Frank Torren is possessed of good looks, a pleasing personality with a slightly wry edge, and a rich voice. And he admits that it was farther back than yesterday when he was young. His show, First Times, is a journey into time—past, future and present—although his closing number, Jerry Herman’s “The Best of Times,” emphasizes today. As Torren journeys from yesterday to tomorrow, his choice of songs supports his theme: “For the First Time,” “Young and Foolish,” “For Once in My Life” and others.

Because of his ethnic roots, Torren is fluent in Italian and Spanish, and he offers variety in his show with such numbers as “Amor, Amor, Amor” and “Chitarra Romana.” Many of his songs find him ending with a sustained note, but because his voice tends to waver slightly as he holds the final note, he perhaps should not make this technique so persistent throughout the show.

The emotional content of Torren’s show is strong and he is not just singing the notes. The problem is that the emotions he brings to the songs are too similar as he expresses nostalgia about the past. Only when he sings Brel’s “The Days of the Waltz” and Aznavour’s “I Didn’t See the Time Go By” does he convey noticeably other emotions, which the songs virtually demand: desperation and regret. Torren should derive from his choices a wider variety of feelings or choose songs that allow for more emotional variety.

Rick Unterberg on the piano significantly contributed to a lively show.

Barbara Leavy
Cabaret Scenes
December 13, 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org