Los Angeles Times - Highly Recommended
"...In the end, you might feel that you still don't know much about Uggams; the stories she shares are mere snippets. But you should leave with a firm grasp of how she makes a song her own, using it to express something deep inside. And probably, that's all you need to know."
LA Weekly - Highly Recommended
"...The spoken transitions were a little stiff, and they felt forced; naturally, this Broadway baby seemed most at home when singing. It's better to show than tell anyway; mimicking the vocal styles of Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Dinah Washington (all of whom she's sung with), she showed why she's still working more than 60 years after she began. Don Rebic leads a sophisticated, happy orchestra that equals Uggams' mastery."
Backstage - Highly Recommended
"...This scintillating solo vehicle gives 60-year showbiz veteran Leslie Uggams a chance to demonstrate that she's equipped with far more than the "nuthin' " that she croons about in "I've Got Plenty of Nuthin' " from the Gershwin opera "Porgy and Bess." Uggams' repertoire here also includes evergreen songs by Jule Styne, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and other great tunesmiths. This performer's bravura song styling and delectable warmth and wit, along with intriguing anecdotes about her life and career, yield a spectacularly entertaining evening."
Edge - Highly Recommended
"...The show is even-handedly directed by Michael Bush. Musical arrangements by Gordon Goodwin and musical director Don Rebic are sparingly and beautifully orchestrated in order to complement Ms. Uggams' powerful voice. Guitarist Andrew Synowiec's haunting solo smoothes the way for her relaxed, sensual rendition of The Drifters' "Up on the Roof." For The King and I's "Hello Young Lovers" drummer Gordon Peeke accompanies her like a responding chorus, providing rhythmic counterpoint to a daring a capella interpretation. Besides the audacity of doing this lushest of Rodgers and Hammerstein ballads without its pulsating waltz-like accompaniment, one is struck by the fact that only perfect mastery of tone and technique could make this kind of vocal choice work. And how."
Stage Scene LA - Highly Recommended
"...Thanks to the music and magic of Uptown Downtown, Leslie Uggams and the Pasadena Playhouse are back in full force-news to trumpet during the holiday season."
ReviewPlays.com - Highly Recommended
"...Leaving aside any more dramatic descriptions of the performance we can reduce this review to three words – Leslie is terrific! The staging is direct and simple, the lighting is expertly handled and the band is great. From the precocious little child of six who won audiences over with her cute vocals to the consummate artist who has toured the world, Leslie Uggams is among the few who can mesmerize an audience with her special style and delivery. The standing ovations and curtain calls affirmed the approval and love for an artist who has truly spanned the decades bringing some of the best known music to a public who appreciates a true talent and recognizes greatness."
Examiner - Recommended
"...Uptown Downtown is an upbeat celebration of Uggams' life, less introspective and revealing than "Stormy Weather" was on Lena Horne, but seems more like Uggams' life as she is living it, inviting us to remember and to keep on keeping on."
LA Stage Times - Recommended
"...over at the Pasadena Playhouse, Leslie Uggams is doing an entertaining nightclub act, with a band of eight backing her up. Uptown Downtown - named after the respective parts of Manhattan where she was raised (Uptown) and then found her greatest fame (Downtown) – is a smooth, mostly sunny show, without much edge or depth. Uggams' voice is still in great shape. But a little more personality in her between-song anecdotes might have helped justify doing a show like this in a real theater. Fortunately, the material in the second act goes a little farther along those lines than the bromides in the first act."
Will Call - Somewhat Recommended
"...Time has stood still for Uggums, her vocal prowess intact, she is slender and attractive, glamorously coiffed and attired. She wears a cerise colored top with a pleated Tudor collar and shimmering black pants in the first act and a slinky, sparkly black gown after intermission. Costumes are designed by Tosca of New York. Michael Bush's direction has transformed what is basically a night club act, into a full length, audience pleasing stage show."
