ANN-MARGRET, Abravanel Hall, Tuesday.
For more than 40 years Ann-Margret's singular name has been synonymous with exceptional entertainment. She has starred on stage, been in more than 40 movies, achieved legend status in Las Vegas. And now touring with her first stage show in 11 years, she still does it all with energy, vibrancy and style.
Her show began with clips from some of her movies, and more were interspersed throughout the night, adding a nice retrospective of her career. And there was plenty of glitz and glitter as she pranced and danced her way through a repertoire of songs from movies such as "Bye Bye Birdie," "Tommy" and "Viva Las Vegas."
She crooned tunes in keeping with her sultry persona: "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You," "More Than You Know." She sang numbers from her latest stage production, "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," and covered songs by Australia's Little River Band ("Take It Easy On Me"), among others.
And she shared stories from her life and career: arriving in America at age 6 from Sweden and visiting New York's Radio City Music Hall for the first time; taking her parents back some years later to see her name on the marquee — "only in America," she said.
She talked of auditioning for George Burns for the first time ("Annie" he told her, "people want to hear your voice, but they also want to see where it comes from"); and shared words of wisdom learned from friend Charlton Heston ("the secret of a long marriage is three little words — I was wrong").
One of the show's tender moments came when Ann-Margret sang a Swedish lullaby. But the sentimentality was easily offset by the roar of motorcycles, as she paid tribute to her favorite muscle machine.
Her energetic backup dancers — Joseph Creagh, Ron Kellum and Fred Tallekson — provided a perfect foil for her maneuvers across the stage. The band was good but loud, at times overshadowing Ann-Margret's low, husky voice.
But then, it was never just about the voice. It was always the total package. And Ann-Margaret demonstrated clearly that she possesses a healthy dose of the Wow! factor.
The concert was held in connection with the 11th Annual Gala of the Caring Foundation for Children, a charity created by Regence BlueCross BlueShield, which provides dental care for uninsured kids throughout the state. Prior to the concert, a dinner and live auction contributed to the festivities — and the charity's coffers.
E-MAIL: carma@desnews.com