Travis Moser is young singer with a romantic Broadway-type voice and a great future. As all but one (“Blue Moon,” although the melody appeared in a number of films) of the Rodgers and Hart songs were written for Broadway shows or films, Moser’s voice works particularly well for their catalogue. He wisely chose the cream of the great crop of the team's output for this appearance. There was a background story provided for almost all of the selections and he usually included the often forgotten verses to these classics of the Great American Songbook.

Moser opened with “This Can’t Be Love,” followed by “My Romance.” An up-tempo “Have You Met Miss Jones?” led into an amusing story about Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in their first film together, Too Many Girls, where Lucy introduced “Nearer,” which Moser performed powerfully. He was joined by guest star Samantha Shafer who performed three solos and then joined Moser for a charming duet of “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was.” Moser closed with a nice version of his favorite Rodgers and Hart song, “My Funny Valentine.” He went outside the show’s theme for his encore, a heartfelt “Get Here” (Brenda Russell), the Oleta Adams hit.

Ron Forman
Cabaret Scenes
January 8, 2014
www.cabaretscenes.org