There’s Naughton He Can’t Do

If you’ve got the dough to see James Naughton: Looking for the Heart of Saturday Night, which plays at Feinstein’s at the Regency through June 10, our advice is dig it out of your wallet and spend it.

Naughton has that deep, resonant voice, that chiseled face, and that tall, lean body that mark him as the kind of guy who can be just as tough as he is romantic. Plus, he is so sophisticated. But he also cuts himself down to size, like when he refers to himself as a geek waiting outside The Blue Note men’s room and watching all the “cats” hanging out a few yards away in Joe Williams’ dressing room. His patter consists of one charming anecdote after another. Sometimes they set up songs, sometimes they don’t. But who wouldn’t want to just sit and listen to this man talk?

Of course, that’s not why you’re here. And as Williams said of Naughton that night: “That man can sing.” That’s not surprising to those who know him as a Broadway musical star — even though, as he points out, he’s only starred in three Broadway musicals in his long, distinguished acting career. It just so happens that he won Tony Awards for two of them (Chicago and City of Angels).

The ttile of Naughton’s show notwithstanding, he finds his heart every night in an eclectic program of songs during which he swings and swaggers and you swoon. His band on opening night was a touch too loud (especially the drums), but he sure got your attention with brassy numbers like “Everything I’ve Got” and “Come Rain or Come Shine.” His calling card, however, is the romantic ballad and you’d be hard pressed to find anyone more convincingly tender while singing “My Foolish Heart” or “I’m Glad There Is You.” Not only does that miraculous baritone caress the notes, but his delicate, understated acting makes these songs sing with his own particular stamp.

Nonetheless, Naughton is at his absolute best when he performs against type. With the help of his band (led by the great John Oddo), he performs a comic masterpiece by Randy Newman called “Shame” in which he plays the part of a rich, powerful, yet desperate and pathetic older man trying to get his young girlfriend back. If that description sounds problematic, wait till you see what Naughton does with it!

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[To contact Barbara & Scott Siegel directly, e-mail them at siegels@theatermania.com.]