A Phantom Yields to Essence of Simplicity

There’s never much doubt about what to expect at a Davis Gaines concert: the juxtaposition of a boyish charm with a big, theater-filling voice, a dramatic way with a song and an always-intriguing musical program.

But on Thursday night in Founders Hall at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, the veteran musical theater artist, perhaps best-known for his more than 2,000 appearances in the title role in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera,” took matters a bit further, miniaturizing his musical framework via an intimate, cabaret-style presentation.

His show was the essence of simplicity. Accompanied only by a trio consisting of violinist Barbara Porter, bassist Ken Wild and pianist-music director David Lai, Gaines placed his voice in the spotlight, without the warm and comforting musical cushion of a large orchestra. And that voice, with the capacity to range in barely a moment from a purr to a roar, was more than adequate for the task.

He sang standards, some lesser-known works and a bit of special material--notably a whimsical song that consisted of fragments of melody and words from a long list of love songs. Everything was handled with taste and understanding.

The foundation of Gaines’ work is a solid, dependable musicality, and it was on ample display. Not only did he sing with a great range of color and timbre, but he did so with precise pitch and consistent musical intelligence.

*

Wisely, he tailored the size of his interpretations to the small, personal dimensions of cabaret. It was a performance so well-structured, so beautifully done that Gaines never got around to singing a note from “Phantom,” and the omission didn’t appear to bother his listeners at all.

In fact, the most impressive aspect of the evening was probably the revelation that Gaines has moved well beyond an association with a specific show and now can do, and be, anything he wants, in virtually any kind of performance setting.

One gripe about Gaines’ otherwise winning performance, the first of a three-night stand: Only once in his entire set did he identify the names of any of the songwriters who created the music he was singing.

The exception was a reference to lyricist Sammy Cahn, in the context of a three-song Cahn set of tunes that will be included in Gaines’ next album. And even here, he neglected to mention the composers who wrote the music for “Time After Time” (Jule Styne), “All My Tomorrows” and “All the Way” (Jimmy Van Heusen) with Cahn.

That’s like watching an actor on a talk show describe a character he’s played without acknowledging that the words and story were created by a writer and did not simply materialize out of thin air.

Obviously songwriters such as Rodgers & Hammerstein don’t need any particular identification, but it surely would have been more respectful for Gaines to have at least named the writers of some of the less-familiar material.

* Davis Gaines sings tonight at Founders Hall, Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. $42-$46. (714) 556-2787.