When Jim Van
Slyke throws his incandescent ardor into "Oh, Carol" and
"Anybody Gonna Miss You" he takes you into the world of
intoxicating pop legend Neil Sedaka. These and at least
parts of some 26 Sedaka hits alone make "The Sedaka Show" at
Feinstein's at the Regency, where it has been playing every
Monday in April, a must-see. But Van Slyke illuminates and
commands the small stage with far more than a tribute to the
living legend singer/songwriter that is Neil Sedaka.
There's -- and I hesitate to use the term -- a kind of
spiritual energy
that takes over in some of the numbers that goes well beyond
his stage perfect pitch, affability and affection for
Sedaka's songbook. For instance, in "Love Will Keep Us
Together," co-written with frequent Sedaka collaborator
Howard Greenfield, and other numbers, Van Slyke transcends
his exciting sentimental
tribute. The longer he sings the more we see of Van Slyke's
own warmth and humanity as as artist in his own inimitable
right.
In short, Van Slyke doesn't become Sedaka. He exposes more
and more of his own vibrant charm. He ebodies a kind of
poetic humanity that magically makes the world a better and
happier place. I'm told Van Slyke loves teaching singing to
young people as much as he does performing to sold-out
houses.
"The most remarkable hour and a half of show I have ever
seen!" Regis Philbin proclaimed.
It's the difference between nostalga -- remembering by-gone
days and memories no matter how inviting -- to somehow being
in the intoxicating present even though your mind's eye is
vaguely aware that many of these songs are the dream stuff
of music memorabilia.
"Just brilliant! I've seen others sing my songs, but nobody
has moved me more than Jim," says Neil Sedaka himself.
"The Sedaka Show" continues at Feinstein's at Loews Regency,
540 Park Avenue at 61st Street on Monday, April 18 at
8:30pm, and Monday, April 25 at 8:30pm
Conceived and directed by Tony-nominated singer/actor
Brian Lane Green, "The Sedaka Show" features intimate
melodies of Neil Sedaka, including "Laughter in the Rain,"
"Hungry Years," "Solitaire," and classic Sedaka hits such as
"Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," "Happy Birthday, Sweet
Sixteen," "Where the Boys Are," and "Love Will Keep Us
Together."
With musical arrangements by award-winning musical director
Tim DiPasqua, Terese Genecco joins Van Slyke on April 25.
"Best" and "outstanding" are the two words used most often
to describe Genecco. "On the last Tuesday of each month, she
and her Little Big Band put on an unstoppable juggernaut of
a set at the Iridium, with one hard-hitting swinger after
another, pausing only for what she describes as a mandatory
'two-ballad maximum...
Ms. Genecco makes every show seem like New Year's Eve," said
Will Friedwald in The Wall Street Journal.
Van Slylke celebrates the forthcoming release of his brand
new CD,
The Sedaka Sessions, featuring two duets with Neil Sedaka.
The CD may be available for prerelease at some April
performances.
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$30 cover or $50 premiere seating, plus $25 food and drink
minimum. Dinner begins at 6pm. Feinstein's at Loews Regency
is at 540 Park Avenue at 61 Street, New York City. For
reservations and more information, call 212.339.4005 or
visit
www.feinsteinsattheregency.com .
Video of "The Sedaka Show," Regis Philbin's exciting
comments about Jim, and much more, can be found on Jim Van
Slyke's web site at
www.jimvanslyke.com . Neil Sedaka's worldwide tour
schedule can be found at
www.neilsedaka.com .
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