CHICAGO CABARET REVIEW

CABARET REVIEW - CHICAGO
Matt Davis at DAVENPORT'S

Matt Davis, "Never Say Never Love Again"
Davenports Piano Bar and Cabaret, Chicago, IL - January 18, 2001, 8:00 pm

Matt Davis returns to the cabaret stage at Davenports in his second cabaret outing, "Never Say Never Love Again." This collection of songs about relationships, performed, ironically enough, by a young man who confesses that he's never sustained a long-term romantic relationship (until recently), is a fun evening.

Throughout the performance, Mr. Davis takes a sometimes romantic (in a lovely arrangement of MY HEART IS SO FULL OF YOU and SO IN LOVE), sometimes biting (as in Christine Lavin's REGRETTING WHAT I SAID), and sometimes fanatical (UNWORTHY OF YOUR LOVE, in a disturbing duet with Georgia DeFalcone) approach to his topic, but ends up concluding, on the advice from Darla of the Little Rascals, that it's better to NEVER SAY NEVER LOVE AGAIN.

Mr. Davis is a remarkably talented performer, and this shines through on selections like Amanda McBroom's SHIP IN A BOTTLE, Ann Hampton Calloway's PERFECT, and Leonard Cohen's HALLAUJAH, and his rendition of OLD FRIEND (with backup from Ms. Falcone and Rob Lindley) is magical. Yet, Mr. Davis seems more at home when performing ballads, and he does this extremely well. When performing comical numbers and during his patter, however, he seems stiff and the performance comes across as unnatural and forced. Finally, Mr. Davis has a habit of gazing over the heads of his audience members, especially when performing a romantic ballad. In all likelihood, this is a result of his training in musical theatre and his extensive experience on the large stage; however, in the intimate atmosphere of the cabaret room, Mr. Davis needs to better connect with his audience.

This was Mr. Davis' second cabaret show, and I see a tremendous amount of growth since his last show this past June. With more experience, he is certain to become a major force in the cabaret world.

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