THE SOUNDS OF BERLIN COME TO HOLLYWOOD.

Byline: Fred Shuster Daily News Music Writer

Cabaret chanteuse Anne Tofflemire has long wanted to devote an evening to the songs of the great American songwriter Irving Berlin. This week, she gets her chance.

Tofflemire, who garnered rave reviews in the Bay Area and New York for her supper club work, boasts a strong, expressive voice that's been known to mesmerize a crowd.

``I've always been attracted to Berlin's music,'' she said. ``In every cabaret show I've done, I've always performed at least five of his songs.''

Wednesday and Thursday at the Gardenia in Hollywood, Tofflemire sings some of Berlin's best-loved material, including ``Blue Skies,'' ``Manhattan Madness,'' ``He Ain't Got Rhythm,'' ``Cheek to Cheek'' and ``How Deep Is the Ocean?''

Tofflemire, who received the Bistro Award from Backstage magazine, will be accompanied by pianist Shelly Markham and bassist John Leitham. Despite her popularity in San Francisco and New York, these will be her first Los Angeles dates.

The chestnut-haired singer recalls spending time in Southern California as a child visiting her grandmother, a silent film actress who worked as Mary Pickford's double and lived in Beverly Hills.

``Everything about L.A is so familiar,'' Tofflemire, 38, said from her New York home last week. ``It's very nostalgic. I can't wait to spend a little time there.''

Tofflemire, who grew up in Northern California, studied in the cabaret program at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford., Conn., with songbirds Margaret Whiting, Sylvia Sims and Ann Francine.

``They call it `cabaret camp,' '' Tofflemire explained. ``It's an intensive 10 days for cabaret singers with various workshops and seminars. It was therapy and boot camp rolled into one.''

After her Gardenia dates, Tofflemire returns to Manhattan for six weeks starting Oct. 22 at Eighty-Eights, a popular West Village supper club.

``I'm going to be singing full-time now that I've taken some time off,'' she said. ``And I plan on some big-band singing soon. But I'll probably focus on composers for a while.''

Tofflemire, who sang in an r&b band in San Francisco during the early '80s, said she has long been fascinated by the life of Berlin, who was born in Russia and sang on street corners in New York before landing a composing gig.

``I've been learning a lot about him,'' she said. ``I love his music because it's so simple and straightforward. You have to really look beyond the song.''

Tofflemire's credits include roles in San Jose Civic Light Opera productions of ``Peter Pan'' and ``West Side Story.'' She also frequently performs at the Plush Room at San Francisco's York Hotel.

THE FACTS

Who: Anne Tofflemire sings Irving Berlin.

Where: Gardenia, 7066 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood.

When: Dinner from 7 p.m.; show time 9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday.

Tickets: $10.

Information: [phone].

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: Cabaret singer Anne Tofflemire makes her Los Angeles debut this week with a program dedicated to the works of Irving Berlin.