Prince Charming

More than ever, Tony Danza is America’s puppy dog. Loveable, affectionate, wanting only to please, he’ll knock himself out doing every trick he knows to make sure that his master — the audience — is happy. In his current show, I’m Back, at Feinstein’s at the Regency through February 11, Danza is in top form. He has updated his tried and true act with a burning energy that somehow manages to turn old jokes into gems. Fast and furious, this ex-boxer goes for the comic knockout from the first round to the last.

Danza turns his essentially amateur status as a tap dancer, cornet player, pianist, and singer into virtues. He admits his limited skill in these areas with comic candor, joking during the opening night show that he was embarrassed to expose his lack of talent in front of Liza Minnelli, who was in the audience. And all of those present, Liza included, ate it up. We admire Danza’s spirit, we love him for trying — and, actually, he’s not half bad at any of these things. In particular, his cornet playing has improved markedly since the last time we caught his act.

More importantly, he’s fundamentally charming. Danza’s self-effacing humor hurts no one, delivered as it is in a rat-a-tat style that always conveys the message that he’s kidding. He performs with a wink and a smile, and he has parlayed that endearing affability into a rather remarkable career.

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Don’t Miss Miss Jones

Sarah Jones’s Bridge & Tunnel is richer and more ambitious than many of the solo shows that have played Broadway in recent seasons, but its attitude and content is far more downtown than midtown, so, the one audience that Jones is least likely to reach during her eight-week run at the Helen Hayes is the so-called “bridge and tunnel” crowd.

But the reason for everyone to get to 44th Street, Jone’s impressive performance in this particular show, is that you may not have the opportunity to see this remarkable performer live on stage again for a very long time. She is sure to be discovered by Hollywood and whisked off to work in film and/or TV.

Bridge & Tunnel is a series of monologues, each delivered by Jones in the guise of a different character at a poetry slam. In the hands of a less accomplished artist, some of these monologues might be deadly, but Jones is so deeply invested in the material that she can put her own special spin on even the weaker pieces and make them work. Judging the show on the basis of the material itself, you could afford to miss it — but you can’t afford to miss Miss Jones.

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[To contact the Siegels directly, e-mail them at siegels@theatermania.com.]