standard "Meet Me in St. Louis", adding in some lesser known verses along the way.

Before he wound up the evening with a tribute to Bert Williams, Lavazzi invited local singer/actress Anna Blair to take the microphone to belt out a spirited rendition of Sophie Tucker's signature tune "Some of These Days", and it proved to be a highlight of the show. Lavazzi then explored the drama of the Bert Williams number "Nobody", before offering up renditions of "After the Ball" and the lively "Toot, Toot, Tootsie".

Neal Richardson's accompaniment on piano was impeccable as always, and these tunes allowed him to sprinkle ragtime flavored figures into these (mostly) bouncy melodies from the past.

While Lavazzi's range as a singer may be limited, he does invest himself fully in each selection, working with a confidence gained by his considerable knowledge of the material. And, hearing how these songs fit into the popular culture of their respective eras does make for enlightening entertainment.

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