REVIEW: AN EVENING OF KURT WEILL

Kurt Weill's most famous work is, undoubtedly, The Threepenny Opera, but this masterpiece only displays one style of music, and Weill was certainly capable of much more. As evidence of this, the Collegiate Chorale and several notable guests performed some brilliant but less-famous works by the master composer.

Roger Rees served as the evening's host and narrator, setting the scenes for each show represented, and putting them into context. He spoke about Weill's life and career, and the all-too-real political stage on which so many world dramas would be played out during the first half of the twentieth century. Weill wrote of what he knew, and the intense drama of life became intense drama on stage. Rees' narration, often dryly humorous, was very apropos to Weill's work, and set the stages both metaphorical and literal.

And then the music began. Given the intricate choral nature of many of the songs, it was quite appropriate to have the Chorale, directed and conducted by Robert Bass, serve as the "ensemble" in the excerpts. (The strong voices often overpowered the insufficient orchestra of seven musicians, which, while aptly conducted, was not enough to do justice to the music.) The first song, "Train to Johannesburg," set the scene for Lost in the Stars, a 1949 musical based on Cry The Beloved Country. If Maxwell Anderson's lyrics were a little simplistic and repetitive, the music, evoking a train's busy rhythms, more than compensated, and created the tension that permeates this early musical drama. As a respite from the intense, pounding music of the other selections from the show, Bebe Neuwirth sang the gentle and pensive title song with great emotion, letting the lullaby-like melody calm the audience before the final thunderstorm. And when Larry Marshall joined the chorale for the final Lost in the Stars selection, "Cry The Beloved Country," we experienced just what a musical storm Weill could brew. Rage, fear, regret, and grief are all set to music in this one song, and the raw emotion was perfectly performed by Mr. Marshall and the chorale, and was literally breathtaking.

Demonstrating Weill's versatility, the next selections were from Marie Galante, a 1934 musical with songs in the style of French music halls. Ms. Neuwirth sang most of the songs as solos, and demonstrated a great proficiency for singing in French. Vocally conjuring images of Edith Piaf, Mistinguett, and Josephine Baker, Ms. Neuwirth found equal amounts of humor and pathos in the songs. Musically as different from Lost in the Stars as Sweeney Todd is from Annie, the songs from Marie Galante feature Weill's signature cynicism, but also genuine hope and spirit.

After intermission, the Chorale sang two individual numbers- the jazzy "Kiddush," which set an ancient prayer to bright music, and the delightfully charming B capella ̈Ho, Billy O!" with lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner. And then, for an extended grand finale, the audience was treated to nine songs from 1929's Happy End, with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht and Elisabeth Hauptmann (writing as Dorothy Lane), and translated by Michael Feingold. Presented as a mini-play, the singers and actors kept the songs in context, reminding us that, despite the universality of a good showtune, it still belongs as part of a story. Larry Marshall did a wonderful job "forgetting" his lyrics in the "Bilbao Song," and Ms. Neuwirth proved that she could easily convert any soul with the snappy "Sailor's Tango." Mr. Rees finally got a solo of his own, and sang a very smart "Ballad of the Lily of Hell." The most famous song from the show is "Surabaya-Johnny," and Ms. Neuwirth wielded this torch song of torch songs like a whip, even singing the final verse and chorus in German, highlighting the harshness of the material and the music. Lastly, the entire company gleefully sang the hymn of capitalism- "Hosannah Rockefeller"- with wicked abandon, raising the roof and putting a perfect cap on the evening.

Given the recent popularity of musical retrospectives, one can only hope that there will be many more explorations of the many dimensions of Kurt Weill's work. And of course we can hope that the Collegiate Chorale will be adding some of these lesser-known songs to their repertoire.

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