FEINSTEIN IN FINE FORM

Michael Feinstein’s deliciously sweet salute to
Mathis and Mancini offers nostalgia, vitality,
and a generous helping of musical treasures

Michael Feinstein

As usual, Michael Feinstein, that busy cabaret and concert performer—the gallant, gracious, and gregarious guy who carries the torch and history of the Great American Songbook—delivers the classic pop repertoire with charm and class. His show saluting Johnny Mathis and Henry Mancini might be called his “M & M” show: delicious and sweet, like the candy. There’s a jolt of caffeine, too.

It was a rich and rewarding set when unveiled at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall on June 18 as part of the Standard Time series. The program had originally been booked for a night in April but was postponed due to illness. It was worth waiting for. Officially titled My Celebration: The Magical Music of Johnny Mathis and Henry Mancini, the concert was an occasion for both celebration and education, as Feinstein is one of the best at weaving in facts without making listeners feel they’re being lectured. He delivers the histories with ease and doesn’t rely on just the most oft-repeated details familiar to fans.

The timing was especially meaningful for Mathis admirers who already miss the legend’s presence on the music scene, which began in the 1950s with frequent album releases, concerts, and television appearances. Mathis retired from live performances in 2025 at age 89. But his repertoire deserves to be performed, and the crooning, sensitive kindred spirit named Feinstein is an apt candidate, a vocalist who is not allergic to sentimental love songs that were an early and frequent Mathis specialty. The early-career record successes were prominent, delivered with lushness but without mush. Yes, the trademark hits that marked his success in the late 1950s were there: “Wonderful, Wonderful,” “Misty,” “Chances Are,” “The Twelfth of Never,” and “It’s Not for Me to Say.”

Tedd Firth, Mark McLean, Michael Feinstein

Other items in the generous-length program were two show tunes that also became hits during the same period: Gypsy‘s charmer “Small World” and West Side Story‘s soaring “Maria.” From the movie musical that later became a stage piece—both starring Julie Andrews—Victor/Victoria came the change-of-pace, sizzling “Le Jazz Hot,” with Leslie Bricusse‘s words wed to Mancini’s percolating melody.

The overlap of Mancini’s music and Mathis memories was a surefire way to please fans of both. Prolific recording artist Mathis was no Johnny-come-lately in covering the composer’s movie themes that had lyrics, and the set list didn’t exhaust all the possibilities. The included “Moon River,” “Days of Wine and Roses,” and “Charade” (all with words by Johnny Mercer) were winners in this concert. The first two won Academy Awards for Best Original Song, while the third was an Oscar nominee. The title song from Two for the Road (lyric by Bricusse) received an especially tender rendition.

Michael Feinstein

While the two honorees recorded just one album together, The Hollywood Musicals, it contained only a couple of Mancini-written items. The wistful “Whistling Away the Dark” from Darling Lili was one, and it made the cut for this concert.

Getting away from the plethora of romantic ballads, the orchestra dug into the memorable instrumental themes of the smile-inducing, slinky The Pink Panther and the assertive Peter Gunn. The Carnegie Hall Big Band was joined by bassist David Finck, drummer Mark McLean, and guitarist Matt Munisteri, along with the ever-dazzling piano work and arrangements of Tedd Firth, who sometimes steps aside for Feinstein to take over the keyboard as his own accompanist. It’s a tradition in these shows, just like the sighs from listeners, some self-deprecating patter, and the singer’s casually comfortable, convivial manner.

It’s a classy program of nostalgia and vitality. That’s no surprise with this veteran singer. Whether delivering the tenderness of Mathis or the cinematic excitement of Mancini, Feinstein proves himself a worthy keeper of their musical legacies. To quote a Johnny Mathis hit, “The chances are your chances are awfully good.”

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

photos by Stephanie Berger

My Celebration: The Magical Music of Johnny Mathis and Henry Mancini
Standard Time with Michael Feinstein
Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, 881 Seventh Ave. in New York
reviewed June 18, 2026, at 7:30

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

UPCOMING CONCERTS

Oct. 11, 2026 — The Soraya, Northridge, CA — Gershwin program
Oct. 28, 2026 — Zankel Hall, New York — Crosby and the Great Crooners
Nov. 12, 2026 — Uptown Theatre Napa, Napa, CA
Nov. 29, 2026 — Zoellner Arts Center, Bethlehem, PA — Coming Home: The Holiday Celebration
Dec. 2, 2026 — Seattle, WA — Coming Home: The Holiday Celebration
Dec. 4, 2026 — Palladium, Carmel, IN — Coming Home: The Holiday Celebration
Dec. 31, 2026 — McCallum Theatre, Palm Desert, CA
Feb. 4, 2027 — Gogue Performing Arts Center, Auburn, AL — with Kelli O’Hara
Feb. 6, 2027 — Emerson Colonial Theatre, Boston — My Celebration
Feb. 17, 2027 — Zankel Hall, New York — Would-Be Oscar-Winning Songs
Feb. 21, 2027 — Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, Cerritos, CA — My Celebration
Mar. 27, 2027 — Louisville, KY — My Celebration
Apr. 7, 2027 — Zankel Hall, New York — Enduring Songs by Sammy Cahn

for tickets and the complete schedule, visit Michael Feinstein

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦