For Kathy St. George, playing Judy Garland comes naturally

In a busy suburban restaurant, actress-singer Kathy St. George is describing how important it is to get Judy Garland's concert moves just right. "Wait, let me show you," she says, hopping up from the table, demonstrating a little soft-shoe routine and quietly singing a few bars as the other diners turn to watch in awe.

"People know these concerts so well," she says, sitting down again, "and they think they know her, but they don't."

St. George, one of the treasures of Boston's musical theater scene, hopes to offer a deeper portrayal of the legendary star with her performance in "And Now Ladies and Gentlemen, Miss Judy Garland," at the Lyric Stage Theater starting Friday.

The production is divided into two parts, with the first half taking place in Garland's hotel room after a 1964 concert performance at the London Palladium. Based on Garland's actual memoir recordings, the show depicts her speaking into a tape recorder for an autobiography that was never published.

The second half presents a concert in which St. George sings many of Garland's classic numbers, including "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows," "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart," "The Man That Got Away," and "Over the Rainbow."

The development of the show, St. George says, has been a labor of love for her and director/producer Tony McLean. "I've always identified with her," says St. George. "People have always told me I resemble her, and ever since I started singing, I've been doing a little Judy whenever I can."

Indeed, St. George does resemble Garland, both physically and in the passionate intensity she brings to her performances.

Whether she's camping it up in "Johnny Guitar," turning "Never on Sunday" into an intimate concert piece, stealing scenes in the male-dominated "Laughter on the 23rd Floor," or singing her heart out in "Respect," "Menopause: The Musical," and "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" (all of which started at Stuart St. Playhouse), St. George seems to be able to hold an audience in the palm of her hand .

So why isn't St. George moving from one showcase role to another at theater companies around town? "I like predictability," she says. "I get offers, and I try to do things, but 'I Love You,' 'Menopause,' and 'Respect' were great long runs that gave me a sense of security."

Security is a word rarely used by performers, but St. George acknowledges that she never intended to become an actress. "My training is as an elementary school teacher, and second grade is my favorite," says the Stoneham native, "but I happened into a production of the Quannapowitt Players [in Reading] and I won best supporting actress" in the New England Theatre Conference Awards for community theater. "I was hooked," St. George says.

"I went to New York City and was cast in the 1990 Broadway revival of 'Fiddler on the Roof,' playing Grandma Tzeitel and Tevye's youngest daughter. What an amazing experience. As Judy says, 'I've been put on a roller-coaster, and it's been thrilling, but like every actor, I'm filled with 'divine discontent.' "

That divine discontent, Martha Graham's description of an artist's combination of joy and restlessness, drives St. George's performances, says award-winning actor Larry Coen, who directed her in "Ruthless!" by SpeakEasy Stage Company in 2003.

"She is a brilliant, underrated actress," he says. "At the end of the first act of 'Ruthless,' the character is supposed to realize her showbiz roots and go from housewife to multitalented diva, but the script didn't make clear how to do it. We were trying different ideas, but then Kathy threw in a little Judy and it was perfect."

Coen says St. George's attention to detail is what makes her a great actress. "Every night before a performance, she would run a scene or a moment with another actor, not to make it bigger, but deeper and more rooted," he says. "Kathy's done some really long runs of shows, and the reason she's able to keep it fresh for audiences is because she keeps working those moments and finding something new."

Finding something new to explore in the iconic figure of Judy Garland has been one of the pleasures of working on "And Now Ladies and Gentlemen," says St. George. "When we started working on this, I made a list of my 25 favorite Judy songs," she says, "but as Tony began to talk about creating a frame for the songs, he suggested these 'Judy Speaks' tapes and felt it would be wonderful to portray Judy by saying her own words."

The "Judy Speaks" tapes were notes Garland was recording hoping that the publication of her autobiography would alleviate her considerable debt. The comments are raw and bitter, angry, desperate, and also very witty.

"We get to know Judy as a person," says St. George, "and suddenly she's someone whose frustrations we understand. She talks about spending years trying to please people by performing. What actor doesn't empathize with that?"

Although Garland's signature style has made her a popular figure for impersonators, McLean, former president of Broadway in Boston, says that's not at all what St. George is doing.

"The last thing we needed was another Judy impersonator," McLean says. "Drag [performers] and impersonators do caricatures, where they exaggerate certain characteristics, but Kathy is an actress taking on a role. I think by sticking to Judy's actual words, Kathy's gotten into the marrow of who Judy is. I think Kathy brings a special warmth and unexpected tenderness to the role, and I think the songs take on a different meaning because of that."

"And Now Ladies and Gentlemen, Miss Judy Garland" starts tomorrow at the Lyric Stage Theater. Tickets: $45 and $50. 617-585-5678, lyricstage.com.