CAMBRIDGE — Memoirs are usually in book format, but Saturday night at Sanders Theatre, Christine Ebersole sang and talked her memoir to an adoring crowd. For 90 minutes, the Tony-winning actress introduced us to her family, talked about youth and her career, and used her versatile voice to deliver a cabaret format of Broadway, American Songbook, and several obscure tunes.

Ebersole’s voice was heard before she sauntered onto the stage when she playfully told the audience (a la Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano) to turn off their cellphones because, among other things, “it hurts the performers’ feelings.” This was a preview of playful things to come including her first onstage sound, a vocal trumpet rendition of 1938’s “Big Noise From Winnetka.” This snappy tune was followed by “Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead,” after which the songstress announced: “Welcome to age-before-beauty cabaret” and “I am the big noise from Winnetka,” referring to her Illinois hometown.