If you're a Frank Sinatra fan, Metropolis' 'My Way' is the summer show for you
“My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra” - ★ ★ ★
On a recent steamy, midsummer Saturday, the evening performance of Metropolis Performance Arts Centre's Frank Sinatra tribute had at least one couple dancing in the aisle.
For them, the genial vocal quintet crooning “You Make Me Feel So Young” proved impossible to resist. Other audience members swayed, tapped their feet and occasionally sang along to the signature Sinatra tunes making up “My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra.” A jukebox tuner by David Grapes and Todd Olson, the show consists of 54 songs, most performed in their entirety, punctuated by biographical snippets and quips attributed to Sinatra. The book is incidental. The appeal of this nostalgia trip - which unfolds in a wood-paneled, 1960s-era nightclub (a nod to the New York City club owned by longtime Sinatra friend Jilly Rizzo) - rests with the songs.
Accompanied by music director/pianist Kenneth McMullen, drummer Nick Anderson, bassist Scott Bakshis and Miles Tesar on saxophone and flute, a quintet comprised of Isabella Andrews, Heidi Kurzejka, Jasmine Lacy Young, Michael Metcalf and Austin Nelson Jr. perform such classics as “I've Got the World on a String,” “Chicago,” “Summer Wind,” “Fly Me to the Moon” and of course, “My Way.” They also sing “Somethin' Stupid,” and the 1967 hit Sinatra recorded with his daughter Nancy benefits here from a martini shaker accompaniment.
Performed mostly as medleys, songs are grouped thematically around such subjects as Broadway, love and marriage, losers and survivors. The singers trade verses as solos and duets morph into full numbers featuring the ensemble. Their combined vocals - buoyed by McMullen's swinging quartet - make for some of “My Way's” best moments.
While the cast is indeed stronger together, each performer merits praise individually. Young's lush, powerhouse voice is ideally suited to “My Funny Valentine” and the torchy “I Only Have Eyes for You.” Metcalf's breezy baritone most closely approximates Sinatra in his prime. Andrews has the crystalline mezzo of an ingénue, Nelson is a likable everyman and Kurzejka has a knack for Rat Pack-inspired patter that serves her well as the show's de facto emcee.
Jessica Miret Garcia favors discreet choreography in the soft-shoe tradition, the exception being that accompanying the penultimate “New York, New York,” which includes the requisite kick-line, albeit in a modified form. It suits director Joe Keefe's understated approach, which eschews shtick to keep the focus where it belongs: on the songs.
Location: A Metropolis Performing Arts Centre production staged under a tent at Evergreen Avenue and Eastman Street, south of North School Park, Arlington Heights. For tickets, call (847) 577-5982, ext. 239, email customerservice@metropolisarts.com or see metropolisarts.com.
Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday; through Aug. 28
Running time: About 2 hours, with intermission
Tickets: $40
Parking: Nearby garage and street parking
COVID-19 precautions: Advance ticket purchase required. Capacity limits and physical distancing in place. Masks required for unvaccinated patrons.