Cabaret Review : Eartha Kitt at the Cinegrill: She’s Still Here, Thankfully

The opportunity to hear a legendary cabaret artist at the peak of her skills doesn’t happen often--at least not outside of New York City or Paris. So the monthlong engagement of Eartha Kitt at the Cinegrill is a rare and wonderful gift to the Southland.

Kitt, who turned 67 in January, still retains the feral energy, the utterly unique sound and the dark humor she brought to such early-’50s hits as “Santa, Baby” and “C’est Si Bon.” Slim and elegant, her intense, burning eyes capable of reducing stage-side males to helpless jelly, she was the singer as dominatrix, calling all the shots and fully in control of the room.

Kitt set the theme Thursday evening with a revelatory interpretation of Stephen Sondheim’s “I’m Still Here.” The song has nearly been submerged by hordes of less-talented chanteuses, but Kitt’s creative CPR quickly brought it back to life. As with everything else she sang, no detail was left untouched, as she converted the song’s rapid array of images, ideas and sardonic whimsy into a magically unfolding drama.

In between, Kitt continued her musical thesis with a medley of “How Insensitive” and “I Shall Survive” and a blending of “It Was a Very Good Year” and “September Song” (singing the latter’s verse with an emphasis that probably never occurred to Maxwell Anderson). She added a few classic items from her repertoire: “Uska Dara” (with some highly provocative dance moves), “Old Fashioned Girl” (whose only desire is to capture an old-fashioned millionaire), “I Want to Be Evil” and a rendering of “C’est Si Bon” that would have done Edith Piaf proud.

The program climaxed perfectly with Artie Butler’s superb “Here’s to Life”--a song that allowed Kitt to soften her steely-tough exterior qualities and reveal a glimpse of the life-affirming tenderness that is the inner side of her performing persona.

* Eartha Kitt continues through Aug. 20 at the Cinegrill, Radisson Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel Cinegrill, 7000 Hollywood Blvd., (213) 466-7000. Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8 p.m., $25 cover; Fridays and Saturdays at 8 and 10:30 p.m., Sundays at 7 and 9 p.m., $30 cover. $10 minimum purchase for all shows.