By: Darryl Reilly
“Ya Got Trouble” joyously sung with requisite rapid-fire precision by vocalist Bob O’Hare was among the many highlights of his exhilarating yet thoughtful tribute show We Take the Town: The Shows of Robert Preston.
The legendary performer was celebrated during a breezy hour through exceptional renditions of familiar and esoteric numbers from his hit and flop Broadway musicals. Another standout was Mr. O’Hare’s thrilling treatment of “I’m a Star” from 1978’s The Prince of Grand Street which closed out of town. O’Hare never attempts imitation, but channels Preston’s gusto combined with his own bright sensibility.
The Brooklyn born and New Jersey reared O’Hare is a veteran of the local night club scene and a Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC) award nominee. His soaring tenor voice, exquisite phrasing, and beaming presence endow his well-conceived and erudite biographical exploration with aural majesty and authenticity.
The show’s bouncy overture was comprised of “Movies Were Movies” from Mack and Mabel, “Till There Was You” from The Music Man, and Mame’s title song. This opening sequence demonstrated the sustaining supreme musicianship of The Tom Nelson Trio who accompanied O’Hare. Music director Mr. Nelson was on piano, Tom Kirchmer was on bass, and Peter Grant was on drums.
Joining O’Hare for occasional backup vocals from the audience on microphones were Gretchen Reinhagen and Eric Michael Gillett for comedic and dramatic effect. Mr. Gillett also directed the presentation with smooth and swift pacing. Lighting and sound technician Adam DeCarlo contributed to the theatricality with a crystalline quality, shimmering hues, and striking blackouts between numbers.
“Why Bob Preston?” says O’Hare as he recounts the transfixing and inspiring experience of being taken by his father at the age of 11 to see the film version of The Music Man at a New Jersey movie theater in 1962 when it was released . A life-long admiration with the performer began.
Following a career as a B-movie Hollywood actor and a few stage appearances, in 1957 Preston (1918-1987) became a star of historic proportions by creating the Tony-winning role of Professor Harold Hill on Broadway in The Music Man. O’Hare also marked that show by singing “Rock Island” along with medleys of “Goodnight My Someone” / “76 Trombones” and “Lida” / “Rose Will I Ever Tell You.”
Preston’s other Tony Award was for 1966’s I Do! I Do! “Nobody’s Perfect,” “A Well-Known Fact,” and “My Cup Runneth Over” were given wry incarnations by O’Hare.
“Stephen Sondheim said this is one of the 10 songs he wished he had written” stated O’Hare before his hilarious take on the ensemble number “Silverware” from the 1960’s flop We Take the Town. Preston starred as Pancho Villa; it closed during out-of-town tryouts.
Such was Preston’s versatility that he played the founding father in 1964’s Ben Franklin in Paris which ran for six months on Broadway. “Half the Battle,” “I Invented Myself,” and “To Be Alone with You” were zestfully done by O’Hare.
In Jerry Herman’s 1974 Broadway failure Mack and Mabel Preston played silent movie director Mack Sennett. O’Hare offered sterling versions of “I Won’t Send Roses,” and “I Promise you a Happy Ending.” For the 1974 film adaptation of Mame Herman wrote a new song for Preston, “Loving You” which showcased O’Hare’s vocal range.
“Gay Paree” from the 1982 movie Victor Victoria for which Preston was Oscar-nominated for Best Supporting Actor was a comic delight due to O’Hare’s saucy iteration. An offbeat mirthful gem was “Chicken Fat (The Youth Fitness Song)” written in 1961 by Meredith Willson to promote the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition.
We Take the Town: The Shows of Robert Preston was performed several times in 2025, hopefully this was its first engagement of 2026. All the proceeds benefited Benjamin House in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, it is an assisted-living facility for the mentally challenged.
We Take the Town: The Shows of Robert Preston (January 23, 2026)
Don’t Tell Mama, 343 West 46th Street, in Manhattan
For information, visit www.donttellmamanyc.com
Running time: one hour with no intermission