John Gabriel takes it nice and easy, and that’s how he makes an audience feel as well. The former soap and Broadway actor has a soft, pleasant singing voice, good diction, a comfortable stage manner and terrific musical taste, singing an array of classics from the Great American Songbook while providing the briefest of anecdotes about the composers and/or lyricists.

His voice seemed to improve as it warmed up, so that by mid-show, he was in top form, with beautiful versions of  “And I Love You So” (Don McLean), which he said was one of his own all-time favorite songs, and “I Remember You” (Johnny Mercer/Victor Schertzinger), which he said Mercer wrote as a tribute to Judy Garland at the end of their love affair.

Gabriel hit his stride on a terrific version of  “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?” (Michel Legrand/Alan and Marilyn Bergman) and a hearty “Standing on the Corner” (Frank Loesser), with pianist and musical director Shelly Markham singing harmony. Markham also provided vocal harmonies on three other songs:  “I Believe” (Ervin Drake, Irvin Graham, Jimmy Shiel, Al Stillman); “Always” (Irving Berlin); and “El Dorado,” the theme from the motion picture of the same name written by Nelson Riddle and Gabriel himself.

Tim Emmons on bass provided particularly effective low notes on  “Always,” and Jack LeCompte on drums provided solid support throughout Gabriel’s set.  The show was produced by Clifford Bell.

Gabriel, who’s closing in on 80, showed he doesn’t take life’s disappointments too seriously when he discussed playing The Professor in the original pilot of Gilligan’s Island, only to lose the role — which led to an amusing parody, sung to the tune of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “This Nearly Was Mine” (“One desolate crew/Lost and vegetarian/The Howells, Ginger and Mary Ann/This nearly was mine …”).

Elliot Zwiebach
Cabaret Scenes
July 7, 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org