Come out of your fog, Cleveland. Near West Theatre has updated Jacques Brel so thoroughly that you can leave your foggy memories behind.
Yes, I know. Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris is legendary in Cleveland cultural circles. The 4-person cabaret show opened for a three-week run in April of 1973 in the lobby of the State Theatre, which along with the venerable but crumbling complex that included the Ohio, the Palace and the Allen theatres, was destined for the wrecking ball. But the show became a hit, three weeks turned into three months, the production ran for two years, and $40 million dollars was raised to begin the restoration of what is now the second largest theatre district in the country. Saved by Brel. A little 4-person cabaret show.
You can forget all that now. Near West Theatre has turned this cozy little romp into a full-blown apocalyptic nightmare, an existentialist atomic explosion, complete with a 34-member cast, fog machines, weapons of mass destruction, dozens of dead bodies, mothers wailing, authentic queers and phony virgins, cross-dressers, desperate homeless vagabonds, naked bodies covered by the merest Army towels, Phil Spector girl groups, heroin addicts, and a drug-induced screenplay-like adaptation straight out of the spectacularly failed Beatles movie Magical Mystery Tour.
All just as Jacques Brel himself would have countenanced.
Brel himself hovers over the proceedings via vintage film clips, his Flemish lips spitting out his own verses in French as punctuation between scenes. His projected quote lingers as the show begins, “I think Mankind is amazing. Sometimes he just needs to be reminded of that fact.”
As we must remind ourselves, every time we watch a Near West Theatre show, we are witnessing only the tip of the iceberg. The real production happened over the past 6 weeks in “rehearsal” with dozens of kids and adults from the near west side of Cleveland, many of whom who’ve never set foot on stage, pouring over the script and lyrics line by line, creating trust, constructing a safe space, building characters while building confidence, creating art while representing the real human condition. Once showtime nears, it’s a true celebration, with actors greeting family & new friends, wandering the 360-degree in-the-round stage set, in costume and in character, but now fully understanding who they are, why they are here, what these amazing Jacques Brel lyrics really mean to us in 2013, for the rest of our lives.
Some delightful highlights: The opening number Marathon, winding up the energy by repeating each verse in a totally different musical style and rhythm; The aching french horn solo by Kate Atherton that creates the transition into the unexpected drunk Jackie, as he stumbles around dreaming of himself as a pimp, a pop singer, an opium dealer; Or Bachelor’s Dance, re-written as “The Boy That I Will Marry,” an early 60’s Phil Spectorish girl power anthem; The geeky Colin Bigley playing the sorry sap waiting around for his gal Madeleine, who never shows; The unexpected machine-gunning of WWI soldiers at the end of Brussels, a song that starts out, “Pick out a hat so dashing and gay / Go take a walk, it’s a beautiful day…”; pit band member Juan Ingram as the homeless guy, pulling a trumpet out of his coat and absolutely nailing his solo while walking aimlessly around the rubble. Eric Fancher taking away Shekinah “Coco” Smith’s heroin works during You’re Not Alone; Artistic Director Bob Navis’ rare appearance on-stage with an emotional vocal solo on Marieke.
If a show can be maximalist and existential at the same time, this Jacques Brel manages it. If we believe that diversity is our strength, and you consider age, apparent race, sexual orientation, body type, gender, socio-economic background, education, experience and talent, then Near West Theatre is the strongest theatre, possibly the strongest arts organization around.
Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living In Paris runs through May 19 at Near West Theatre, St. Patrick’s Club Building, 3606 Bridge Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44113
review & photo by Thomas Mulready
http://www.NearWestTheatre.org
Cleveland, OH 44113