FAMILY : Bowl’s ‘Music Tells a Tale’ Far Exceeds Expectations

The mood was anything but black tie at the Hollywood Bowl for “Music Tells a Tale,” a playful “once upon a time” family concert presented by the L.A. Philharmonic Orchestra on Friday.

The post-intermission program was what you might have expected the entire evening to be--a pleasant mishmash of show tunes, Disney and children’s songs. The first half, however, more sophisticated and theme-relevant, far exceeded expectations.

John Mauceri conducted the show, which repeated on Saturday, with good-natured panache. Headline vocalists Tyne Daly, Lea Salonga and Reece Holland added verve, backed up by the Pacific Chorale, the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, the Orange County Master Chorale Children’s Chorus and the Mitch Hanlon Singers.

The evening warmed up with “Polovtsian Dances” from Borodin’s “Prince Igor,” and continued with entertainingly theatrical excerpts from Disney’s “Aladdin” and selections from “Kismet,” nicely sung by Holland and Salonga.

Then came magic: The Philharmonic’s unexpectedly fresh “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” and excerpts from Cole Porter’s last score, the 1958 TV musical “Aladdin.” Restored by the Philharmonic with the Cole Porter Trust, Porter’s witty word-play and elegant, dancing melodies were unmistakable.

Daly gamely enumerated tongue-twisting items in Porter’s “supermarket in old Peking.” A ballad, “Aladdin, Aladdin,” sung by Salonga, with its lush, waltzing orchestral and vocal sweep, was a romantic delight.

The show’s second half opened with an appealing “Wizard of Oz” Concert Suite arranged by Mauceri and Tommy Krasker--kudos to the lighting designer for the gorgeous rainbow effect. Then the well-disciplined children’s choruses had their outings in the “ABC Song” and other selections.

Although her nerves showed, Daly, making her first Bowl appearance, earned big applause for “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” and for her tribute to her mother--an Irish folk song, with accompaniment by harpist Marcia Dickstein.