"I Left My Heart" Salutes the Music of Tony Bennett

The 2013 season opener at the Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theater in Claremont, California features the unforgettable music of the man Frank Sinatra called "the greatest singer in the world."  

Tony Bennett, whose best-known hit was "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," also sang music from some of the greatest composers of the last six decades, including Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer, and Duke Ellington. In "I Left My Heart," the Candlelight Pavilion presents a spectacular score of nearly 40 of his recorded classics.

Damon Kirsche, Richard Bermudez, and Caleb Shaw, three amazing tenors whose honeyed voices croon and seduce, perform solos as well as beautifully harmonized medleys in nine musical sets.

A segment titled The Early Years has Richard Bermudez crooning and moving to the tango rhythm of "Boulevard of Broken Dreams." He perhaps looks the most like the young Tony Bennett, whose given name was Anthony Benedetto. It was Bob Hope who later dubbed the singer Tony Bennett before taking him on the road.

Damon Kirsche joins this set with the romantic "Because of You," his voice pure, clear, and effortlessly resonating; a true crooner! "A Stranger In Paradise" showcases Caleb Shaw's rich and full-throated voice.

Between sets the performers relate anecdotes and quotes about the famous singer.  Bennett's motto "The harder you work the luckier you get," seems to have worked when he met Bob Hope, who later advised him to "sing the good songs and you'll never go wrong." 

The Tony Bennett tribute runs Thursday – Saturday evenings at 6 p.m., with matinees on Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m. through February 3, 2013. For reservations, call (909) 626-1254, ext. 1, or visit candlelightpavilion.com.

---- For the complete review and more photos, visit my "News & Reviews" website at Jackiehouchin.com