Cabaret & Jazz Reviews : DeHaven Delivers Standards at Cinegrill

Talk about support groups! Gloria DeHaven, an actress-singer whose credits stretch back to the golden days of MGM musicals, had enough encouragement during the opening of her new act at the Hollywood Roosevelt Cinegrill on Wednesday night to reassure a whole chorus line of performers.

It started with an introduction by Lucille Ball--who looked fit and vivacious, bubbling with the wit and good nature that have made her an entertainment legend. DeHaven then arrived on stage, buoyed by the enthusiastic applause of an audience that virtually sparkled with images of a legendary Hollywood past.

A bit nervous, even in the face of such unquestioning adulation, DeHaven launched into a set of songs associated, for the most part, with Hollywood musicals of the ‘40s and ‘50s. She sang effectively on a couple of numbers from her first musical film, “Best Foot Forward” (in which Ball was the star) and finally began to relax when she dug into a medley of ballad standards.

DeHaven’s voice did not have the sound of a particularly serviceable instrument, and one suspects that she pushed it hard enough to have a problem with hoarseness after the performance. She is, however, a superb actress, and more than compensated for her musical deficiencies with a vivid talent for telling a story.

DeHaven was at her best, in fact, during those moments--her singing of “Who’s Sorry Now” was a particularly good example--in which she came through less as a personality and more as a person, sharply recalling the sights and the sounds of a fascinating era in show business history.

The final, and perhaps most important element in DeHaven’s support group was provided by the estimable William Roy, a pianist-singer-musical director and all-around helpmate whose accompaniments were a nightclub singer’s dream of on-stage heaven.

DeHaven continues at Cinegrill through Saturday night and returns Wednesday through March 4.