Broadway Baby hip to cabaret

It’s another busy weekend in South Coast Metro’s art corridor. A sweetsinging musical star performs cabaret. And literary characters, some dead, come to life again.The Broadway stage has been home to Christine Andreas for the majority of her career -- thus her nickname, Broadway Baby.

Right out of high school, Andreas was performing on Broadway in musical revivals. She played Eliza Doolittle in the 20th anniversary production of “My Fair Lady” and received two Tony nominations for her performance as Laurey in “Oklahoma!”

Andreas, also a television actress, has recorded three solo albums, some featuring songs from past cabaret performances.

She said she was drawn to the Orange County Performing Arts Center’s cabaret series because the center invites artists who “love this kind of art form.”

“I’m a singer,” Andreas said. “Singers sing. That’s how I love to express myself. Whether I’m doing it in a musical or in a cabaret concert, it’s still singing.

“In cabaret, there’s no place to hide. It’s just you and the audience,” she added.

For these performances, Andreas will be joined on stage by partner Marty Silvestri, a composer and pianist. They will play what Andreas calls an “eclectic” mix of music, including standards such as “Fly Me to the Moon” and songs from musicals.

Audiences can expect the song selection to highlight Andreas’ delicate, jazzy voice.

“It’s a very clear, focused voice,” said Aaron Egigian, senior director of music programming at the arts center. “For the audience, it’s going to be a discovery that there’s this marvelous performer who has been a part of Broadway shows that they might be hearing for the first time.”

IF YOU GO

* WHAT: Cabaret with Christine Andreas

* WHEN: 7:30 p.m. tonight and Saturday

* WHERE: Orange County Performing Arts Center’s Founders Hall, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa

* COST: $49

* INFO: (714) 556-2787 or visit www.ocpac.org20060120itd56mnc(LA)Susannah Schulman, right, as Hedda Gabler and Kimberly Scott, as her servant, leave the safety of the Cul-de-Sac of the Tragic Women in “The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler” at South Coast Repertory. 20060120itd55nncPhotos courtesy of the Orange County Performing Arts Center (LA)Christine Andreas will perform in Orange County Performing Arts Center’s cabaret series.