Officer Deftly Rearranges Hammerstein

Phillip Officer is singing the songs of Oscar Hammerstein II with impeccable phrasing this week at the Cinegrill. Clearly his priority is conveying Hammerstein’s voice more than showing off his own.

For example, he doesn’t go for the high notes you’ve heard other singers hit at the end of “All the Things You Are” or “Some Enchanted Evening.” Of course he probably knows the limits of his own voice and sings accordingly. It’s a light, limber voice, perfect for cabaret, but it might pose a few problems if he tried to project it in a large hall.

As a producer, he puts together Hammerstein’s songs in imaginative ways and uses some enchanted arrangements, flawlessly accompanied by pianist John Boswell.

“So Far” from “Allegro” and “Getting to Know You” from “The King and I” are an appropriately matched set for the opening. Officer takes some of the songs we usually think of as jaunty and bright--”Surrey With the Fringe on Top” and, most memorably, a combination of “Many a New Day” and “A Cockeyed Optimist” and applies permutations of mood and time signature that carry them far beyond the predictable.

Officer’s repertoire reaches back into the ‘20s for songs from such Hammerstein collaborations with Sigmund Romberg as “The New Moon” and “The Night Is Young” and for the Hammerstein-Jerome Kern “Don’t Ever Leave Me” from “Sweet Adeline.” He also includes three numbers from Hammerstein’s last show, “The Sound of Music,” including an “Edelweiss” that follows beautifully on the heels of a similarly home-themed song from “Allegro,” “Everybody’s Got a Home but Me.”

Officer’s look is a bit odd--the mod-inspired haircut and jacket aren’t Hammersteinian. But his way with a lyric is.

* Phillip Officer sings at the Cinegrill in the Hollywood Roosevelt Cinegrill, 7000 Hollywood Blvd. through Saturday at 8 p.m. $15 cover, $10 minimum purchase. (213) 466-7000.