Kurt Weill News

Though Julie Wilson was certainly not the first and by all means not the last great singer to have her heart stomped upon by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht's 'Surabaya Johnny,' there is no one I can name more deserving to claim it as their signature song.  (Okay, maybe Lotte Lenya, but you know that's a special case.)  Though for many years now the 83-year-old beloved cabaret star has been singing songs less and less and speaking them more and more, there are few who can match her for painting vivid word pictures and bringing complex dramatic subtext to a lyric.  With pianist Christopher Denny doing a marvelous job of softly supporting her many pauses and tempo changes, Wilson's crushing performance of Marc Blitzstein's translation, played to a pin-drop silent crowd on opening night of her new show at The Metropolitan Room, is an emotionally striking portrayal of a woman who can explode with anger at the mistreatment she endures from her faithless lover while moments later barely control a sob at the admission that she still loves him.  Through the years I've seen Julie Wilson sing 'Surabaya Johnny' many times but her performance that night was the best I've ever seen or heard from anyone.  (And as is typical of her modesty, she actually introduced the song by complimenting Donna Murphy's performance of it on Broadway in LoveMusik.)  She follows it with a devilishly humored 'Mack the Knife' (also Blitzstein's translation) that builds so slowly and precisely that she goes through the entire song twice in order to hit the climax.  I heard no complaints.

Coming up this week at Joe's Pub is a wide variety of shows featuring Melissa Errico, Youssou N'dour, Karsh Kale, Veda Hille, and more.

'Wives and Lovers' is a new debut cabaret show co-created by singer Adrianne Hick and Sheldon Forrest. It explores themes of love, sex, relationships, flirtation, seduction, and infidelity.

Charles Kimbrough and Michael Berresse will join previously announced cast members Sandy Duncan, Rosie O'Donnell, Beth Leavel, Mara Davi and Shonn Wiley in No, No, Nanette, the final 2008 Encores! presentation of the New York City Center season.

Ute Lemper sings Kurt Weill's SEVEN DEADLY SINS in concert with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in October. Two performances at Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto followed by a performance at Carnegie Hall in New York.

LML Music will release the premiere recording of Adrift in Macao on May 13, 2008. With book & lyrics by Christopher Durang and music by Peter Melnick, this musical had its New York debut with Primary Stages at 59E59 Theaters in 2007 in a limited Off-Broadway run. The Adrift in Macao cast album is produced by Peter Melnick and Grammy® and Oscar® winner Joel Moss.

DAMN YANKEES, starring Sean Hayes and Jane Krakowski, will be the second of New York City Center's Encores! Summer Stars series.

The legendary director/ producer Harold Prince has won an astounding 21 Tony Awards for his body of work. He returned to Broadway last year as the director of the new musical Love Musik, about the relationship of Lotte Lenya and Kurt Weill. Here he talks about the musical and working with Lenya on the original production of Cabaret.

MAUDE MAGGART, the critically-acclaimed chanteuse - hailed as 'bewitching' by The New York Times, 'utterly enchanting' by the New York Post and 'stunning' by the Los Angeles Times - will return to THE OAK ROOM of THE ALGONQUIN HOTEL for a six week engagement from April 1 - May 10. Her new show, 'Speaking of Dreams,' will feature John Boswell (April 1 - 12) and Lanny Meyers (April 15 - May 10) on piano and Yair Evnine on cello and guitar. All performances are at the Oak Room (59 West 44th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues). Please call (212) 419-9331 for reservations.

Scott Siegel kicked off the eighth season of Broadway by the Year with a fantastic evening of song and dance.

The West Bank Café announces our March, 2008 line-up of live entertainment, to be presented in The Laurie Beechman Theatre

As I write these words the opening night party of Roundabout's revival of Sunday in the Park With George, which I'll be seeing on Saturday, is no doubt in full swing, but despite the sublime glories of that Steven Sondheim/James Lapine creation, there's another musical in town about radical artists that deserves just as much attention from anyone interested in the euphoric excitement felt when watching a unique, intelligent and wondrously creative evening of musical theatre.

Michael Riedel of the New York Post reports that acclaimed Broadway director and producer Hal Prince 'suffered what close friends are calling a 'minor stroke' Sunday afternoon. He was released from the hospital Wednesday - his 80th birthday - and is expected to be on the mend soon.'

Here's a look at the February lineup at the Metropolitan Room:

The American Songbook, in its Broadway musical form, is often sung with varying degrees of interpretation from singers in nightclubs and symphony halls across the country, yet rarely has the genre sounded so regal as when the magnificent soprano Deborah Voigt lends her glorious vocal styling to the mix, as was the case Wednesday at UCLA's Royce Hall...

New York Festival Of Song (NYFOS) founders Steven Blier and Michael Barrett and the students of The Juilliard School's Vocal Arts Department will present 'A Modern Person's Guide to Hooking Up and Breaking Up,' a free evening of song on Wednesday, January 16, 2008 at 8PM at The Juilliard School, Peter Jay Sharp Auditorium

The LA Opera production of The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny will premiere on PBS 'Great Performances' on Monday, December 17. Check local listings for broadcast time.

Ghostlight Records, a division of Sh-K-Boom Records, will release the world premiere recording of the Manhattan Theatre Club's new Broadway musical LoveMusik, which was nominated for four Tony Awards. The production starred Tony Award winners Michael Cerveris and Donna Murphy and featuring the songs of Kurt Weill. The recording, produced by Joel Moss with Kurt Deutsch serving as Executive Producer, will be available in stores and online on November 27.

Sandy Duncan, Fred Willard, Shonn Wiley and Mara Davi will join previously announced cast members Rosie O'Donnell and Beth Leavel in No, No, Nanette, the final 2008 Encores! presentation of the New York City Center season.

Andrea Marcovicci - the celebrated singer and actress has announced the release of her new CD 'Andrea Marcovicci Sings Rodgers & Hart' through her label Andreasong.