From the Big Screen to the Small...

From the Big Screen to the Small Club

The stage of the Room Upstairs at Le Cafe will take on a decidedly Hollywood look next week as a pair of familiar actresses, Mare Winningham and Helen Slater, step into slightly different roles. They will be featured vocalists on separate nights at the Sherman Oaks jazz venue.

Winningham, known for her parts in “St. Elmo’s Fire” and the television movie “God Bless the Child,” actually debuted as a 16-year-old singing contestant on “The Gong Show.” Sunday, she will bring a “jazzy Joni Mitchell” sound to the club, said owner Paul Jaffe. Backed by a quartet, she’ll sing a number of original songs.

Slater will present an entirely different act on Wednesday night. The co-star of “Ruthless People” and the current hit “City Slickers” is making only her second public appearance as a vocalist and pianist.

“It’s completely terrifying,” she said, explaining that her film and stage experience are of little comfort when she’s behind a microphone. “There is something so overwhelming about getting up and performing. I have to remember to keep my eyes open and make contact with the audience and be a human being.”

As a student at the High School of Performing Arts in New York, Slater wrote musicals but often remained backstage when the curtain rose. After graduation, she acted in several summer-stock musicals until she was cast as “Supergirl” and her career took a turn toward the big screen.

“I still have a lot of ideas about musical theater,” she said. “I’ve been writing so much in the last couple years.”

A number of the pieces she’ll sing are the genesis for a musical she is writing about divorce and children.

“There are dramatic aspects to the music, counterparts and four-part harmonies,” said the performer, who will be accompanied by friends. “It’s not the typical evening of music.”

The Room Upstairs at Le Cafe, 14633 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, offers jazz nightly. The club features contemporary and Latin jazz artists, but mainstream performers also appear. Sets begin at 9 p.m. Cover charges vary, depending on the artist. Call (818) 986-2662.