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Gogi Grant in Concert

 ((Upstairs at the Pasadena Playhouse; 99 seats; $ 20 top))

By CHRISTOPHER MEEKS

David Galligan presents a one-woman show in one act. Produced and directed by Galligan.
 

Gogi Grant, best known for her 1956 hit "The Wayward Wind" and her voice in the 1957 movie "The Helen Morgan Story," returns to the type of nightclub singing that carried most of her well-regarded career. Her phrasing and style are still in top form and the well-paced show is a friendly 90 minutes, designed for the mostly over-50 crowd.

For this outing, she vocalizes mainly film and stage musical numbers, astutely accompanied on piano by Bob Florence. Her repertoire includes three Sondheim songs (from the musicals "Anyone Can Whistle,""Sweeney Todd" and "Company"), a medley of Jerome Kern music and songs from "Show Boat,""Sweet Adeline,""My Fair Lady" and "The Band Wagon."

Although at the performance caught, Grant did not display the pain and yearning inherent in "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" (from "Show Boat"), she displayed much emotion and range in others, including her last three: "Stormy Weather,""One More Chance" and "For All We Know."

Her rendition of Bob Hope's signature number, "Thanks for the Memories," lends freshness to a stale tune, and her own signature, "The Wayward Wind," still pleases.

Director David Galligan has organized the songs and medleys with a clear layering of the heartfelt with the humorous; in the latter category, "My Attorney Bernie" and "Class" stand out.

While not extroverted in her manner or in chatting, Grant elegantly expresses herself standing firm, both hands around her wireless microphone.

The sound design by Jack Allaway and the lighting design by Kevin Mahan, both superb, show her off to best advantage. One minor quibble: Grant and Florence, both dressed in black, are set against a black background; their heads float.

Part of a cabaret series, Grant will be followed by Mariette Hartley and B.J. Ward in April and May.

Musical director, Bob Florence; lighting, Kevin Mahan; sound, Jack Allaway. Opened March 24, 1993; reviewed March 28; runs through April 4.