Looking charmingly dapper in a green velvet jacket of Noël Coward’s, Steve Ross, the “Crown Prince of Cabaret,” provided an entertaining evening of urbane wit and sophistication. Stephen Holden of The New York Times called him  “…the quintessence of old-style urbanity,” and, given his fondness for the works of Cole Porter and Coward, Ross delivers a clever thinking man’s repertoire of ballads and humor that, while sometimes dated in its references, still charms the listener.

Ross is skilled at the comic timing and phrasing required of the comic ditties, presenting “Hungry Women” (recorded by Eddie Cantor) and Coward’s “(Don’t Put Your Daughter on the Stage) Mrs. Worthington” with great delight. From Porter’s Can-Can came “C’est Magnifique,” “It’s All Right with Me” and “I Love Paris,” and he included Porter’s lovely ballad, “I Concentrate On You.” Ross’s love on all things French was a prominent presence in the show with the addition of Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II’s  “The Last Time I Saw Paris,” “Ah, Paree!” from Follies and Charles Trenet’s “La Mer”  (converted to Bobby Darin’s hit “Beyond the Sea”). A nice touch was his unsung piano tribute to several Edith Piaf signature songs.

Jacques Brel’s haunting “Fanette” (English lyrics by Mort Shuman and Eric Blau), Berlin’s “What’ll I Do?” and Porter’s “Night and Day” display a balladeer with a keen sense of commitment to the original material sans any unnecessary embellishments or falseness.  On the flip side, Ross can tickle a nostalgic fancy with upbeat tunes such as “One of Those Songs,” “I Love a Piano” and his encore, “Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall in Love”). His show covers the bases of some wonderful material, earnestly delivered with classic style and charisma.

Steve Murray
Cabaret Scenes
April 10, 2011
www.cabaretscenes.org