Charismatic Belafonte Shows Silly, Serious Sides

Harry Belafonte is, as the title of his 1978 retrospective album proclaims, a legendary performer. His 1956 “Calypso” album made him a star and was the first million-plus-seller ever. A Tony and an Emmy Award winner, he’s been a film actor for decades and currently appears as a gangster in Robert Altman’s “Kansas City.”

He’s also extremely charismatic--which is the main reason the near-capacity crowd walked away smiling after his two-hour Friday concert at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts.

Elegant in black with a splash of color, Belafonte sparkled throughout, cracking jokes, telling stories, dancing, playing a beribboned hand drum and getting downright silly with the audience, which enthusiastically sang along whenever encouraged. His five-piece band and three backup vocalists sustained a polished, occasionally animated (if fairly lightweight) Caribbean groove all night.

Belafonte’s voice was serviceable, provided he stayed out of the upper register, and his middle-aged-to-elderly fans didn’t seem to mind that the kitschy charm of such upbeat classics as “Island in the Sun” was diluted by overly slick instrumentation, becoming mere shadows of the peppy originals. “Matilda,” a rueful ode to a thieving bombshell, fared better; its extended jam was the high point (despite the obligatory keyboard, bass, percussion and even backup vocalist solos). His signature, “Banana Boat (Day-O),” was buoyed by a similarly energetic treatment.

Belafonte also connected on a more serious note, with a gentle reading of the ballad “Try to Remember,” sung in tribute to the late Audrey Hepburn, who was, like Belafonte, active in UNICEF.

However, Belafonte was almost too gregarious, and the show’s pacing suffered from several extensive chats with the crowd. While these provided the 69-year-old performer with some necessary breathers and cemented his audience rapport, the show lost momentum. A shorter program would have been more effective and wouldn’t have diminished Belafonte’s stature one bit.