But it was Leslie Uggams who made the evening a special night to remember. Fifty three years in show business have given Leslie the right to claim her place in that special category reserved for only the greatest – like Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Dinah Washington and Lena Horne. On opening night she showed that she can belt powerful vocals and then deliver the sweetest, most poignant renditions that can almost reduce one to tears.

In a biographical musical tour de force, she relates her life’s journey from uptown where she lived to downtown where she earned her fame. A great story teller, Leslie talks about her childhood days singing at the Apollo theatre at the age of nine, sprinkling her stories with songs from the period. She tells of her television days, first with Ethel Waters, then with Mitch Miller, later going to her own TV show. She talks about the Roots phenomenon, her Tony for Hallelujah Baby, her Emmy for TV’s Fantasy and her recent appearance at the Pasadena Playhouse as Lena Horne in Stormy Weather.

But the show is about her music, and her music is incomparable. She sings the Beatle’s Yesterday as it has seldom been sung, with guitarist Andrew Synowiec providing a uniquely mellow background. Then she delivers a fearless rendition of Kismet’s Hello, Young Lovers accompanied only by Gordon Peeke on drums, a gutsy departure from the melodic arrangement usually heard. But it is her version of Gershwin’s Summertime that electrifies the audience as she reaches for a voice that defies conventional scales inducing goose pimples to run down the body.

Leaving aside any more dramatic descriptions of the performance we can reduce this review to three words – Leslie is terrific! The staging is direct and simple, the lighting is expertly handled and the band is great. From the precocious little child of six who won audiences over with her cute vocals to the consummate artist who has toured the world, Leslie Uggams is among the few who can mesmerize an audience with her special style and delivery. The standing ovations and curtain calls affirmed the approval and love for an artist who has truly spanned the decades bringing some of the best known music to a public who appreciates a true talent and recognizes greatness.

Uptown Downtown is the perfect gem to reopen the jewel that is the Pasadena Playhouse. Click here for ticket information.

Click here for our interview with Leslie Uggams