Versatile Loretta Devine Connects With Charm

Cabaret is often compared, inaccurately, to jazz or nightclub music. But it is neither specifically focused, as jazz is, upon the music, nor, as nightclub performances are, upon the personality of the artist.

Cabaret is about storytelling, and Loretta Devine’s appearance at the Hollywood Roosevelt Cinegrill on New Year’s Eve in a performance called “Coming Home . . . With Love” revealed how alive and relevant the genre can be in the hands of an imaginative young singer.

Which was a bit of a surprise. Although Devine has solid credentials as a theatrical performer--she was one of the original “Dreamgirls” on stage and played opposite Whitney Houston in “Waiting to Exhale” and “The Preacher’s Wife”--she has not spent a lot of time in the cabaret world. But her new show, which was directed by Ronald Lachman, was a perfect example of the thoughtful balance between audience connection, wit and musicality that characterize what has been described as the “intimate art.”

Devine’s stage experience was vital to her performance. Attractively dressed in a figure-hugging gown, often smiling warmly, she was constantly in command of the Cinegrill’s small platform. Unlike other musical stars who attempt the transition to cabaret, however, she remained connected with her audience, rather than projecting over their heads as if in a much larger house. She made frequent eye contact, constantly reaching out to link her ringside listeners to the inner meaning of her songs.

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The choice of material was crucial and, again, original. The Johnny Mercer-Harold Arlen tune “Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home” (from the film “St. Louis Woman”) set the tone for an evening dealing with the appeals of hearth and passion. “Killing Time” (not the Clint Black number, but a dark-toned tune by Carolyn Leigh and Jule Styne) combined surprisingly well with Carole King’s “So Far Away.” And the whimsical “I Told You I Loved You, Now Get Out” was immediately balanced by the Weill-Lerner “Mr. Right” and an old piece from the ‘20s, “Can’t We Be Friends.”

Two originals, “Beautiful” and “Natural,” suggested further the direction of Devine’s abundant talents.

Good stuff, all of it, sung with character and intensity. Able to belt with the best at the climaxes of some of the numbers, she just as easily concentrated her energies into small, emotion-defining moments in others.

Best of all, and in the finest cabaret tradition, everything she sang was informed with a subtle intelligence and a rich understanding of the music’s message. It was a performance to remember, by an artist with the versatility to climb to the highest levels of achievement.

* Loretta Devine at the Hollywood Roosevelt Cinegrill, 7000 Hollywood Blvd., through Saturday night. Tonight at 8 and Saturday at 8 and 10:30 p.m. (213) 466-7000.