 |
| Sammy Davis, Jr. |
SAMMY ON BROADWAY [Musical Revue] D: Darrell Giddens; P: Nederlander; T:
Uris Theatre; 4/23/74-5/4/74 (14)
 |
| Freda Payne. |
Also called simply Sammy, this was basically a showcase for the versatile talents of
singer-mimic-actor-dancer-comedian-musician Sammy Davis, Jr. As filler, the
show backed him up with songstress Freda Payne and legendary tap-dance artists
the Nicholas Brothers.
 |
| The Nicholas Brothers. |
“This is essentially a nightclub show with Mr. Davis as
the featured act,” explained Mel Gussow. Supported by an onstage orchestra of
28, the diminutive figure of the great entertainer, seen in the wide expanses
of the Uris Theatre (currently the Gershwin), appeared “tinier and even more
vulnerable than ever,” thought Brendan Gill, but Davis’s enormous energy drove
him through “bursts of song, dance, wry jokes, reminiscences, laments over the
onset of age, tributes to friends, and stern self-exhortation.”
Dressed in black tie and tux, Davis opened with some Leslie
Bricusse and Anthony Newley songs, then turned the stage over to his backup
acts, and didn’t offer another number until 10:00 p.m. when he completed the
show with a 45-minute routine. One tap dance was included during this sequence.
The part Mel Gussow liked best was the star’s rendition of “Bojangles.”
