No matter what you think of one-person shows, if the material is good and the right person is performing, the piece is worth considering. In “Pearl Bailey … By Request” at MetroStage, the songs comes directly from world-class composers and lyricists, and star Roz White is a talented performer who sounds a good deal like America’s “Ambassador of Love.” So as long as you’re not expecting a full-blown autobiography of Bailey, all’s well.
Just an hour and 15 minutes long, the show presents Bailey’s personality rather than her history. Its book, by White and Thomas W. Jones II, makes a few quick references to the parts of Bailey’s life that were severely criticized (her interracial marriage to drummer Louie Bellson and her appearance in “St. Louis Woman”) to remind us that her life was not without struggle.
The storyline includes the occasional presence of William Hubbard, who plays Hotlips Page, a trumpeter and contemporary of Bailey. Hubbard adds a lively dimension as he sings and dances with White in “Takes Two to Tango” and “The Hucklebuck.” White uses minimal props — a hat, a fur stole, a wine glass — to recreate the style of her era, and she capitalizes on the fact that extraordinary musical director Marvin Ford and his four-piece band are onstage with her, repeatedly incorporating them into her act.
Despite its brevity, the show is a fine salute to the beautiful/glamous/sophisticated side of Bailey’s life. As White launches into some of Bailey’s most famous songs — “Personality,” “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” and “St. Louis Blues,” for instance — she delivers a near-perfect Bailey sound. Her voice is not quite as deep, but it’s rich and earthy.
White deftly reproduces Bailey’s famous asides — those provocative little comments she made while singing. Although “Pearl Bailey … By Request” doesn’t analyze the sources of feeling in Bailey’s life and thus may seem more like a charcoal sketch than a detailed portrait in oil, the ultimate impression is of a woman who had deeply felt sentiments — tenderness, love and joy come through most clearly — and brilliantly let her voice express those emotions.
If you go
“Pearl Bailey … By Request”
* Venue: MetroStage, 1201 N. Royal St., Alexandria
* Performances: 8 p.m. Friday, 5 and 8:30 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday, through Nov. 9
* Tickets: $35
* More info: 703-548-9044; www.metrostage.org
