Tony Bennett is still very much alive. The legendary singer has performed for well over half a century and still tours regularly. The winner of 17 Grammys and two Emmys has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide. There’s little doubt that he’s continuing to perform because he loves to perform.
The Milwaukee Repertory Theater pays tribute to the singer as it opens its 2013-2014 season with I Left My Heart. Show co-creator Todd Olson directs a tribute to Bennett featuring three tenors and piano man Richard Carsey. Best known for his work with the Skylight Music Theatre, Carsey is a phenomenal musical talent with a generous amount of musical stage experience. If you’re going to pay tribute to Bennett with a little bit of class, Carsey is an excellent place to start.
The three tenors singing in the program are all regional performers not unfamiliar with musical theater. Eric Jon Mahlum has appeared on Broadway and done a few national tours. Andrew M. McMath is a charismatic young guy who is really more of a bari-tenor and has worked pretty extensively on the East Coast. Rob Tucker is a Baltimore-based music educator who has performed professionally in a number of musicals over the years as well. And though none of these guys could be mistaken for Tony Bennett, all three of them are remarkably good looking. That said, this show definitely has the kind of appeal needed to run for the early part of the season as Stackner Cabaret shows do.
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The Rep’s production of I Left My Heart runs Aug. 23-Oct. 20 at the Stackner Cabaret (108 E. Wells St.). For tickets, call 414-224-9490 or visit milwaukeerep.com.
Theatre Happenings
Summerstage of Delafield closes out its season with a staging of The 39 Steps, a comic stage adaptation of the acclaimed Alfred Hitchcock movie, Aug. 30-Sept. 14 at Lapham Peak State Park. For tickets, visit summerstageofdelafield.org or call 262-337-1560.
Soulstice Theatre continues its season next month with Harold Pinter’s cunningly penned Betrayal, Sept. 12-28, at the Tamsett Theatre, 3770 S. Pennsylvania Ave. For tickets, call 414-481-2800 or visit soulsticetheatre.org.
