Theater Review: Having ‘Heart’ for Tony Bennett in The Pines
BY DOUGLAS GRAVES
Special to The Press
A night with the legendary Tony Bennett?
No, but it is a night worth spending with three great singers who put their hearts and souls into the songs that made Tony Bennett one of the most venerable pop stars in contemporary music.
“I Left My Heart: A Salute to the Music of Tony Bennett” continues through Oct. 23, Pines Dinner Theatre.
Three musical standouts are the heart of the show. Patrick Phillip Becker, Seth Turner and Kent Benwell bring strong, pure tones to the show. While dressed to the nines, they perform with timeless style, smooth narration and impeccable timing as they take the audience from “the loveliness of Paris,” to “the glory of Rome,” to being “lonely in Manhattan,” to having “left my heart in San Francisco.”
Just as Tony Bennett’s career spans many years, and his music reflects many genres, Becker absolutely shines. His go at “Top Hat, White Tie, and Tails” is superb with soundtrack quality.
He leads again in a rendition of “Puttin on the Ritz,” joined in perfect harmony by Turner and Benwell.
Turner, also with a fantastic voice made for show biz, rocks “I Got Rhythm” and “A Child is Born.”
Turner is wonderful with “Steppin’ Out With My Baby” when he predicts, “There’ll be smooth sailin’ ‘cause I’m trimmin’ my sails/In my top hat and my white tie and my tails.”
Benwell’s voice is superlative throughout. He casts a spell with “That Old Black Magic.” He is dreamy in “The Very Thought of You”: “The very thought of you and I forget to do/ The little ordinary things that everyone ought to do.”
“Crazy Rhythm” is the vibe that lets Becker’s voice takes a stroll on Broadway: “They say that when a high-brow/ Meets a low-brow/Soon the high-brow he has no brow/Ain’t it a shame?/And you’re to blame.”
Becker has plenty of opportunity to shines and he excels in his rendition of “I Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good.”
A fun part of the show is the format. As each singer takes the lead, the other two sing back up as the featured singer takes the spotlight.
Another nice touch is the live music that is unusual in a smaller venue. Stacy Bechtel on bass is superb. Don Mark channels famed Buddy Rich, the quintessential drummer who dominated percussive performance during his career. Bernie Gardzalla on keyboards shows his mastery as he takes the vocal ensemble through every song with aplomb.
They all come together for a lovely “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” as they put a beautiful bow on a well-wrapped performance.
The set is perfectly designed to highlight the theme of the music. Oliver Blatt gets the credit. Lighting is uncredited, but dramatically isolates the featured singers.
While uncredited, the costume design is pitch perfect with one set in white tie and full evening dress, or “tails” and the second set in casual suits with silk neck ties with matching handkerchiefs in breast pockets.
“I Left My Heart: A Salute to the Music of Tony Bennett,” through Oct. 23, Pines Dinner Theatre, 448 N. 17th St., Allentown. Tickets: https://www.pinesdinnertheatre.com/ ; 610-433-2333