In Performance, Tony Danza Succeeds in Celebrating Self

See Tony dance. Hear Tony sing. Laugh at Tony’s jokes. Listen to Tony reminiscence about Tony’s life. Hear Tony do Dean Martin. And Louis Prima. Even Frank Sinatra. Listen to Tony talk some more about his life. Hear Tony sing again.

It was, in short, a Tony Danza bonanza.

And that was more than enough for the packed house Wednesday that turned out for the opening set of Danza’s four-night run at the Cinegrill.

But give him a break. Sure, it’s easy to rap a sitcom star for expanding into new horizons, just as it was easy to jump on Danza for his Broadway appearances.

Danza’s skills as a singer and dancer are modest, at best, despite his exuberant enthusiasm. But cabaret performance is not necessarily about musical virtuosity.

In fact, the most appealing part of his show was the thing he does best: being himself. Although some of his lines sounded a bit too scripted, the spontaneous moments were the product of a performer with a natural gift for entertaining.

Given his marketable public image, Danza could have chosen a lot more potentially lucrative outlets. But to his credit, he chose something he’d always wanted to do, and he appeared to be having a grand time doing it. At one point he turned to the audience and said, “Here it is, every Italian’s dream: a stage, a stool, a microphone and a tuxedo.” And maybe that’s what his performances as a cabaret artist are really all about.

* Tony Danza, tonight at 8; Saturday at 8 and 10 p.m., the Cinegrill, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Blvd. $25. (323) 769-7273.