POP MUSIC REVIEW : Theater Icon Julie Andrews Shows a Gutsy Side

Who would it be? Eliza Doolittle? Maria von Trapp? Mary Poppins? Victor/Victoria?

That was the question awaiting Julie Andrews’ concert Friday at the Greek Theatre. Which of the many characters from the actress/singer’s colorful cast of personalities--oops, almost forgot Guinevere and Emily and Darling Lili--would show up on stage?

Well, not to create any undue suspense, they almost all managed to put in an appearance. Andrews’ concert show, which comes to the Pacific Amphitheatre on Saturday, was a carefully packaged but thoughtfully assembled collection of songs, reminiscences and characterizations that touched most of the high points in an eventful and distinguished musical career.

Starting off with a few tales about the early years in her parents’ stage act, Andrews launched into a “London Pride” medley that featured “Don’t Put Your Daughter on the Stage, Mrs. Worthington” and “Burlington Burtie.” The strutting, music-hall panache of the songs gave her an opportunity to demonstrate a cocky, let’s-reach-the-back-rows brassiness that is the appealing converse side of her more familiar sugar-and-spice persona.

A movie medley touched some of the obvious Andrews hits--”My Favorite Things,” “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” “Thoroughly Modern Millie.” But the best number in the group was a far more obscure ballad from “Victor/Victoria” called “Crazy World.” Andrews sang the piece with a simmering intensity not always present in the more familiar material. The lady may have achieved the larger-than-life status of a musical theater icon, but, when she wants to, she can still work gutsy, down-to-earth magic with a song.

Her tribute to Alan Jay Lerner--which wisely chose a wide range of material, from “On a Clear Day” and “Almost Like Being in Love” to “Come to Me, Bend to Me” and “I’m on My Way”--was crisp and effective, the very model of a theatrical music medley. Curiously, however, Andrews elected not to mention the name of Frederick Loewe, the composer of the music for many of the songs.

Two pieces of special material by Larry Grossman and Buz Cohan--”To Be Where There Is Music” and, especially, “50 Words or Less”--were potent reminders of Andrews’ startling effectiveness as a theatrical performer. In both cases, she made the songs her own with a style and manner that underlined how much her presence has been missed from the Broadway musical stage in the last two decades.

If her high head tones didn’t quite resonate with the ringing purity of yore, so be it. Andrews more than made up for the slightly reduced tonal range with a vastly increased emotional gamut.

Her program was most effective, in fact, during those moments in which she seasoned her songs with recollections about singing during the London blitz and her first encounters with New York City, about Moss Hart’s sense of humor and her love affair with the stage. The second part of the concert, with its long honor roll of hit songs, would have benefited from a few more similarly topical reference points.

Still, these are minor carps for an evening that left little to be desired. Julie--along with Eliza, Mary, Victor and all the others--sang and danced with the charm and grace of a winner. Which is exactly what she is.