Actor and singer Tony Danza has a deep appreciation for old-school entertainment.
The Who’s the Boss? and Taxi star longs for the era when variety shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show brought performers including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Tony Bennett to the small screen for captivating live performances of timeless songs.
“Very few people perform anymore on TV,” Danza, 75, told the Current during a phone interview early this week. “When I was growing up, there would be all these shows where performers could show off their stuff. You just don’t have that anymore.”
The spirit of those classic variety shows is what Danza hopes to revive with his live show, Tony Danza: Standards and Stories. Danza will perform favorites from the Great American Songbook at Jazz, TX on Saturday, August 1, for two shows at 7p.m. and 9:30 p.m. The early show is sold out, but tickets remain for the second one.
During the interview, Danza talked about the enduring appeal of the Great American Songbook, his lifelong admiration for Frank Sinatra and how a near-fatal skiing accident changed the course of his career.
Along with singing in the show, you also tap dance, play the ukulele and tell stories. Which part of the show requires the most preparation, and which part comes most naturally for you?
The singing has been coming a lot more naturally. I’ve been doing it for a while. I started performing because I was in a skiing accident in 1993. I hit a tree and almost killed myself. There was some terrible prognosis. [Doctors] were telling me that I may not walk. It took me two years to come back. It was a second chance. I asked myself, “What do I want to do that I haven’t done?” I had been tap dancing for about 10 years and decided I wanted to be a song and dance man. I put together a big act. So, going up on stage to sing and play the ukulele and tap dance for an audience is such a gift. I marvel at the fact that I get to do it.
What does singing on stage for an audience give you that acting doesn’t?
Singing really is a joy. There is nothing like singing with a jazz band. I get a thrill out of it. That’s why I’m still doing it. There’s nothing like being up on stage doing the act. I think it’s when I’m happiest. When I’m up on stage, I’m thinking, “How do I make this song sound better?” and “How do I get another laugh?” I get a kick out of it.
You’ve performed on Broadway before, but Standards and Stories is done in a more intimate cabaret setting. How does your approach as a singer change when you’re just a few feet away from the audience?
You know, some of the songs we sing are some big, brassy ones. But when you’re singing a ballad in an intimate club like Jazz, TX or at Café Carlyle or 54 Below (in New York City), there’s a modulation you have to find. What I love about the Great American Songbook is that it’s an interpretive skill. You can do it a different way than anyone else does it. You can take what a song means to you and interpret it in your own way.
What are some of your favorite songs to interpret?
You know, I do “You Go to My Head” a lot. I love that song. The words blow my mind. The one thing about the Great American Songbook are the incredible lyricists. I sing this song in Standards and Stories by Sammy Cahn called “Please Be Kind.” In it, he says, “This is all so grand, my dreams are on parade.” Every time I’m up on stage, I think my dreams are on parade. My big regret is that I wish I would have done this before my mother passed away. She would have loved it.
What music did your mom like to listen to?
My mother was a Sinatra fan. She called him “Swoon-atra.” She loved all this stuff. She’s the one who turned me on to this when I was a little kid. She would make me listen [to Sinatra] and make me appreciate him even at a very young age. She loved to hear him croon.
Do you like it if people call you a crooner?
Yeah, I do. And you know, sometimes I can really get there. It’s not as easy as everybody thinks. But sometimes I can really croon. With the show, you’re always out there trying things. I’ve got a great band, and that really makes all the difference in the world.
Do you think audiences today crave more of that personal, old-school style of live entertainment?
I think so. Let me tell you, I play the Carlyle a lot. The Carlyle is very expensive, but the demographic has noticeably changed. It’s young people now. It’s incredible. Every place we go, it’s really something. It used to be if I saw a kid at a show, I’d try to figure out how he got dragged to it. But now, there’s a lot of kids! I think they’re gravitating towards this music. It’s so much fun to play for them.
Tony Danza: Standards and Stories
$254.18-$377.78, Saturday, August 1, 7 p.m. (sold out) and 9:30 p.m., Jazz TX, 312 Pearl Parkway, Building 6, Suite 6001, (210) 332-9386, jazztx.com.
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