POP MUSIC REVIEW : Mathis Puts His Enthusiasm to Good Youth

Once you pass its borders

You can never return again.

--”Toyland,” Victor Herbert Could it be that Johnny Mathis never crossed Victor Herbert’s mystical, merry frontier into adulthood, and, in effect, will stay forever young? It seemed a distinct possibility Monday during his sold-out holiday concert at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. Though he announced early on in the program that “we’re getting a little older,” his performance suggested otherwise.

The 57-year-old singer not only looks younger than springtime, his voice has lost little of its warmth and unique, caramel-coated character. Only close comparison to some of his earlier recorded works, say 1957’s “Wonderful, Wonderful,” reveals any aging in his sound. But the most timeless aspect of his presentation is the childlike exuberance he brings to the music, a trait most suitable for a holiday show.

That doesn’t mean Mathis pranced around the stage like a hopped-up reindeer, or that he relied on any showy visual gestures. He opened the mostly nostalgic first half of the show with a suitably melancholy “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” that didn’t employ any visual gimmicks other than his own smile. He just stood there singing beautifully.

Still, a youthful enthusiasm emanated from all he did. Mathis sang “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” with ebullience, holding the microphone with both hands and standing coiled as if he might suddenly begin leaping for joy. Not until after intermission did he become more animated, adding a little risque pocket-play and a mock-striptease of his tuxedo jacket during a surprisingly strong “Let the Good Times Roll.” At its conclusion, he celebrated the audience’s ovation with the kind of cocksure strut a linebacker executes after a quarterback sack.

The short first set found the singer--dressed in simple white trousers, white turtleneck and a sweater featuring a downhill skier--alternating seasonal favorites (“Winter Wonderland,” “Toyland”) with his signature tunes (“It’s Not for Me to Say” and “Chances Are”).

The long second set, for which he changed into a tuxedo, gave a more revealing glimpse of his range. A medley of Brazilian tunes, done in tandem with guitarist Gil Reigers, brought needed variety to the wintry program, and the lilting melodies seemed tailor-made to the singer’s strengths. The light, humorous swing of “Her Mother Comes Too,” another change of pace, was delivered in almost conversational tones. His sincerity nearly overwhelmed Don McLean’s poetic tribute to Vincent Van Gogh, “Vincent.”

Mathis was at his most expressive during a medley from “West Side Story,” his voice a reverent whisper on the “say it soft” phrase from “Maria,” his sharp enunciation filled with cool snap on “Something’s Coming.” His impressively pure, sustained tone in the upper register at the close of “There’s a Place for Us” was greeted with loud applause.

Still, there were a few less-than-magical moments. At times, Mathis’ vibrato seemed automatic, almost irritating in its regularity. The addition of an invisible vocal chorus in some songs--one suspects they were prerecorded--provided more distraction than embellishment and sometimes buried Mathis’ voice. At the close of the second set, his voice seemed to tire, and his closing tone on Meredith Willson’s “May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You” was less than perfect. Maybe that’s why there’s was no encore of “Wonderful, Wonderful” with its sky-high close that dazzled listeners in the ‘50s.

Mathis’ orchestral accompaniment, under the direction of Scott Lavender, was warm and polished throughout, and the arrangements varied nicely between carefree romps and pulls at the heartstrings. The program, which also featured comedian-juggler Philip Wellford, was scheduled to be repeated Tuesday.