Keeping It in the Family

Just when you thought you were safe from mother-daughter acts, the Gardenia Club in Hollywood will present “Another Mother/Daughter Act” starting Tuesday night.

“I went absolutely crazy and wrote an opening number called ‘Another Mother/Daughter Act,’ ” explains actress Shirley Knight, who’s been warbling to daughter Kaitlin since she was a toddler and has yearned to do a proper stage act with her. “This opportunity presented itself at the Gardenia and we said ‘Oh great . . . we can do this!’ ”

Though they’ve performed side-by-side at the occasional benefit, these shows will be their official stage debut. About an hour long, the act (which closes Friday) will showcase them in duet and solo offerings. Knight penned a few of the tunes, with the remainder being standards, show tunes and ditties providing comic relief.

Knight, who received Oscar nominations for her supporting portrayals in 1960’s “The Dark at the Top of the Stairs” and “Sweet Bird of Youth” two years later, long ago stopped worrying about what reviewers thought of her work. “My worst critic, I would say, is my other daughter Sophie. . . . she terrifies me more than any professional critic,” says Knight.

Young Kaitlin, however, listens with an alert ear to critics.

“You bet. I’ll be looking at (reviews) every waking moment,” says Kaitlin Hopkins, her surname reflecting that of father and author John Hopkins. But she’s not too put out when someone takes a shot at her in print. “Because my mom instilled so much in us as kids in terms of how we feel about ourselves that I don’t mind reading the reviews, good or bad.”

Some entertainers pace before going on, others remain calm. Shirley and Kaitlin have learned that just before stepping out there it’s most relaxing to . . . gossip.

“Honest to God, we sit and gossip about everybody before we go out there, so we don’t think about ourselves,” says the 23-year-old Kaitlin, who herself has the lead in the upcoming film “Runaway Dreams.” “We sit there and and go, ‘Who’s out there?’ and we sneak and look to see whoever’s out there in the audience we can sit and chat about.”