POP MUSIC REVIEW : Evolution of an Entertainer

Could it be h i m ? Gasps of anticipation were heard in the Summit arena here as a man in bright yellow Dick Tracy overcoat and hat stepped from the shadows to join Madonna on stage.

Could it be Warren Beatty, the star of the upcoming movie about the famous comic book detective . . . the man who has been reported for months to be Madonna’s beau?

After all, this was the opening night of the 12-city U.S. leg of Madonna’s lavishly designed “Blond Ambition” tour, and the singer-dancer, who plays Breathless Mahoney in the film, is better at capitalizing on the moment than anyone in pop music.

Madonna was on MTV so much over the weekend that you’d think she was holding the cable channel hostage--and her show ‘n’ tell escapade with Arsenio Hall last week may have been the most electric hour of TV since the debut of “Twin Peaks.”

Beatty may yet slip into the overcoat and hat on the tour--maybe even at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, where the tour begins a five-night engagement on Friday. The Summit audience, however, had to settle just for Beatty’s recorded voice. The man in the Tracy outfit last Friday was part of Madonna’s cast, and he merely danced with her as a tape played a Madonna-Beatty duet from her upcoming album, which includes songs from the film.

But the buzz in the arena sparked by the possibility of Beatty’s presence, however, underscored the way Madonna’s personal life has become so entwined with her professional life.

More than just a star or a performer, Madonna--in the style of Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson--is above all a Celebrity. The highlight of the show for many in the audience is when she walks on stage--when they have a chance to see her in person.

That’s what makes Madonna’s lastest single, “Vogue,” such a terrific piece of pop. The record and accompanying video are marvelous expressions of the narcissism associated with pop celebrities--works that mock Madonna’s own celebrity status while saluting glamour icons from the past.

Sample lines:

They had style, they had grace

Rita Ha y worth gave good face .

Lauren, Katharine, Lana, too

Bette Davis, we love you . . . .

Strike a pose

There’s nothing to it.

In some ways, Madonna’s enormous success is based on her ability to strike the best poses. She comes up with a new image and look for every magazine cover, not to mention every video.

That continuing preoccupation with appearence can be annoying. But the impressive thing about the “Blond Ambition” tour is that the singer-actress-dancer doesn’t simply rest on celebrity.

Much like Michael and Janet Jackson, Madonna sacrifices the spontaneity of the normal rock concert experience for the more carefully choreographed and formal presentation of the Broadway theater.

Despite an endless array of costume changes (Madonna doesn’t go on the road to press the flesh, but to bare it) and a cast of seven male dancers (also sometimes outfitted with items from her lingerie closet) and two female back-up singers, the most striking thing about the Summit show was how the one-time “boy toy” has evolved into such an accomplished entertainer.

The “Blond Ambition” show is even structured with theatrical acts. Act I begins with a scene of industrial dreariness, reminiscent of the film “Metropolis.” The seven bare-chested dancers look like workmen, drained of energy and personality. But they come alive as the opening songs, including “Express Yourself” and “Where’s the Party,” invite the audience to forget the day’s frustrations.

Act II touches on sex and salvation, a familiar pop theme. Madonna--her hair in a severely drawn ponytail throughout show--moves from the sexual fantasies of “Like a Virgin” through the questions of religion and guilt reflected in “Like a Prayer.”

Hollywood is the backdrop of Act III, which focuses on songs from the upcoming album and a good-natured, beauty parlor staging of “Material Girl” inspired by ‘50s movie musicals. The formal part of the show ends, appropriately, with “Vogue.”

Where Madonna’s music is often criticized, quite justifiably, for lacking the substance and imagination of pop’s most compelling figures, there is an uplifting edge to her performance.

Her energy and accomplishments stand as symbols of the ability of one to make the most of one’s opportunities and talents. She has long seemed blessed with blond ambition, but it has never been blind ambition.