Petula Clark, the girl who made "Downtown" one of pop music's most fashionable addresses, sang downtown Monday. She bobbed on stage at the Spectrum, a slim blonde in glittering white, to sing a solo program with Frank Owens' big band.
      Although it was her first Philadelphia show, her singing was right at home. Plymouth Rock is her style, a blend of her English pertness with the belting style that grew up here in the colonies.
      She sings of love and people, not of protest and sociology, and she sings of love in a voice that is solid, pliant, ingratiating and warm.

      It hits hardest at full volume, and her songs, even the sentimental ones like "I Want to Hold Your Hand," come to that big rhythmic style somewhere before the final bars.
      In her chatty progress around the square stage, she sang tunes from My Fair Lady, Finian's Rainbow and Charles Chaplin's "This Is My Song." But it was "Hey Jude," her own "Las Vegas," "I Want Your Love," "Games People Play" and "I'm Going Places" that made her downtown audience move.
      The audience was adoring, but sedate and small for the Spectrum. She was singing for the Henry F. Ortlieb Charities. She bolstered the gifts to the American Cancer Society with a $5,000 check of her own.

     Buddy Rich's orchestra was just window-dressing in the pop concert it opened Saturday night at Public Hall under sponsorship of WJW Radio and Belkin Productions.
      Rich, a fiery drumming genius, and his 15-piece crew blazed through powerhouse rhythms that drew only a few ripples of applause from about 5,500 listeners. It was a crowd of passionately loyal Petula Clark buffs who apparently do not care a hang for rock, soul or hot jazz music.
      They saved all their hand-clapping for the British singing wonder-girl whose radiant voice has captured awards for best-selling discs on both sides of the Atlantic. Petula proved she was worthy of this adoration.
      Her tasteful one-woman show was filled with lovely songs executed with a rare kind of bewitching lyric individuality. This tiny blonde singer, who appeared in a pink sheath dress plus a silver and purple jacket, hurdled several handicaps in the huge auditorium.
      There were some complaints from the people in rear balcony seats about the faulty sound amplifying system. It was not so noticeable on the lower floor. Petula magically created an air of endearing intimacy as her clear, elfinish voice came lilting through "This Girl's in Love with You," "I Know a Place" and her other prize-winners.

      Compared to most American song-belters, she was an audience spoiler. Her showmanship had the grace of her delicate gestures as she easily moved around the big stage with a portable microphone. And although many of her numbers were standards, they were given a sparkling new rainbow coloration by her whimsical personality and British wit.
      That musical-comedy talent, which she displayed in about 30 movies, was delightfully expressive in her Cockney delineations in a My Fair Lady medley. A 25-piece orchestra, built around her own group and many of Buddy Rich's musicians, were responsible for a lush-toned accompaniment.
      Conducted deftly by Frank Owens, the ensemble never overrode her ruefully gentle voicings of "Yesterday," "My Love," "Glocca Morra" and the theme song from Goodbye, Mr. Chips. That was one of her last movies in which she co-starred with Peter OToole.
      Petula's concert was made more charming by her habit of describing the origin of her selections. This trick brightened her spoofing of English music hall performers and American rock -n- roll femme singers. Two of her brightest pieces of satire were take-offs on a French chanson murdering "Hello, Dolly" and a British opera prima donna who suddenly loses her voice.
      Miss Clark made a comment about the mechanization of modern music after delivering nearly 30 songs with enchanting near-perfection.
      "I think many young rock vocalists are too one-sided in attitude," she said backstage. "They are not well-rounded entertainers when they fail to communicate their ideas to older people as well as the youthful generation of rebels."

Pet Tames Vegas Throng With Song
by John L Scott

LAS VEGAS - She's five feet tall and weighs 94 pounds and when she walked onto the huge stage at the Caesars Palace with three dozen musicians back of her she looked like a little girl lost.
      But when Petula Clark started to sing she became 10 feet tall.
      This mighty mite of song kept a capacity first night audience (approximately 1,000) cheering for her all the way through a program that included several of her record hits, numbers from her two recent pictures, Finian's Rainbow and the as yet unreleased MGM - Arthur Jacobs production, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, in which she co-stars as the wife of Peter O'Toole; and other tunes, old and new.
      In a medium where so many song stars sound like so many other song stars, Miss Clark stands out like that well-known lighthouse. She sounds only like Petula Clark and if you've ever heard her in person or listened to one of her many recordings, you know what I mean. "Pet" hasn't the greatest singing voice in business, but with it she builds an excitement that won't quit.
      Actually this engagement at Caesars Palace, which runs through Aug. 6, after which Miss Clark will be followed by another Britisher of note, Anthony Newley, is only her fourth nightclub appearance in the United States. Finian's Rainbow and Goodbye, Mr. Chips kept the diminutive singer-actress busy for two years.
      "I found I couldn't do anything else when I was making those pictures," she told me. "Except, of course, a command performance in London—-a must. I don't believe I want to do another marathon film which can tie me down. Three months is enough to spend before movie cameras at one stretch, because I love to work before live audiences and then there's always recording work, too."
      Miss Clark continued: "Don't ask me about dates or money or commitments." Then she relented a bit and revealed that she's very interested in a film script written by Rod McKuen based on his poem 'Stanyan Street.' "It would be sort of dramatic," she explained, "with songs and poetry of course."
           After Miss Clark completes her engagement at Caesars she'll fulfill a commitment at Harrah's in Northern California, then record in Hollywood. "After that, we'll see," she said. "Of course we'll take our two children, Kate, 6, and Barbara, 7, back to school in Geneva, Switzerland, where we live, in the fall." Wearing a striking blue crepe dress and brocade coat (she shed the outer garment after a number or two), Miss Clark opened her show with a swinging "This Girl's in Love with You." She sang Tony Hatch's "l Know a Place," and "Don't Sleep in the Subway," the Lennon and McCartney "Fool on the Hill"; "You and I," her new Warner single from Goodbye, Mr. Chips (Leslie Bricusse), a special material number, "My Name Is Petula," in German, Italian, French and English; "Yesterday"; a medley of My Fair Lady songs; "Hey Jude" and, of course, the rocking "Downtown," which first brought her to the attention of U.S. record buyers. Miss Clark also scored with Charlie Chaplin's "This is My Song." Frank Owens conducted the orchestra.
      George Kirby, talented storyteller, singer, pianist and dialectician, preceded Miss Clark to the stage in a rousing display of his many talents. His jolly demeanor and solid comedy material brought heavy applause.