Bud E. Luv, the self-proclaimed “Greatest Entertainer in the World,” has been a local San Francisco treasure for decades, which is why his carefully honed Vegas lounge act works so extremely well. From his look (part Elvis, Elton, Liberace and Tom Jones), to his playful in-audience banter and hilarious serenades, to the schlocky synthesized muzak arrangements, Luv (aka Robert Vickers) stays true to the character every minute of this wonderful tribute to Davis.

Opening with a serious cover of “My Shining Hour,” Luv shows he’s got a great set of pipes, a kind of Mel Tormé/Bobby Darin with edge, even covering Mel’s beautiful ballad “A Stranger in Town.” Taking credit for almost every song, Bud E. inserts his character into the life of Davis, offering advice and hits like “Mr. Bojangles,” “The Candy Man,” performing a serious “What Kind of Fool Am I?.” From Davis’s Broadway show Mr. Wonderful comes a swinging version of his character, Charlie Welch’s, “Too Close for Comfort.” “I’m Gonna Live Till I Die” is sung with the authentic confidence and swagger that defined singers like Davis, Martin, Sinatra and Darin.

The balance of the show is thick with satire and parody. The Luv character, taken from Jerry Lewis’s über macho movie role in The Nutty Professor, is handsome, extremely smooth, hip and obnoxious. He sings “(You’re) Having My Baby” to a female audience member whose name he can’t quite remember, and serenades another with a mock send-up of the 1970 hit “Hey There Lonely Girl.” There’s a hilarious bit of Luv being bumped from the main stage at Woodstock and deciding to play the “bummer tent” full of hippies having bad acid trips. The humor is spot on and intelligently presented. With sidekicks Markey Luv (aka Marc Baum) on sax and guitar, and Mikey Luv (aka Michael Hatfield) in keyboards/rhythm, the Bud E. Luv show is the ultimate satire on the bravado, machismo and excesses of the great Vegas lounge acts. Vickers has focused and distilled the funniest of traits into a beloved character and a truly satisfying evening in the lounge.

Steve Murray
Cabaret Scenes
March 19, 2012
www.cabaretscenes.org