Kim David Smith: Morphium Kabarett

| July 17, 2016

Kim David Smith

Morphium Kabarett

Pangea, NYC, July 13, 2016

Reviewed by Annamaria Alfieri for Cabaret Scenes

Photo: Joe Hepworth

Photo: Joe Hepworth

With his perfect Aryan good looks, in white tie and leather, Kim David Smith took the stage at Pangea and delivered a delicious, provocative reminder cum warning about the parallels between the U.S. today and the Weimar Republic. Alternately flirting with and intellectually challenging his sold-out audience, he dished out complex songs by Weill and Brecht, of course, but also by lesser-known songwriters of their age and by their mid- and late-20th Century soulmates. All were perfectly sung with the best possible Life-is-a-Cabaret combination of playful seduction and decadence.

Musical Director Tracy Stark (piano) and Skip Ward (double bass) opened the proceedings with an elegiac overture, “Morphium” by Misha Spoliansky (1920). The saga of “Pirate Jenny” followed, which set the standard of clarity and creepiness that carried delightfully through the evening. Standouts of the playlist included a medley of Friedrich Hollaender’s 1920 “Jonny Wenn du Geburtstag” and the 1992 “Erotica” by Madonna, Shep Pettibone and Anthony Shimkin, sung beautifully, clear voiced, and with complete honesty in German and English. “Song of Black Max” by William Bolcom and Arnold Weinstein took us far into the dark side, and then Eden Ahbez’s 1947 “Nature Boy” gave us a glimpse of the way out of past and current angst.

Two guest artists provided parentheses to the evening’s emotional and mental content. On the open side, Daniele Grabianowski delivered a lovely, quirky “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly.” On the closed end, Jack Ferver, in beautiful voice, offered two opaque Tori Amos songs, including “Space Dog.”

The evening ended with Hans Eisler/Brecht’s “And the Times Are Dark and Fearful.” Too true, but Kim David Smith had resoundingly reminded us that art is the only sane answer to times like these.

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Category: Cabaret Reviews, New York City, New York City Cabaret Reviews, Regional

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