NEW YORK TIMES by Stephen Holden LONDON TIMES by Clive Davis BACK STAGE by David Finkle NAPA VALLEY REGISTER by L. Pierce Carson SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES by Gene Price VARIOUS QUOTES New York Times by Stephen Holden March 8, 2000 Finishing the Act: Sugar and Schmaltz, Rumba to Waltz It takes a certain courage for a singer to admit on the stage that he had his first musical epiphany hearing "Climb Ev'ry Mountain," that corny old warhorse from The Sound of Music. But Craig Rubano, the Broadway baritone whose life was changed in that blinding moment of discovery, conveys the humorous self-awareness of a Broadway baby who understands that confessing the slightly embarrassing truth can be a way into an audience's heart. Although Mr. Rubano, who played Marius for two years in the production of Les Misérables, has a large, flowery voice that seems tailor-made for such semi-operatic songs, he is no starchy formalist. And in his exceptionally well-conceived cabaret show, Finishing the Act: Act One Finales from Broadway, he finds fresh, personal approaches to some of the most daunting first-act closing numbers in Broadway musical history. His rumba-powered bilingual (English and Spanish) version of "The Impossible Dream" takes this signature ballad from Man of La Mancha off its pedestal and substitutes sensuality for grandeur. "Before the Parade Passes By" (from Hello, Dolly! is wedded to the little-known Richard Rodgers-Stephen Sondheim ballad "Take the Moment" (from Do I Hear a Waltz?) to offer dual messages about living in the present. "Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)" (from The Roar of the Greasepaint — The Smell of the Crowd) joined with "(I Am) My Own Best Friend" (from Chicago) make a double-whammy statement about self-reliance. For sheer comedy there's a medley of dream-ballet fragments delivered as a name-that-tune guessing game. For high drama there's a version of an obscure gem, "There's Always One You Can't Forget," a Charles Strouse-Alan Jay Lerner ballad that's a real heartbreaker." London Times by Clive Davis July 2, 2003 Pizza on the Park, SW1 There is a certain breed of Broadway fan who takes pride in knowing the titles of all the songs in the more obscure productions to ever reach the New York stage. He would have been in seventh heaven during Craig Rubano's Finishing the Act, a compendium of Act One finales which makes room for Rodgers and Hammerstein's Pipe Dream as well as Skyscraper, a Sammy Cahn/Jimmy Van Heusen collaboration devised for Julie Harris. Yes, it does sound trainspotterish. But to his credit, Rubano — a veteran of Les Misérables who has been scooping up cabaret awards in Manhattan — transforms what could have been a precious conceit into a thoroughly uplifting show. Accompanied by Ben Stock at the piano, he strikes the right balance between familiar and unfamiliar, erudition and entertainment. Rubano's fascination with finales apparently dates back to a childhood encounter with Shirley Jones in The Sound of Music. As he genially points out, finales are often "Me" songs, goose-pimple anthems designed to leave audiences in a state of fevered anticipation as they head for their warm white wine at the bar. Performing them en masse naturally creates the risk of repetition, but Rubano and his arrangers have lavished such care on the choices and the arrangements that the evening takes on its own distinctive momentum. His burnished tenor copes with all the shifts in tempo. A more forceful and theatrical singer than most of his peers on the cabaret circuit, he does not shy away from theatricality but always knows when to stop short of the melodramatic. "Before the Parade Passes By" can lead any singer into temptation, but Rubano cleverly combines the melody with "Take the Moment," borrowed from Rodgers and Sondheim's Do I Hear a Waltz? If "Who Can I Turn To?" has been done to death by all too many supper club crooners, Rubano injects fresh life into the Bricusse/Newley ballad by dipping into the score of Chicago and interweaving the bitter-sweet sentiments of "My Own Best Friend." While Burt Bachrach and Hal David's high jinks on "Turkey Lurkey Time" were not really worth salvaging, the humour was much sharper and more grown-up on "Sexually Free," a droll tidbit from Cy Coleman and Michael Stewart's swingers' show, I Love My Wife. The satire was more discreet, perhaps, on "Anything Goes," but Rubano's slow, sultry delivery on Cole Porter's classic hinted at ample mischief beyond the gilded door. Back Stage "Bistro Bits" by David Finkle November 28-December 4, 2003 Change Partners The Algonquin Hotel's Oak Room Continued improvement is a fine goal for any performer, and a polished example of the condition is Craig Rubano, who has had all the makings of a top-flight cabaret entertainer for some time... He's now completed the journey, as he capably demonstrated at the Oak Room. Given the room's odd dimensions, it isn't easy to play. So it's always impressive when a performer slips the room on like a glove (Andrea Marcovicci is the mistress of these revels). Rubano made it a perfect fit. Beaming with good cheer and hearty confidence, Rubano called his show Change Partners, which is a worthy follow-up to his superb Finishing the Act set. The emphasis was on songs about dancing, but he gave himself enough lattitude to include things like "You and the Night and the Music" (Howard Dietz-Arthur Schwartz), which he sang robustly. Napa Valley Register by L. Pierce Carson Thursday, December 4, 2003 Finishing the Act The Plush Room Rubano delivers glorious tribute to Broadway musicals in cabaret show A childhood attraction to Broadway musicals prompted Craig Rubano to seek a career on the Great White Way. A unique fascination with the Act One finales of blockbuster shows finds him in cabarets from coast to coast today Finishing the Act. That's the title of his salute to Broadway, a delightful, engaging entertainment. A handsome, witty young man with robust baritone, Rubano knows his craft. He has researched the subject matter as one might working on a doctorate degree. He's called on friends in the business to provide fresh, glorious arrangements, then shaped his fascination into a truly inventive show. There's glorious music, backstage tidbits and witty repartee — who could ask for more? From singing with The Whiffenpoofs while an undergrad at Yale to starring on Broadway as Marius in Les Misérables, Rubano's accomplished quite a bit for a young man who came to his calling only after college graduation. He's also starred in the Broadway production of The Scarlet Pimpernel, been featured on TV soaps and cast in modern opera. His current show earned him several well-deserved awards in New York last year. Save for "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables," a passionate ballad from Les Misérables, all of the material in Rubano's program did indeed bring the curtain down on the first acts of a dozen Broadway shows. Since he first saw Man of La Mancha while a student in Lima, Peru, Rubano offers "The Impossible Dream" in both Spanish and English. Rubano also introduces many in the crowd to the only show that saw Richard Rodgers write both music and lyrics, No Strings. The Act One curtain of this 1962 musical closed on a haunting love song, "Nobody Told Me," which Rubano does with tenderness and appealing sensuality. Showing off the entertainer's glorious baritone, "Sunday," from Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George, is one of the show's high points. It demonstrates why Rubano is in demand along Schubert Alley and Broadway. Finishing the Act is as satisfying as any Broadway show. San Francisco Bay Times by Gene Price December 4, 2003 Craig Rubano, a class act A terrific voice. Charisma to spare. A delightful raconteur. Impeccable musical taste and vocal phrasing. Unassuming nice guy. They all apply to Craig Rubano whose sweet, clarion baritone is currently thrilling Plush Room audiences through this coming Sunday. In Finishing the Act, a cleverly conceived and beautifully balanced program of show tune standards and a few obscure Broadway gems, Rubano has assembled a unique cabaret show of Act One finales. The young singer exudes genuine warmth that blessedly lacks the often over-polished, patronizing veneer of more seasoned performers. Not that Rubano hasn't paid his dues. He sang Marius in the Broadway production of Les Miz for two years, played Zeppo Marx in the Goodspeed Opera's revival of Animal Crackers, and has performed internationally from Bangkok to Monte Carlo to Copenhagen and in concerts at such prestigious venues as Avery Fisher Hall and Carnegie Hall. His debut recording of Finishing the Act was named the 2001 MAC award-winning record of the year, and in 2002 he won the Back Stage Bistro Award and the MAC award for outstanding vocals. He graduated summa cum laude from Yale and earned a Master's degree from Columbia. With Barry Lloyd at the piano, Rubano's Finishing the Act avoids Broadway's big "eleven o'clock" numbers and explores the intriguing, plot-defining pre-intermission numbers. He admits to a near epiphany when he first heard the Mother Superior's "Climb Every Mountain" from The Sound of Music, and pays tribute to that memory with a subtly personal treatment of Hammerstein's lyrics. He delivers a bilingual, sensitive, and less pompous version of "The Impossible Dream" than we are used to hearing. His "Anything Goes" was innocently suggestive, "Sexually Free" from I Love My Wife, was a bit of whimsical exuberance, and the intertwining of "One Day More" with "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" from Les Miz was eloquently understated. Perhaps the most rewarding numbers of the evening were a reprise of such seldom-heard gems as Sondheim's "Sunday," the introspective heartbreaker "There's always One You Can't Forget" from the 1983 flop Dance a Little Closer, the soaring revelation of Pipe Dream's "All at Once You Love Her" (in duet with Barry Lloyd), and from William Finn's Falsettos the poignant "Father to Son." In homage to the Great White Way, he merged "Give My Regards to Broadway" with "Welcome to the Theater," Lauren Bacall's first act closer from Applause. Such don't miss evenings of truly pleasurable discovery are few and far between. "Craig Rubano — how sweet the sound! Smooth, sexy and stunning! Finishing the Act shows Craig's incredible voice to perfection. A glorious concept." – Joe Franklin, Down Memory Lane, WOR 710 AM "A veteran of Les Misérables on Broadway, Mr. Rubano has an intelligence and wit to match his robust baritone...[an] exceptionally well-conceived cabaret debut." – Stephen Holden, New York Times, Awarded a Star in the Friday "Cabaret Guide." "The most exciting rendition of ["Climb Ev'ry Mountain"] I've ever heard. I would have never thought that I'd be programming my CD player on "Repeat" for "Climb Ev'ry Mountain," but I have. And will continue to." – Peter Filichia, www.theatre.com "A vibrant collection of first act finales that makes one long for Craig Rubano's second act. Rubano has a rich, characterful voice and the album has been given first rate arrangements and productions. Finishing the Act is one of the best collections of show tunes I have heard in years." – John M. Clum, Professor of English and the Practice of Drama, Duke University "Theater hunk Craig Rubano...has a high, rich baritone that's as attractive to the ear as his appearance is to the eyes. And he celebrating his wonderful new CD that honors the Act One Finale with a new cabaret show." – Au Courant NewsMagazine "Magnificent voice! This is a very special young man — a bright and up-and-coming Broadway star... A rather exceptional CD...such a unique idea, so well thought out and so well put together...a spectacular team of musicians." – Lynn Di Menna, "Welcome to the Club," WRTN 93.5 FM "The very handsome Mr. Rubano has extraordinary vocals — full ranged and perfectly placed... I found this to be a most entertaining and exciting evening of cabaret — and the CD can be described with virtually the same words...I urge you to catch it." — Stu Hamstra, www.cabaret.org "The first couple of notes of the first song of a CD have to grab you...When I heard the first couple of notes of "Give My Regards to Broadway" and "Welcome to the Theater," I knew I was in for a good ride — good stuff!" – David Kenney, "Everything Old is New Again," WBAI 99.5 FM "Be sure to check out Craig Rubano's hit cabaret show — Finishing the Act: Act One Finales from Broadway — at the West Bank Cafe on West 42nd Street..." – Michael Riedel, New York Post, "On Broadway" column "I LOVE the CD [Finishing the Act] — what a great song selection, so many wonderful songs I hadn't heard in so long. It sent me running to my cast albums to re-listen to the scores they're from. And Craig Rubano has a powerhouse voice!" – Scott Miller, artistic director, New Line Theatre; author, From Assasins to West Side Story and Deconstructing Harold Hill "Craig Rubano's Finishing the Act has a terrific concept: a collection of songs that ring down the musicals' Act One curtain. Next to an overture, what is more exciting? These numbers should leave the audience wanting more, so most reveal something about the show's leading character(s), often dynamically... sending the audiences to the lobby on a high. This album has the same effect on the listener, with great song after great song spinning by. Rubano is a high, too. He has been Les Mis' Marius and has the bright Broadway belt-type of voice that role requires. He's equally effective when he lays back... My impression is Rubano's act won't be "finished" for a long, long time." – Max O. Preeo, editor, SHOWmusic magazine, Spring 2000 "Making his cabaret debut is handsome Craig Rubano in his show Finishing the Act: Act One Finales from Broadway, directed by Scott Barnes with musical-director Alex Rybeck and a five-piece band... [Rubano]'s a comer with a commanding stage presence and is making his mark. The gifted Alex Rybeck's arrangements are perfectly tailored to Rubano's potent style." – John Hoglund, Back Stage "Craig Rubano brings the resounding legit voice he displayed well as Marius in Les Misérables to Finishing the Act: Act One Finales from Broadway — celebrating the release of an impeccably produced, gloriously orchestrated same-titled CD." – Chip Deffaa, New York Post "Craig Rubano. A singer's singer, if ever there was one, this veteran of Broadway's Les Misérables (he played Marius for 2 years) has just finished work on his first CD, Finishing the Act: Act One Finales from Broadway, and the results are not to be believed. A truly fresh look at a staple of the American musical, Finishing the Act re-assesses the value of the theater song by completely recontextualizing the first-act closing number. Accompanied by original orchestrations by several of the industry's best and most imaginative arrangers... As intellectually rigorous as it is vocally heart-stopping, Craig's magnum opus (thus far, that is) is a jaw-dropping tour-de-force. It is a virtual vocal declaration of war: for, even as he re-introduces some of the best songs from one of the great canons of songwriting, his vision and talent all assert that no other singers — gifted, talented or otherwise — need attempt them again soon." – Julian Fleisher, www.ratherbig.com "Craig Rubano has everything going for him. Since this reviewer first saw him on Broadway as Marius in Les Miserables, Mr. Rubano has maintained his beautiful voice, fine-tuning it to a sensual, haunting instrument one could listen to for hours. His is a voice and a presence one would definitely return to hear and see after the end of any first act of any theatrical performance...Finishing the Act...will hopefully have a local run somewhere after its close at the outstanding Laurie Beechman. Backed up by an incredible five-piece ensemble,...Craig Rubano has a voice one savors and remembers...There is every reason to return to see his second act, wherever or whenever that begins." – David Roberts, Theatre Reviews Limited "Handsome, witty, with a beautiful baritone voice. Who could ask for anything more?...Rubano has an undertone of sensuality, a sly nod to the romantic aspects of life...My companion at Finishing the Act was so entranced by Craig Rubano that he said, 'Don't you understand: You are discovering a hit singer! Someone who will be very big!' – Millicent Brower, Town & Village "Former Les Miz leading man Craig Rubano is starting off with a good finish. Listen for his Tom Jones tones." – David Drake, Playbill Magazine (National) "Rubano's rich and powerful tenor does wonders for songs for which fans already have high expectations." — Gregg Shapiro, Next magazine