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Will and Anthony Nunziata
October 3, 2009
“Our Time”
Feinstein’s at Loews Regency – September 21, October 5
To paraphrase a Danny Kaye trademark song, they look alike, they walk alike, they talk alike. Will and Anthony Nunziata sing alike too, with voices that belt right out to the street. Twenty-something and good-looking, they have a youthful charisma, a nice communication with each other, and they deliver most of their songs with an earnest intent. Despite being intermittently thrown off-focus on the first night by some over-enthusiastic interruptions, the singers kept their good humor and continued on with the show after checking the schedule and quipping, “Moving right along.” Arrangements by musical director/pianist Ben Toth played up their vocal strengths, which lay in singing in synch together and on the beat, with light emphasis on harmony.
Their assets of vocal talent and stage presence point toward a good start in entertainment careers, but these young men need guidance in a cabaret show. While their interpretations were honest, they needed more depth. Directed by Richard Jay-Alexander, the show is called “Our Time,” a catch-up of what’s been going on in their young lives. So far, so good. The concept, however, led into a self-indulgent, over-extended personal history, a novice version of a veteran’s “and then we did…” show. The Nunziatas began with questions they claimed are always asked, like, “What’s it like being twins?” and “Who’s older?” Really, who cares? Needed was a more enticing opener. From here, they began tracing their lives. Their mother says they were singing in the womb, but setting a mother’s claim aside, we were escorted on a casual stroll along a short memory lane with extended remembrances of singing to VCRs of Bedknobs and Broomsticks and a dragged-out, audio-enhanced Beetlejuice.
Why they chose some songs was not made clear, emphasizing the program’s flaw: concept and direction. A pairing of “When the Saints Go Marching In” (Purvis and Black) and “Lullaby of Broadway” (Warren and Dubin) was questionable, especially when it seemed to link to a comment about watching Hello Dolly (the film) and Louis Armstrong. Their animated rendition was more Louis Prima than Louis Armstrong.
Often it seemed as if the singers learned the lyrics but stopped with the words, not delving deeper for subtext. They included a melodic duet of Sondheim’s “Pretty Women,” from Sweeney Todd, which Anthony began and Will joined, followed by Will’s rendition of “No More” (Sondheim’s Into the Woods). It was never made clear why they chose these two songs except that as children they were taken to Broadway shows. A more appropriate selection was “I Believe in You” (Frank Loesser), Will and Anthony singing to each other.
They have had concert experience and should work on drawing down the decibels for a small stage. Individually and as a pair, Will and Anthony do not have to rely on the shtick of being identical twins in order to charm an audience and deliver a tune. They do have to polish their program and define their intentions without a cushion of personal sophomoric memories of car games and videos. Parents and close friends might appreciate this but a broader audience will be bored.
First night jitters was not the problem with this show. What was lacking was a smooth, cohesive concept.
