POP MUSIC REVIEW : Jerry Herman’s Melodies Fill the Bowl

The Jerry Herman tribute at the Hollywood Bowl on Wednesday night was an almost nonstop medley of tunes from the four musicals that have made the songwriter’s reputation--”Mame,” “Hello, Dolly!,” “La Cage aux Folles” and “Mack & Mabel.”

The program, which was telecast live as a pay-per-view event and is scheduled as a PBS-TV special, perfectly captured the mix of exuberance and poignancy that is characteristic of all Herman’s works.

Lee Roy Reams, a Tony Award winner for “42nd Street,” nearly stole the show with his pointedly witty send-ups of Mae West, Tallulah Bankhead and Marlene Dietrich in the title number from “La Cage.”

Other highlights included Bea Arthur’s delightfully campy “The Man in the Moon,” Carol Channing’s classic (and now basso profundo) reading of “Hello, Dolly!,” Michael Feinstein’s exquisite rendering of “I Won’t Send Roses” and Rita Moreno’s energetic stepping on “Tap Your Troubles Away.” Leslie Uggams, George Hearn, Florence Lacey, Karen Morrow and Davis Gaines also appeared.

Two other impressive aspects of the evening were not listed among the marquee names. The first was a quartet of dancers, variously identified as “The Girls” and the “International Dollies,” who provided a reminder of the vital importance of the in-the-trenches professionalism of Broadway gypsies.

The second was a lesser-known tune from “Dear World,” a lovely, European-style waltz titled “I Don’t Want to Know” (sung by Morrow) that is one of Herman’s finest melodic achievements.

Herman came out at the end to acknowledge the crowd’s appreciation.