Florida Studio Theater has a great audience pleaser with Unchained Melodies to start its new Winter Cabaret Season. Four energetic men give out four-part harmonies from doo-wop in the 1940s all the way to the titled and other representative songs of the ‘50s and ‘60s. With attention to groups proliferating along with social consciousness, FST’s show combines histrionics with historical commentary. “Remember Then” begin the harmonizers in their properly formal black tux suits with sequined ties to match and starched white shirts. Shoes are shiny black. Nathaniel P. Claridad next begins his narrative on the singers and songs of the times “we weren’t born yet”—but doo-wop was. A spirited “Blue Moon” uses vocables (defined by Nat as nonsense sounds that took the place of instruments). David Marmanillo illustrates them with his very deep bass voice that gets less smooth. Tenor Micah Jeremiah Mims leads into “The Great Pretender” impressively. Second tenor Nick Anastasia backs him up and shows how the present group, who’ve “known each other only a short time”, blend like the guys they’re portraying. They brought their cultural familiarity with Rhythm & Blues, Gospel, pop ballads, teen fun tunes, and swing—as baritone Nat tells of—together. Well known songs include “16 Candles” followed by “Earth Angel” and the full-of-vocables “Sh-Boom.” An extended “Paper Doll” features Micah and uses the others in an almost tribute to The Mills Brothers. With “In the Still of the Night” and “Shop Around” they go into Motown. “Save the Last Dance for Me‘ and “Dance With Me” lead with Drifters-like vocals and sharp choreography to an intermission. For Act 2, the costumes of the four reflect changing eras. The men’s tuxes are still black, but sleeveless jackets are vest-like, their front openings having satiny textured interface. All the men have different colored shirts: lavender, light blue, medium blue, and light purple, complemented by differently designed ties. The curtained background features more colorful lighting throughout. Perhaps the loudest piece in the show has Nick leading into “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”—otherwise known as “Wimoweh”—played for laughs. For “Along Came Jones” he changes white hat to black hat to play the hero and villain of the song sung by the group. “On Broadway” and “Under the Boardwalk” change locales of the lyrical plots. Micah’s downstage center solo, “Unchained Melody”, is poignant as is Nick’s next “Stand by Me”—both sung with reference to a background of social change. The finale “Reach Out, I’ll Be There” isn’t last, though. Applause leads to an encore “Goodnight, Sweetheart” which may change at holiday time to an appropriate seasonal last song. With the wonderful piano (I even caught him singing while playing) of Jim Prosser and close monitoring by Catherine Randazzo of her excellent directing, this male singers group should be a “must” for those who like music of the eras celebrated or even just cabaret musical entertainment.
