Eartha at 80 defies the years

Still here: the only thing slinkier than Eartha Kitt's wraparound dress was her voice
10 April 2012

Sometimes one should not trust one's instincts. The last show I saw at the Shaw was Ron Moody's painfully sentimental rummage through his back catalogue.

I feared that Eartha Kitt, now 80 and making her first UK appearance for 15 years, would go the same way. Some hope. This petite singer was similarly sentimental, but sensational rather than painful.

There was nothing groundbreaking about Kitt's quintet-backed material, which consisted largely of a mix of show tunes, jazz standards and antediluvian hits such as C'est Si Bon, but the OAP-defying, hip-swivelling performance oozed magic, as she growled and purred through her set.

The only thing slinkier than her two slit-to-the-hip wraparound dresses was her voice.

Sondheim's I'm Still Here and disco staple I Will Survive set out Kitt's stall as a camp icon with true staying power, while Old-Fashioned Millionaire was the most famous of a clutch of classics in which she played the seductive gold-digger.

At her age a sugar daddy would have to be a centenarian, but she optimistically fixed her stare on the sell-out audience, terrifying her front row.

Between songs there were anecdotes from a bygone era. A highlight was her tale of receiving a flirtatious letter from Nat King Cole followed by a bitchy one from his wife.

Kitt fluffed a line, but as she said: "What do you expect when you are 80?"

Certainly not a performance as memorable as this, complete with standing ovation and a tearful curtain call.

Until Saturday. Information: 0870 033 2600.

A Purrfect Evening With Eartha Kitt
The Shaw Theatre
Euston Road, NW1 2AJ

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