For Eartha Kitt, a Mundane World Has Taken Romance Out of Life

If things ain’t what they used to be, singer Eartha Kitt is one who definitely wishes they were. At least some of the time.

Kitt, who appears at the Cinegrill in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel tonight and again Wednesday through Saturday, says, first off, it’s hard to find fresh material that suits her kittenish personality, which has been delighting audiences worldwide sinces the ‘50s.

“(Songwriters) are not writing for people like myself, who have a sophisticated sense of humor,” she says. “And they’re not writing songs that are going to be evergreens, they’re just writing fast-money-making songs.” So Kitt sticks mostly to the tried-and-true ones, like “I Wanna Be Evil” and “C’est Si Bon,” with a newer one tossed in now and again.

Also missing in today’s world is an approach to performance that separates the mundane from the mercurial. “The more give-and-take you have with your audience, the more you are creative I think,” she says. “It’s that communication that’s lacking these days. Working with the audience is like having a conversation with it, like making love with it, and to me that sense of having fun while you are performing, that’s what the art of entertainment is all about.”

When the Merryall, Conn., resident isn’t singing--she’s heading overseas next month for an appearance with the London Symphony--Kitt, 62, keeps active as an actress. She just signed to star in a revival of Noel Coward’s 1929 musical, “Bitter Sweet” and she can be seen in “Erik the Viking,” a comedy due for release in September.

One last part of the past Kitt would like to see return is the art of romance. “Romance has gotten lost,” she says. “A man hasn’t romanced me for so long. I used to get such fantastic presents, and then they would ask you out for dinner. But now they expect you to ask them out, and then pay for it.”