FOLIO
by DICK KEREKES
In 2003, actor Patrick Robinson launched his first Classic Patric performance at the Springfield Woman’s Club in Jacksonville. I was in the audience at that first show but it wasn’t the first time I had seen Robinson on stage. In fact, I had observed his talents at many theatres in North Florida, in a variety of musical, comic and dramatic roles. He left the area for a couple of years when he went on the road working in theatres on the East Coast. Robinson was Jacksonville born and bred and had his family and friends here, and came back.
I reviewed his first show and as I recall it was just about an hour long and featured much of the same type of music that he promotes in his current shows; the classic standards that have stood the test of time and take us down memory lane.
A fifth anniversary of the show was presented on March 1, also at the Springfield Woman’s Club. I found a lot of things have changed in the past five years in the world of Patric Robinson. First, as you may have noticed, he dropped the “k” in his first name. Second he has refined Classic Patric cabaret show. It is in my opinion, now much more polished, energetic, humorous and entertaining.
Mr. Robinson sings even better! He has a greater range and is able to entertain with a great variety of styles with the vocal control he has mastered. I could tell he really likes to interact with the audience and adlibs often with hilarious results.
In February 2008 Classic Patric presented a Valentine Day performance to a sold out audience of about 200 people. This past December Robinson performed a two week engagement in St. Augustine of his kind of music. In addition he has developed children’s shows that you can learn more about at his website PatrickBIZ.com.
Versatility is his middle name. If you want a gospel show with a tribute to Mahalia Jackson, Patric can do it. Or, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, Bobby Darin or even the Rat Pack, yes, he can do it.
In the two hour anniversary show, Robinson sang songs from twenty four different songwriters and composers; names like Cole Porter, Ray Charles, Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, Kurt Weil and Johnny Mercer, just to name a few. Among my very favorites were: “Send in the Clowns” “You Don’t Know Me”, “Old Man River”, “I Love Coffee”, and “You Send Me”. Patric’s simple one sheet program, listed the segments into types and eras of the music.
Patric Robinson recently received rave reviews for the role of Sancho in “The Man of LaMancha”, and he even included a couple of numbers from that popular musical.
The success of the anniversary celebration is also a credit to the other two talented musicians on the stage with our vocalist. With Doug Beard on the percussion and Shelli Long on the keyboard, Robinson was sure to have a winner. Shelli Long is well known in musical theatre in the North Florida, having been the Musical Director and on the piano or keyboard for many productions in every theatre in this area.
Classic Patric is family entertainment that Patric can personally tailor to anyone’s needs, be it a wedding, a family reunion, special occasion or a fund-raising event. Thanks Patric for making me a part of this milestone in your career and it has been my pleasure to watch you grow over the years not only as an entertainer but as a truly good person.
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