
Sinatra " The Voice," Canzano the voices
JOEY CANZANO, "Man of Many Voices," in the summer
series at the John Carver Inn, Cape Code, Massachusetts
By ELLEN BRAMS
Singers like Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Dean Martin, Neil Diamond, Englebert Humperdink, tom Jones, Bobby Darin and Elvis Presley aren't legendary voices for nothing. If you think distance from the Vegas show rooms or deflated wallets or the fact we have sadly lost some of these incredible talents means you can't appreciate their unique musical styles, you're wrong.
Joey Canzano, who bills himself as "The Man of Many Voices," performs them all with endless energy showmanship and a variety of wonderfully authentic vocal sounds and styles. Canzano's show is one of three offerings on a rotating schedule this summer in the dinner-theater room at the John Carver Inn in Plymouth.
Make no mistake: Canzano's show isn't about gimmicks. It's about talent. He doesn't attempt to sing the songs made famous by some of the biggest names in showbiz or try to look like them with cheap impersonations. Canzano actually does the material of the greats so authentically that if you closed you eyes you'd swear you were listening to the originals! On a small stage, with just a spotlight and and a mike, you have to have the goods to keep an audience rapt, and Canzano definitely does. Crating each song with care, he pays homage to the singers he's chosen and also gives his audiences a wonderful nostalgic evening of great music.
For it's part the John Carver Inn provides delicious dinners, well presented and served by a courteous and attentive wait staff.
Although Canzano has more than enough talent to be a one-man show, he shares the stage with two other terrific talents, Joey Beddia and Shannon Howe. Any show of this kind can benefit from a cheerleader emcee, but there are few like the multitalented Beddia. The man has the looks and sound of Brando (thankfully minus the heft) and a million one-liners. He also does a tongue-twisting rap worthy of George Carlin and an amusing impersonation of Jimmy Durante. And he plays a mean sax.
Howe is not only engaging and naturally stunning, she serves up selections from Connie Francis and the inimitable Patsy Cline with great results.
But the main attraction is obviously Canzano. Beginning with Sinatra's sassy "Luck Be a Lady" and the dramatic "My Way," he intersperses his songs with brief repartee for both background and intimacy. He switches vocal styles and sounds effortlessly, from Dino's "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime" to Bennett's " I Left My Heart in San Francisco" to Neil Diamond's smokey "Love on the Rocks" to Darin's take- it- on home "Bill Bailey ."
If you closed your eyes, you'd swear you were hearing the stars themselves. After the haunting Tom Jones favorite "Delilah," Canzano rocks out with an Elvis set including many of the expected favorites and some bonus hits by other singers done with Elvis' sound and moves.
Canzano is the genuine article, sincere, hard-working, and possessing a powerful, malleable set of vocal chords and a good ear. He's appearing on a rotating schedule, so check with the inn for his next booking. It's worth the trip. |