David Campbell leaves little doubt about his talent.  When he’s on stage singing the music of Broadway, he is one of the best performers you are likely to hear.

His stage presence is strong and charming, and whether he’s Curly (Oklahoma!) or Sid Sorokin (Pajama Game) or Jean Valjean (Les Misérables) )or Bobby (Company) or Littlechap (Stop the World…) or, most especially, Sky Masterson (Guys and Dolls), he is solid in delivering the songs those characters sang with confidence and power and total mastery. And with a pinpoint ability to act the songs as well as sing them, Campbell is able to shift smoothly from “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” to “Hey There” to “Bring Him Home” to “Being Alive” to “What Kind of Fool Am I?” to an especially strong “Luck Be a Lady Tonight” with nuances that make each one a complete and distinctive experience.

In re-creating those moments from Oklahoma!, The Pajama Game, Les Misérables, Company, Stop the World… and Guys and Dolls, Campbell is true to the sources, sticking close enough to the original arrangements to satisfy even the most exacting theater sticklers.

Only when he shifted to Broadway songs not sung by the male leads in their respective shows did he introduce more diverse elements — specifically in “My Funny Valentine,” “Mack the Knife” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” where he allowed himself to play with notes and melodies by drawing out lyrics to add some pop elements.

Performing to promote his latest CD, On Broadway, Campbell moved away from theater songs only once during the show — when he sang The Rascals’ ”How Can I Be Sure?” (Felix Cavaliere/Eddie Brigati), which sounded very effective in his legit voice as he moved occasionally into falsetto range to accommodate the music.

Campbell was ably abetted throughout the show by Christopher Denny as Musical Director and pianist.

As encores, Campbell performed “Grateful,” the John Bucchino song from a previous CD, which he said he and Denny had not rehearsed, and closed with the always beautiful “Some Other Time,” which seemed like an appropriate ending to an evening’s musical journey.

Elliot Zwiebach
Cabaret Scenes
November 24, 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org