By Marilyn Lester****With Yes I Can: The Sammy Davis Jr. Songbook, the powers behind 92Y’s Lyrics and and Lyricists series not only put on a tremendously important and entertaining tribute to one of America’s major talents, but also superbly served Black History Month. The rousing show was a celebration of Davis, presented by an exceedingly able cast. Forsaking the oft-used L&L podium, Harriett D. Foy, Jared Grimes, Max Kumangai, Matthew Saldivar and Betsy Wolfe, delivered a concise narrative that succinctly and dramatically summed up the high points of Davis’ long career in show business—much of which carried with it his activism in civil rights and equality issues. Ensemble numbers, such as Golden Boy’s “Night Song” and “Don’t Forget 12th Street” (both Lee Adams/Charles Strouse), were alive with energy, perfectly showcasing the cast’s commitment to the man who was known as “Mr. Show Business.”
Davis started out in vaudeville at age three, working constantly till his death from throat cancer in 1990 at age 64. He was a polymath—a singer, musician, dancer, actor, vaudevillian, impressionist and comedian. His career was vast, from recordings to television to film and to the stages of Broadway and Las Vegas, where he was famously a member of The Rat Pack—Frank Sinatra’s inner circle of entertainment friends. It’s not easy communicating that much information about a larger-than-life individual in one single evening, but the smart script, combined with the tight direction of Tazewell Thompson hit its marks with bullseye accuracy. The set list perfectly complemented the text on the illumination of Davis’ rich life, with key numbers that were most associated with him.
As seems to be a popular device these days, the rule of three prevailed (as in The Cher Show and Summer: The Donna Summer Musical) with Grimes, Foy and Kumangai each portraying the persona of Davis. Their combined vocal efforts on a Davis signature tune, “The Birth of the Blues” (Buddy DeSylva/Lew Brown/Ray Henerson) and “A Lot of Livin’ to Do” (Lee Adams/Charles Strouse) was boffo Sammy power full bore. Wolfe and Saldivar took on characters in Davis’ life such as May Britt, Janis Paige, Frank Sinatra, Charles Strouse and Eddie Cantor.
Solos by the three Sammy’s were particularly strong, especially Foy’s “Too Close for Comfort” (Jerry Bock/George D. Weiss/Larry Holofcener), Kumangai’s “What Kind of Fool Am I?” (Leslie Bricusse/Anthony Newley) and Grimes’ “Mr. Bojangles” (Jerry Jeff Walker), another of Davis’ signature songs. Grimes added punch and zest to this number with his masterful tap dancing. He also choreographed, as well as wowed with his dancing, in “Waiting for the Robert E. Lee” (Lewis J. Muir) and “Talk to the Animals” (Leslie Bricusse). Saldivar had notable spotlight solos on “Me and My Shadow” (Al Jolson/Billy Rose/Dave Dreyer) with Grimes and another of Davis’ signature songs, “I’ve Gotta Be Me” (Walter Marks) with Kumangai. The weak link in the cast was Wolfe, who besides using an iPad to speak her narrative (the others had memorized theirs), failed to apply vocal dynamics, with the result being strident solos on her several turns, such as “Lorna’s Here” (Adams/Strouse).
Capping a superb tribute in song and story was the cast-delivered “The Candy Man” (Leslie Bricusse/Anthony Newley), one of Davis’ biggest hits. The celebration was made more festive with lyrics projected on the stage and the audience invited to share a happy sing-a-long.
Two supporting elements of Yes I Can: The Sammy Davis Jr. Songbook were the eye-popping projections used throughout and the top-flight band: Michael O. Mitchell, music director and piano; Steve Kenyon, reeds; Brian Pareschi, trumpet; Sherrod Barnes, guitar; Jeff Hanley, bass; and Abdullah Rahman, drums. The artistic director of Yes I Can: The Sammy Davis Jr. Songbook was Laurence Maslon.
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