It seems that other reviewers of this program have been put off by two things - a) that Danny Kaye should be actively participating in a CLASSICAL music concert of POPS; and b) that he reveals very little of his trademark humor during the entire 100-minute event.
In truth AN EVENING WITH DANNY KAYE tells us a lot about the great comedian's personality. Although claiming not to read music (which might or might not have been true), he goes about the task of conducting the New York Philharmonic with such gusto that viewers simply do not really care about whether he has any particular shortcomings.
Clad in black coat and tails, his long blonde hair flailing about as he quite literally browbeats the orchestra with his baton, he gives a performance of such energy and verve that we cannot help but enjoy it. This is a seventy-year-old comedian with the heart of a seven-year-old; someone who loves the music he has chosen and wants to communicate that love to a well-heeled audience as well as the millions of viewers watching on television or other media.
Sometimes he tends to take the music at a rush (his version of Rossini's "The Thieving Magpie" is one of the quickest I have ever heard), but there's no denying his capacity to get the best out of the orchestra. The comedy interludes are entertaining enough - especially his badinage with spectators unfortunate enough to come late or interrupt the proceedings with a cough - but AN EVENING WITH DANNY KAYE should be enjoyed on its own terms as living proof that classical concerts are for everyone, not just the musical cognoscenti listening to public radio and/or BBC Radio 3.