Buckley blends comfort, diversity

When Betty Buckley came on stage Friday night at Feinstein’s at the Cinegrill, it was a bit like discovering that your favorite aunt was also a really cool singer. Elegantly garbed in a black pants outfit, she exuded warmth and affability, blending her songs with whimsical, insightful reminiscences. The up-close and intimate Feinstein’s environment provided the perfect living room-like ambience, a place in which her finely drawn musical portraits could be fully experienced and enjoyed.

Those portraits were gathered into an unusually diverse musical program. Buckley moved with seamless ease from Joni Mitchell’s “Amelia” and Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” to Billie Holiday’s “Stormy Monday” and a quartet of numbers with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman.

She found the inner heart of each song: especially the tender intimacy of “Like a Lover” (by Dory Caymmi and the Bergmans), the ebullient passion of “Stormy Monday,” the pastoral beauty of Sting’s “Fields of Gold” and, especially, the poignancy at the heart of “White Christmas.” In each case, her interpretations were given life and sustenance by pianist Kenny Werner’s extraordinary arrangements and the fine, jazz-tinged work of his five-piece ensemble.

Buckley’s Broadway musical theater successes of the past two decades, including a Tony Award for her portrayal of Grizabella in “Cats” and numerous other awards and nominations for performances in shows such as “Triumph of Love,” “Sunset Boulevard” and “Promises, Promises,” has tended to obscure her TV work. But fans of the family dramas of the late 1970s and early ‘80s also remember Buckley as Sandra Sue “Abby” Abbott Bradford in “Eight Is Enough.” And her cabaret set at Feinstein’s -- which she titled “Journey” -- embraced all aspects of her rich, multilayered creative persona.

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Betty Buckley

Where: Feinstein’s at the Cinegrill, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood

When: Tuesday-Thursday, 8 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 8 and 10 p.m.

Ends: Saturday

Price: $40 Tuesday-Thursday, $50 Friday-Saturday, plus $30 minimum

Contact: (323) 769-7269