At 72-years-young, Paul Anka proves you can’t keep a good man down.

Paul Anka jogs down the aisle of Sydney’s Lyric Theatre towards the stage, high-fiving the audience, posing for snapshots and signing autographs, all the while crooning his megahit Diana with a voice as young as his body miraculously seems to be. Whatever multivitamins this 72-year-old has been taking, they’re working.

He bounds up the steps, mops his brow and quips, “Boy, am I glad to get that number the hell outta the way!” So begins 90 minutes of a concert as energetic and fun as it was musically satisfying. While the iconic image of Anka is as the 16-year-old crooner who exhorted 1950s teens to put their heads on his shou-ou-oulder, he’s also written for just about everyone who’s ever belted out a tune in Las Vegas.

His version of She’s a Lady, made famous by Tom Jones, makes you wonder why Anka didn’t make it a hit for himself. His rendition of My Way (he wrote the lyrics for Frank Sinatra), sounds like it could easily serve as a summary of his own career.

And what a fascinating career it’s been. Part of the charm of this show...