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The setting is a basement saloon, presumably in a German city,
Hamburg, perhaps, or Berlin. It's a rundown place, a place that may or may not have seen
better times--the ideal setting for the songs of Kurt Weill. Weill's world-weary songs
tell stories of love and loss, of passion and heartbreak, of dreaming even in the face of
harsh realities. In some hands, that kind of material turns out sentimental, mushy. With
Weill, it's always hard-edged, more bitter than sweet, tinged with irony, flavored with
minor-key dissonance, propelled by jazzy syncopation.
In this territory, earlier staked out by performers like Ute Lemper, Teresa
Stratas and, of course, Lotte
Lenya, Bebe Neuwirth finds a special affinity for her multiskilled talent. The
material suits the big city sophistication which she brings to the songs with the unusual
gleam of intelligence combined with empathy. Best known for her Tony award-winning
performance in Chicago and her
Emmy-winning performances as the long-running character, Lilith (super-smart, hilariously
funny, deadpan headshrinker) in Cheers and Frasier, Neuwirth has an
unmistakable voice, quite unlike any other--a not especially pretty, lower-register alto,
a smoky growl of a sound that works wonders with informed reading and thoughtful phrasing
of these drama-laden ballads. (Once or twice, she forces a big note, but her instrument
isn't up to it and the sound is delivered with a distressing wobble. Neuwirth smartly
avoids this trap most of the time--there's no need for her to belt when she can achieve
the drama so well otherwise.)
Jenny is an expansion on the character from The Threepenny Opera, a hooker and the
sometime lover of Mack the Knife. Here she is left shrouded in mystery, revealed only
through the songs themselves (there is no dialogue). Included from Threepenny are
"Pimp's Ballad" ("In that old whorehouse where we built our nest") and
"Barbara's Song." There's another song from a Jenny character--"The Saga of
Jenny" from Weill and Gershwin's Lady
in the Dark ("poor Jenny, bright as a penny"), which here provides
welcome comic and upbeat relief from the angst-ridden material that dominates.
There are three male characters on stage with Neuwirth--two rough-trade
customers of the bar (both first-rate singers and dancers) and the barkeep, who joins her
in "Pimp's Ballad." They provide moments of respite for the star and the dancers
work with her on two fine dance numbers, a body-slapping "Song of the Big Shot"
and a show-stopping tango. Choreography is by Ann Reinking (who won her own Tony for Chicago)
and one could only wish there was more dancing--Neuwirth is a dancer first, as she is the
first to attest. The onstage piano accompaniment was flawlessly performed by Diane Hidy.
Timing seemed a bit tentative on opening night; the direction could use
some tightening. The show had a successful summer run in New York last year, so it is
resuming in San Francisco after a seven-month hiatus. Doubtlessly, it will sharpen up as
the cast settles in for the current run. And what a pleasure it is to hear once again such
hauntingly memorable pieces as "Alabama Song" and "Surabaya Johnny,"
sung with verve and intelligence.
May 4, 2005 - Arthur Lazere
