Jonathan Long

August 3, 2009

“Cherish the Tenor Moments” The Metropolitan Room

July 19 & 28

You know how cabaret shows sometimes begin with an offstage voice exhorting us to “sit back, relax, and enjoy the show”? That introduction would be especially apt for Jonathan Long’s show “Cherish the Tenor Moments,” for Long delivers an hour of some of the most enjoyable singing you’re likely to hear, in a program unapologetically free of “concept”—or artifice. His ringing tenor is a beautiful instrument, and he employs it with intelligence and impressive, seemingly effortless technique.

He infuses a pairing of Irving Berlin’s “Let’s Face the Music and Dance” and “Cheek to Cheek” with enthusiasm and joy. I don’t know that I’ve ever heard a lovelier “Look to the Rainbow” (Burton Lane and E.Y. Harburg), and his rendition of “O Sole Mio” (Giovanni Capurro and Eduardo di Capua) is a model of how the song should be sung. His interpretation of Frederick Edward Weatherly’s “Danny Boy” [yes, the lyric was written by someone] is one of the prettiest you’re likely to hear, though not one of the most moving or persuasively acted. On the other hand, his “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” (E.Y. Harburg, Jay Gorney) is dramatically strong.

There are a few elements that should be worked on. Long’s performance of Eden Ahbez’s “Nature Boy” lacks an interpretive center, and he sings “they say he wandered near and far, near and far”; of course, the correct lyric is “…very far, very far.” In Mancini and Mercer’s “Moon River,” he pronouncedly chooses not to pronounce the final “g” in “going” (“wherever you’re goin’ I’m goin’ your way”); this choice ill fits the song.

There are a few other mainly minor missteps, but the most serious problem is that Long often starts a song with his hands in his pockets. Adopting this stance sends the wrong unconscious signal to the audience and weakens whatever impression the singer wishes to make with the song. Hands-in-pockets can be the right gesture if it is made wisely and purposefully; however, I would estimate that 95% of the many times I’ve seen a singer place his hands in his pockets it was the wrong thing to do. [Full disclosure: from my seat I could see only that Long’s left hand was in his pocket; I presume his right hand was as well, but I cannot be certain. However, my being wrong would not diminish the injudiciousness of this stance by half.]

Throughout the evening, David Shenton supplies admirable accompaniment on piano. In addition, the show includes an instrumental interlude in which Shenton performs an original composition, “Melodie in D,” on both the piano and the violin—at the same time! (I’m not making this up, you know.) This wasn’t just a stunt; both the piece and the combined instrumentation are lovely.

Avatar

About the Author

Roy Sander has been covering cabaret and theatre for over thirty years. He’s written cabaret and theatre reviews, features, and commentary for seven print publications, most notably Back Stage, and for CitySearch on the Internet. He covered cabaret monthly on “New York Theatre Review” on PBS TV, and cabaret and theatre weekly on WLIM-FM radio. He was twice a guest instructor at the London School of Musical Theatre. A critic for BistroAwards.com, he is also the site’s Reviews Editor; in addition, he is Chairman of the Advisory Board of MAC.