Back Stage "Bistro Bits" by David Finkle
November 28-December 4, 2003
Change Partners
The Algonquin Hotel's Oak Room
Continued improvement is a fine goal for any performer, and a polished example of the condition is Craig Rubano, who has had all the makings of a top-flight cabaret entertainer for some time... He's now completed the journey, as he capably demonstrated at the Oak Room. Given the room's odd dimensions, it isn't easy to play. So it's always impressive when a performer slips the room on like a glove (Andrea Marcovicci is the mistress of these revels). Rubano made it a perfect fit. Beaming with good cheer and hearty confidence, Rubano called his show Change Partners, which is a worthy follow-up to his superb Finishing the Act set. The emphasis was on songs about dancing, but he gave himself enough lattitude to include things like "You and the Night and the Music" (Howard Dietz-Arthur Schwartz), which he sang robustly.
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