 A
Fun Evening with Babs & Frank
Sharon
Owens and Sebastian Anzaldo, aka as “Barbra and Frank”
in this town, have a lot to be proud of. This coming May will mark
their 5th year playing on the Strip, and in these days of shows
closing left and right, it’s impressive to note that a modest
show such as this one is surviving. By modest we mean no big budgets,
no live band, nor back-up dancers or fancy, state-of-the-art production
elements, in essence, no smoke-and-mirrors, just the vocal (and
sometimes comedic) talents of Sebastian and Sharon who sing their
hearts out. Trust us, it’s a tough-sell out there.
Playing at the
cozy Le Bistro Theatre at the Riviera, there was a fairly sizable
crowd on the Thursday night we went to catch the show. The audience
comprised the older generation, who, as one of them put it, likes
“the songs of yesterday, where I can understand the words
and what they’re saying…”
That’s
a tall order in this generation of P. Diddy, Britney and Madonna,
where you might need a map to follow their songs. The show opens
with a duet of “I’ve Got A Crush on You,” and
followed by “Luck Be A Lady.” The camaraderie and on-stage
banter between the duo is a well-oiled machine and this shows in
their duets as Barbra and Frank. Not surprising, then, that each
of them does well solo, though the show really comes together when
they’re together on stage.
The pair are
assisted by musical director Rob Hyatt, the laid-back and cool piano
man, who sometimes does Kermit the Frog impersonations for comic
effect. He also did an impressive duet with Sharon, singing “You’ll
Never Know (Just How Much I love You),” in his standard voice
and a ‘not-bad’ Louis Armstrong impersonation on “Hello,
Dolly.”
 Sharon’s
solo segment is a collection of Streisand’s all-time hits
and each song gets a lot of applause. (Though come to think of it
– when did Barbra not have a hit?) Of course, she sang “People,”
and “Second Hand Rose” and “Don’t Rain on
My Parade” from Funny Girl. Seeing as I grew up in the seventies,
I was more familiar with “Evergreen,” “No More
Tears (Enough is Enough)” and “Woman in Love.”
Her rendition of “Papa Can You Hear Me” from Yentl,
was so dead-on, it brought goosebumps. Definitely a fitting finale
for her solo spot in the limelight.
Now it’s
time for the ‘Chairman of the Board,’ and Sebastian
does it just as well, with his trademark cigarette- and alcohol-aided
baritone. Like Sharon, he sings a succession of Sinatra’s
hits, “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “I’ve
Got the World on a String,” “Strangers in the Night”
and my favorite, “Come Fly With Me,” which I thought
he did with such ease and skill, it would have made Frank proud.
It’s hard
to tell which was the audience favorite because there was applause
for each song, each singer. Most of the chosen songs also get a
ton of audience participation, though perhaps the one that garnered
the most enthusiasm was “The Theme from New York, New York”
It’s also here where you hear them sing a capella, and the
very brief moment they do is enough to make you realize just exactly
how talented these two really are. You don’t place in the
‘Top Three’ in a national talent show, (ABC’s
“The Next Best Thing”) if you aren’t any good…
and it seems the rest of America agrees.
Just like one
of the songs in their closing medley, “Somewhere,” there
is a place for them. Alone, they’re great, but together, they’re
formidable. They may not have made it in New York, but we think
that Las Vegas is just as tough a town, and if you can make it here,
you can make it anywhere.
-Rachel M. Sugay
Barbra
and Frank… The Concert That Never Was
Le Bistro Theatre, Riviera Hotel. Show times are 8:30 p.m., Monday-Saturday.
Tickets are $59.95 and $69.95.
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