Greg Harlan Roth projects a warm, friendly sound. Singing a mix of contemporary selections—that had personal meanings to him—and show tunes, he displayed a strong voice that got better as his show progressed and, apparently, as his confidence and comfort level grew.

He was particularly effective during a three-song medley of Burt Bacharach-Hal David songs that included “Alfie,” “”The Look of Love” and an exquisite rendition of  “Windows of the World”; plus a reading of “Laughing Matters” (Dick Gallagher and Mark Waldrop) from When Pigs Fly that demonstrated the richness of his voice; and a gentle, reflective version of Tom Waits’ “Rainbow Sleeves.” He also delivered an effective performance of Maury Yeston’s “I Had a Dream About You.”

Roth seemed most comfortable with character songs, particularly in a deeply powerful version of “Giants in the Sky” by his favorite Broadway composer, Stephen Sondheim.  “To sing Sondheim must be what it feels like to be an athlete,” Roth told us. He was less successful in his attempt to sing Sondheim’s “Sooner or Later” in a beret with a faux French accent that sounded more like German. He recovered, however, in a high-powered duet on Sondheim’s “Too Many Mornings” with guest artist Jessica Buda, achieving a nice resonance during the song.

Buda then took the stage for two solos: James Taylor’s “Millwork” from Working that featured a solid contralto; and “The Jewel Song,” for which she used her opera-trained soprano — a comical number based on melodies by Offenbach, with English lyrics by Don White, written as part of a bicentennial tribute to Christopher Columbus.  The song, which focused on various gemstones, was very similar in its portrayal of the joys of jewelry to “Glitter and Be Gay,” and Buda shone like a cut diamond.

Roth’s other on-stage guest was Larry Davis, who strolled up from the audience to join Roth on side-by-side stools to sing Tom Waits’ “I Never Talk to Strangers,” followed by a pair of solos: a laid-back, gender-bending “The Boy from Ipanema” (originally “The Girl from Ipanema” by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Norman Gimbel), followed by a gentle take on “It Amazes Me” (Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh).  Davis, like Buda, also shone.

Roth returned to close out the show with two more personal songs — Rob LaRocco’s “Black Balloons” and Melissa Manchester/Carole Bayer Sager’s “Come In from the Rain,” encoring with a strong performance on “This Is the Moment” (Frank Wildhorn and Leslie Bricusse).

Chris Dodge provided strong piano support throughout the set.

Elliot Zwiebach
Cabaret Scenes
August 31, 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org