Friendly, upbeat 'Unforgettable' brings music of Nat King Cole to Milwaukee Repertory Theater's cabaret

If your football team’s miserable performance or some other gut punch has you slumping, Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s new show could help you straighten up and fly right.

John-Mark McGaha sings the music of Nat King Cole in "Unforgettable," a friendly, upbeat concert-style production at the Rep's Stackner Cabaret. It continues through Nov. 6.

Cole, whose hits included "Mona Lisa," "Nature Boy," "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons" and the title song, was both a major pop vocalist and a significant jazz pianist in the busy decades before his untimely death at age 45 in 1965. He also was a Black performer with enormous crossover appeal at the end of the Jim Crow era, meaning he endured abuse (and, in one case, an assault) from segregationists.

But in spite of the world's turbulence, Cole's music communicated grace, elegance and congeniality.

Like previous Artists Lounge Live shows that Milwaukee Rep has presented, "Unforgettable" follows a gently chronological arc. McGaha doesn't imitate Cole. His voice is earthier — he's Cole-adjacent with a smidgen of Otis Redding.

But McGaha exudes a similar friendliness, and occasionally connects his life and Cole's: both born in Alabama, both from church families. McGaha dedicated "Unforgettable" to his late father, a nice repurposing of Cole's love song.

While Chuck Larkin played the swingin' piano during Sunday's opening performance, McGaha slid onto the bench occasionally to remind us of Cole the singing pianist. McGaha picked up an electric guitar for a wonderful solo opening to "Nature Boy."

McGaha and company also served up a few surprises in how they performed hits. They brought more fire than most balladeers to "The Christmas Song," Cole's recurring holiday hit composed by Mel Tormé. And McGaha redeemed the goofy novelty "Orange Colored Sky" by turning it into an audience singalong. McGaha also sang a more than credible version of one of Cole's many songs recorded in Spanish.

Drummer Ryan Bennett, Milwaukee bassist Jeff Hamann and reed player Jesse Montijo rounded out the sympathetic band. Audience members applauded Montijo's sax solos; I really dug his flute playing.

Given that Cole is essentially a pre-Beatles artist, listeners under 50 may know little about his music. But if you enjoy John Legend, for example, there's a pretty good chance that you'll find this show "Unforgettable."

Contact Jim Higgins at jim.higgins@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @jhiggy.

If you go

Milwaukee Repertory Theater performs "Unforgettable: John-Mark McGaha Sings Nat King Cole" through Nov. 6 at the Stackner Cabaret. 108 E. Wells St. For tickets, visit milwaukeerep.com or call (414) 224-9490.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Rep's upbeat 'Unforgettable' features Nat King Cole's music