Review: Marvin Hamlisch and Betty Buckley Thrill Valley Crowd

Though they shared top billing for Saturday night's performance at CSUN, there was no mistaking singer Betty Buckley as anything but the warm-up act for composer-pianist Marvin Hamlisch.

Where Buckley drew warm and appreciative applause for an hour-long set that featured songs from her Broadway performances and time-tested standards, Hamlisch won gales of laughter and sustained  cheers for his inspired piano interpretations and comedic commentaries.

Both performers were backed by CSUN's no-name 30-plus piece orchestra, a group as poised as it is youthful. So, youthful, in fact, that when Hamlisch asked if any had heard of the late Mike Douglas, host of an afternoon talk show on which the pianist made frequent appearances, he received only puzzled expressions.

Hamlisch told of the time Douglas asked him to bring a relative for the show. So Hamlisch brought his mother who, when asked to name her favorite composer, blurted the name of Richard Rodgers. That, in turn, yielded a medley or Rodger' songs, including "Hello, Young Lovers" and "Some Enchanted Evening."

Though he won three Oscars, Hamlisch played a musical tribute to nominated songs that didn't win, including "Cheek to Cheek" and his own composition, "Nobody Does It Better," from the James Bond film, "The Spy Who Loved Me."

Much of Hamlisch's charm derived from his willingness to stray from the expected. He performed the "Happy Birthday" song as it might have been played by Bach, Mozart and Beethoven. He solicited titles from the audience to demonstrate how these alone could inspire the composition of a song. The result: an ad lib melody and lyrics for "Divorce" and an enthralled audience.

Nor did he neglect some of his most popular work. The Great Hall at the Valley Performing Arts Center practically crackled with electricity when Hamlisch and the entire orchestra launched into "The Entertainer," the Scott Joplin number he adapted for "The Sting."

His medley of songs from "A Chorus Line" and his performance of "Through the Eyes of Love," the theme from "Ice Castles" also proved to be audience favorites. For a finale, Buckley returned to the stage to sing Hamlisch's theme from "The Way we Were."

The composer's confidence, ease and showmanship was in contrast with the more restrained approach taken by Buckley. A woman seated next to me correctly observed that her set and her voice seemed better suited for the intimacy of a cabaret or piano bar than the Grand Hall.

To be sure, Buckley had her moments. The mostly 50-plus crowd that filled the Great Hall to capacity rendered enthusiastic applause for her up-tempo version of "On the Street Where You Live" and "I Could Have Danced All Night" but her more impressive numbers were the ones she had previously perfected on the musical stage.

Her opening song, "As if We Never Said Goodbye," showed the polish that came from two years in the role of Nora Desmond in "Sunset Boulevard," one year in London and the other in New York.  Later, she delivered a heartfelt rendition of  her signature song, "Memories" from "Cats," the play that garnered her a Tony playing Grizabella, the Glamour Cat.

While Buckley might have been a mild disappointment had she been the sole headliner, the combination of the songstress followed by the composer made for a hugely entertaining night of music.