DAVI SINGS SINATRA: ON THE ROAD TO ROMANCE

Robert Davi - A Most Unusual Suspect for the Adelaide Cabaret Festival

The theme of this year’s Adelaide Cabaret Festival is “Not Your Usual Suspects” and when I questioned Robert Davi on what is uniquely different about Davi Sings Sinatra: On the Road to Romance he told me when you consider his background he’ll have no trouble fitting the festival’s theme. Then he explained what he meant, by listing some of the amazing highlights of his working life…and I was blown away.

Setting aside Davi’s accomplished music history for a moment, what other performer in the 2014 Adelaide Cabaret Festival can claim he or she was a friend of Frank Sinatra's, fought James Bond, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenneger, Clint Eastwood, Sylvester Stallone and Mel Gibson and has killed over eighty-eight serial killers? What’s more, Davi has starred in several TV series, taken Catherine Zeta Jones for a boat ride, been friends with Mickey Rourke for over thirty years and had ice cream in Madrid with Marlon Brando. Life has been full on for this performer, to say the least!

While Robert Davi is recognised for his famous tough guy roles in movies such as Licence to Kill, Die Hard, Kill the Irishman and The Iceman, as well as TV hits Profiler, Criminal Minds and Stargate: Atlantis, he has also won critical praise and audience admiration for his expressive jazz singing. Without a shadow of doubt, with a CV like Davi’s, Adelaide audiences will flock to his Cabaret Festival show.

Harnessing formidable musical talent and backed by a sensational big band, Davi works through the great American songbook as he croons a love letter to his mentor, the legendary Frank Sinatra. Some of the best musicians from Los Angeles are on stage with Davi, including Emil Richards who toured the world with Frank Sinatra. The show’s musical director/ pianist is Randy Waldman, who was Barbara Steisand's musical director and her pianist for twenty-five years.

When I asked Davi what makes the Adelaide Cabaret Festival an important inclusion in his touring plans for Davi Sings Sinatra: On the Road to Romance he said, ‘Last year I headlined the Venetian in Las Vegas. A critic reviewed my show very favorably; her name is Ellen Sterling. At a Meet and Greet after the show, she mentioned to me one of the top Cabaret Festivals in the world takes place in Adelaide and I should play there some day.'

Davi hopes to leave lasting memories for Adelaide audiences. ‘For those people who remember seeing Sinatra live and for those who wish they could have seen him live I hope to provide an evening they will remember long afterwards,’ he said. ‘Not only great music but also humor, stories of actor friends I've worked with, intimate insights into myself, my career and Sinatra as a man - the swagger and style that I feel today’s world is yearning for.

‘The great American songbook is “America’s Shakespeare”, the golden age of American music,’ Davi added. ‘This collection of unforgettable masterpieces helped the world fall in love with America, and no one sang them better than Frank Sinatra. During my parents’ time, while our country faced many difficulties, this music helped it glow with promise and optimism. It reminded them that America was a place where dreams came true, and inspired people from all over the world to find for themselves the magic that was America. My humble mission as a singer, and interpreter of this songbook, is to help reinvigorate the spirit of America, the spirit that makes it one of the greatest countries in the world. I am thrilled to share this with you here in Australia.’

Robert Davi’s dynamic live performance in Davi Sings Sinatra: On the Road to Romance may come as a surprise to his movie fans, but Davi’s love of music and entertaining began at an early age. At the age of fifteen he won first place in the prestigious New York State School Music Solo Competition. As a young adult he studied under several top vocal teachers, including the legendary Tito Gobbi, Dan Ferro of Juilliard, Samuel Margolis and most recently, renowned vocal coach Gary Catona.

Robert Davi’s album, Davi Sings Sinatra: On the Road to Romance has received rave reviews from audiences and critics. The album is available now.

Robert Davi hails from Astoria, Queens, New York and attended Hofstra University on a Drama scholarship. He moved to Manhattan where legendary acting coach Stella Adler became his teacher and mentor. He subsequently became a lifetime member of the Actors Studio, studying with a range of acting teachers including Lee Strasberg.

Family man Davi (he’s raised five children, four dogs and two cats!) is also heavily involved in community causes. He is an active supporter of a range of Foundations, many of which support children and animals. Amongst his many community awards, in 2011 he was awarded the Military Order of the Purple Heart, a special recognition for dedication and service honouring America’s service members, veterans and their families.

Davi Sings Sinatra: On the Road to Romance is in town at the Festival Theatre for one night only, on Sunday June 8 at 7.30 pm, so Adelaide Cabaret Festival audiences will need to secure tickets quickly.

Melbourne audiences need to be just as prompt as Adelaideans in buying tickets. Robert Davi’s spectacular show is performing its Australian premiere at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, one day earlier than Adelaide, on June 7, at the Palais Theatre, St Kilda.

Lesley Reed

Australian premiere - June 7, Melbourne.

Melbourne - Palais Theatre, St Kilda, 8pm.

Bookings: www.ticketmaster.com.au

South Australian premiere - June 8, Adelaide.

Festival Theatre, Adelaide, 7.30 pm.

Bookings: BASS 131 246 or online at www.bass.net.au

For further information visit http://www.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au