Frank Torren “First Times”

Helen’s Hideaway

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Frank Torren’s series of shows called “First Times,” is so entertaining that it is hard to believe that it is really his first effort at a solo act. Even though he’s well known as a musical theatre actor, and as a singer who can frequently be found around town in the piano bars and at the open mikes, it usually takes longer to be as expert and comfortable in the cabaret milieu as this guy.

All the elements of successful cabaret…and there are a lot of them…come together in this act. He appears totally relaxed and natural, as he comes on stage attired in a dark, well-fitting, open necked shirt and slacks, perfect for an informal brunch show at the ungodly hour of 1pm, on a Sunday afternoon. No director is credited, so one can only assume that Torren chose the songs, the running order and the staging himself, and he gets a lot of points for that. Except, of course, for climbing up and sitting on the piano. Maybe my antipathy to that is just a personal thing…no matter…and, of course, he’s very handsome and graceful and trim, so he looks better than someone else might. Anyway, the important thing is the material, and here he has chosen well by including a couple of ethnic numbers that show us who he is (the background is Spanish and Italian) and where he’s coming from (the Cuban enclave of Ybor City, Florida). He sings a lullaby in Italian, “Chitarra Romana,” and goes into a deeply felt tribute to his mother, “Mama A Rainbow,” from Minnie’s Boys by Hal Hackaday and Larry Grossman. Later on he does “Amor, Amor, Amor,” by Gabriel Ruiz, with the Spanish lyric by Ricardo L. Mendes, English lyric by Norman Newell.

There are several songs about time, the opening, “There Is A Time,” by Charles Aznavour, and near the end, another Aznavour song, the wistful “I Didn’t See the Time Go By,” which leads into the rousing Jerry Herman anthem, “The Best of Times.” There are also some lighter songs, which kept the afternoon from being too ballad heavy, but face it, cabaret audiences love the sentimental, the schmaltz, if you will, the tear jerkers…especially in this case, Frank’s bittersweet translation of Brel’s “La Valse Mille Temps,” known in English as “The Days of the Waltz,” lyric by Will Holt.

As important as the material and the performance of it, which Frank Torren does so well, is the selection of the Musical Director/Pianist, and he chose the redoubtable Rick Unterberg. They are the perfect team, and the obvious joy they share in making music together, is very communicative.