By Marilyn Lester . . .
Vocalist Steven Maglio is the first to tell you he is NOT an impersonator. Born with a rich baritone, his vocal tone is so similar to Frank Sinatra’s that his destiny as a singer seemed inevitable. And thus, he can be considered a Sinatra tributeer. For the last two decades he’s been hosting Sinatra Saturdays at the cocktail and cigar lounge, the Carnegie Club. Now, in a residency at The Cutting Room, the entertainment possibilities have expanded. There are cocktails, of course, even some “exotic booze.” but also a dinner menu (in a nonsmoking venue) and the ability to perform Sinatra’s signature songs plus others not so closely associated with Old Blue Eyes. Reminiscent of a classic Las Vegas lounge (go ahead, pretend you’re at the Sands Hotel Copa Room), the act varies with each show. On this particular evening, Maglio sang with his Big Band Orchestra conducted by Christopher Rinaman. The opening act was comedian Goumba Johnny.
Johnny, it so happens, is also a radio host, actor and author in addition to performing standup. Old school, he fits perfectly into the Sinatra-style mold. His act is full of shtick and a liberal use of the F-bomb—a little naughty but not at all blue. An intermission provided a breather before the appearance of the main attraction of Maglio, a man full of charm, who in every way lets you know he loves what he’s doing and is happy to be doing it. He was “introduced” by a 1965 interview clip of Sinatra. Asked in it “how would you like to be remembered?” Sinatra replied, ““I would like to be remembered as a man who had a wonderful time living life, a man who had good friends, fine family—and I don’t think I could ask for anything more than that, actually.” If that is Maglio’s goal, as implied, it seems he’s well on his way to achieving it.
Opener of “Come Fly with Me” (Jimmy Van Heusen, Sammy Cahn)—what else?—allowed Maglio to alter lyrics as Sinatra often did. The line, “Just say the words and we’ll beat the birds down to Acapulco Bay” becomes “Sheepshead Bay” in the first iteration and “Pelham Bay” in the second. Slowing the tempo, Maglio croons a honied “Nice and Easy” (Lew Spence. Marilyn and Alan Bergman) and jokes that he likes to present unknown Sinatra material before launching into “(Theme From) New York, New York” (John Kander, Fred Ebb). Th irony of the song is that Sinatra almost didn’t sing it at all. Struggling for relevance at the time, he considered the tune, “Liza’s song.” Barbara Sinatra, his wife, convinced him to present it at a 1978 Radio City Music Hall concert; the crowd went wild and the rest is history.
In the realm of not Sinatra, Maglio handled Sinatra’s goomba and Rat Pack brother, “The King of Cool,” Dean Martin, with equal ease in one of Martin’s biggest hits, “Everybody Loves Somebody” (Ken Lane, Irving Taylor). Maglio saluted another Italian comrade, Walden Robert Cassotto, better known as Bobby Darin. His hip, lounge swinger style, “Mack the Knife” (Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht, English version by Marc Blitzstein) was offered with energy and pizzazz. And there were others: Tony Bennett, Jim Croce and Jimmy Roselli, who, like Sinatra, was born in Hoboken—all paisans. Back to Sinatra, Maglio ended with a few big hits, including “My Way,” originally a French song entitled “Comme d’habitude” by Jaques Revaux, Gilles Thibault and Claude Francois, with English lyrics by Paul Anka. Maglio’s NOT Just Sinatra was a generous bounty of uplift in a familial setting—one where everyone is Italian for the night. It’s a darn good time in a world where these moments become more precious than ever.
Steven Maglio’s next show at The Cutting Room 44 East 32 Street, NYC is on Thursday, November 16. For tickets and more information, click here.
