By Andrew Poretz . . .
Popular New York entertainer Steven Maglio, with his “big band orchestra,” opened at the Cutting Room last week for the first of a monthly residency, in an impressive, sold-out show called NOT Just Sinatra. Maglio, long a fixture at the posh Carnegie Club cigar bar, is known for the black-tie “Sinatra” show where, he claims, he has performed “the same songs, in the same order, and with the same jokes,” for some 16 years. For those who’ve long wanted to see Maglio but prefer a smoke-free room, The Cutting Room is the place!
The personable and debonair Maglio performs primarily Frank Sinatra songs—and not just the songs, but using the charts used by Sinatra in concert throughout the latter third of his 60-year career. These charts were arranged by the likes of Nelson Riddle, Billy May, Don Costa, et al. For the Cutting Room shows, Maglio has added a number of songs by other performers, such as Dean Martin and Steve Lawrence, with the promise of mixing up the set lists each month so that it won’t be the same show each month.
Though Maglio describes himself as “not a Sinatra impersonator”—and he does not attempt to emulate the voice—he does follow Sinatra’s live performance phrasing closely with his smooth baritone. (His name sort of evokes Sinatra, who won an Oscar for portraying the similarly named “Maggio” in From Here to Eternity.)
Maglio’s shows are very “old school”—the kind of shows you might have seen if you were lucky to have cool parents who took you to Atlantic City or Vegas to see Sinatra in concert; or, if you were this reporter, who took his own parents to see him at the Uris Theater in 1975. Everything about the show is impeccable, from the tight band, the performance, and the tuxedos.
The Cutting Room was packed with fans, friends and celebrities (including Christopher Noth and Tony Danza, pictured above), giving it even more of an old-school vibe. To top it off, Maglio had a comic open for him, just as Sinatra did. Maglio will use a different comedian for each show. For the opening night, the star selected Chris Monty, a tall Italian-American with a schnozz like Durante’s. Mr. Monty is, natch, an old-school comic who can riff and who tells jokes in a traditional style. He is quite funny and likable.
(photo: Andrew Poretz)
Before Maglio came to the stage, the sizeable band, under the direction of conductor Chris Rinaman and featuring pianist Jim West, played what amounted to an overture of the evening’s songs. This overture contained snippets of familiar “Sinatra” songs like “I’ve Got the World on a String,” “My Kind of Town” and “Strangers in the Night,” masterfully woven together. Maglio’s opening song, “Come Fly With Me,” had the same punchy feel of Sinatra in concert on this tune.
As if to prove he’s not an impersonator, Maglio threw in some fun musical ad-libs, as he did when he added some humor to the rubato opening of “Luck Be a Lady” that was out of the Spike Jones playbook.
Maglio peppered stories between songs that showed his connection to the material and to his rapt audience. It was surprising to learn that Sinatra first heard “That’s Life” when he heard R&B star O.C. Smith sing it—and called Smith to get his okay to record it.
A lovely highlight saw Maglio perform an intimate “It Was a Very Good Year” with just piano, with an arrangement by Jim West.
While much of the set consisted of what one might call “the usual” Sinatra songbook selections, it was great hearing a handful of surprises, including a terrific “That Face” (Alan Bergman/Lew Spence) that Maglio learned from the Frank Sinatra Jr. recording, a song the senior Sinatra never covered. The adorable “A Marshmallow World” (Peter DeRose/Carl Sigman) is associated with both Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra as a duet from one of their Christmas television specials, and Maglio made fine work of it.
Though Maglio sang “New York, New York” as a closing tune—as Sinatra himself usually did—he encored with the more interesting “I Can’t Live A Dream” (Arnold Capitanelli), a song most closely associated with the Osmonds, but here borrowing the arrangement from Engelbert Humperdinck’s recording. As he did throughout the set, Maglio did the song justice.
Steven Maglio’s next scheduled appearances at The Cutting Room are July 27 (with comic Steven Scott) and August 17 (with comic Mike Marino).
For more information about Steven Maglio and his performance schedule, visit https://stevenmaglio.com.
Steven Maglio: NOT Just Sinatra took place on June 21 at The Cutting Room (44 East 32nd Street between Madison Avenue and Park Avenue South). thecuttingroom.com
Photos: Jeff Smith except where indicated
