CABARET REVIEW : ‘Illusionist’ Jim Bailey Makes the Right Moves as Garland

Jim Bailey is one of a kind--an authentic original. His one-man Judy Garland show, “Broadway to Hollywood,” which opened to a roomful of enthusiastic celebrities at the Hollywood Roosevelt Cinegrill on Wednesday night, was a startlingly evocative experience.

Bailey’s description of himself as an illusionist, rather than an impressionist or--even less appealingly--as an impersonator, was an accurate portrayal of his unusual work. Carefully avoiding anything that might verge on campiness, light years away from drag queen mimicry, he produced a simulation of Garland both musically and visually right on target.

Every move Bailey made--from the slightly hunched shoulders to the eccentric strut, from the pursed lips and mobile face to the theatrical, hands-flung-high climaxes--captured the essence of his model. His singing, with its sometimes-quavery vibrato, breathy tone, passionate intensity and catch in the throat--was pure Garland. And if the songs were a few tones lower than the originals, who cared.

He managed to include most of the Garland classics: a dramatic rendition of “The Man That Got Away”; a rollicking “Trolley Song”; a high-stepping romp through ‘Swanee”; “Just in Time”; “The Boy Next Door” and more--much more.

The numbers were laced together with a between-songs rap that struck the only sour note in Bailey’s performance. In particular, an overly long anecdote about working with the little people in “The Wizard of Oz” moved too quickly from humor to nastiness. It was totally out of context with the rest of the performance.

That caveat aside, however, Bailey’s illusion was never less than remarkable. His singing--even beyond its immersion in the Garland image--was superb, especially so on songs like “I’m Still Here” and “Wind Beneath My Wings,” which were never sung by Garland.

Jim Bailey’s “Broadway to Hollywood,” with David Snyder conducting the orchestra, continues at the Cinegrill through Saturday and returns Wednesday through Sept. 9 and Sept. 13-16.