JAZZ REVIEW : McNight Struts Her Stuff at the Cinegrill

There’s a little bit of Sophie Tucker in singer/comedienne Sharon McNight. And maybe a trace or two of Bette Midler, Hermione Gingold and Bernadette Peters. It’s quite a combination.

But the most important element in her style, as McNight’s opening set at the Cinegrill on Tuesday made clear, is her own fanciful mixture of off-the-wall humor, sensitive lyric interpretation and big-time belting.

McNight, who received a 1989 Tony nomination for her role in “Starmites,” sang a collection of tunes carefully programmed to keep her audience off balance. A bold, brassy strut through “Broadway Baby” was followed by a more reserved “In the Meantime.” Then, what seemed at first to be a Midleresque reading of “You Are the Wind Beneath My Wings” became a devastatingly sardonic variation called “You Are Contempt Beneath My Feet.”

McNight, who was superbly accompanied by pianist/vocalist James Followell, shifted gears again with a coolly straightforward interpretation of “Say It Isn’t So” and a touching performance of a new song, “Picture in the Home.”

Then it was off to the races, as she sang, acted, mugged and danced her way through a uniquely personal rendition of the entire opening Oz section from the “Wizard of Oz.” Switching voices wildly from Judy Garland to Billie Burke, from Margaret Hamilton to a whole array of Munchkins, McNight was non-stop motion, a one-woman show that managed to have fun and add a satiric touch or two without diminishing or belittling a classic piece of film music.

McNight wrapped up the program with a continuously fascinating mixed bag of material--from the Doors to Gershwin. Never at a loss for a quip, a fast line or a comeback, her first-rate vocal skills ready to handle the most far-reaching demands, she was the complete cabaret artist--and one who deserves to be heard.

Sharon McNight: The Cinegrill at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Today through Saturday and Dec. 26-29. (213) 466-7000 or Ticketmaster.