Pop and Jazz in Review

'By Myself' 'The Words and Music of Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz' KT Sullivan Oak Room Algonquin Through July 17

Early in her new cabaret show, "By Myself: The Words and Music of Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz," KT Sullivan sings a rendition of "Rhode Island Is Famous for You" that is edged with delicious comic nuance. Coyly running down a make-believe list of products associated with different states ("pencils come from Pennsylvania," "tents come from Tennessee,"), she resuscitates the traditional show-business archetype of the not-so-dumb blonde (in her case strawberry).

In the very next number, this singer switches gear entirely to deliver a simple, affecting rendition of "Something to Remember You By" in a sweet, theatrical soprano.

Throughout the show the comedic and the lyrical sides of Ms. Sullivan run a kind of race. The singer has been accurately described as a cross between Judy Holliday and Barbara Cook. In the end, the comedic side (Holliday) wins by a nose over the lyrical balladeer (Ms. Cook).

Ms. Sullivan savors every syllable of bilingual wordplay in Dietz and Schwartz's "Paree," which sends up Francophilic pretensions along with every nostalgic song ever written about Paris. Several obscure gems are unearthed, among them "Before I Kiss the World Goodbye," from the unsuccessful 1963 show "Jennie," and "Lovely," Dietz's last lyric, which was posthumously set to music by Bart Howard.

"By Myself," which is running in tandem at the Algonquin with an entirely different late show consisting of songs from Ms. Sullivan's new album, "Crazy World" (DRG), is a much tighter program than the helter-skelter act she took to the Oak Room a year ago. Alternately witty and wistful, her interpretations play off a delightfully stylized stage personality that wisely refrains from pushing into shtick. The only flaw at Friday's early show was her tendency to sing flat, which worsened as the show went along.