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Bits & Bytes

In Her Head scores at Crepe de Paris, Summer Break sizzles at Thumper's, Kaleidoscope Eyes continues at Forum
by Milton W. Hamlin - SGN A&E Writer Cabaret takes the focus in the Emerald City this week as three new revues take the spotlight. All are worth a look-but two end this weekend and so it's now or never. Bits&Bytes thoroughly enjoyed each of them-and you probably will, too. JEANETTE d'ARMAND'S SUMMER BREAK SCORES AT THUMPER'S CABARET Jeanette d'Armand, one of the Emerald City's most popular and talented musical and cabaret performers, teams with the always reliable Mark Rabe for Summer Break, the new show in Thumper's Cabaret On The Hill series. "Sweltering songs likely to change your temperature" is the theme and Rabe and d'Armand meet that goal easily. A turn-away crowd greeted the first of just two performances last weekend-the show ends with tomorrow's performance so check your calendar and make plans (and reservations) now. With a sweltering room full of family and friends, d'Armand opened the show with "The Girls Of Summer" and segued into a slow and sultry version of Oklahoma!'s "I'm Just A Girl Who Can't Say Know," a cabaret classic that scored with a different approach. Finger snapping followed with a traditional "Fever," a song made for the evening-and for the talented vocalist. "Day In, Day Out," set a new record for speedy delivery, but the melancholy "A Small Day Tomorrow" and "Lush Life" provided superb contrasts. An original by d'Armand from her college days, "The Broccoli Song," cracked up her family, friends and long-time fans. She wrote the music for the song while a student at NYU for a revue based on the writings of the Marquis de Sade-and it is a winner. Lyrics by de Sade, music by d'Armand-you had to be there. It was new to this scribe who would happily return to the show just to hear that one song again. A snappy, polished "It's A Sin To Tell A Lie" ended Act One and gave Rabe and d'Armand a chance to visit with the cheering audience and attempt to cool down. Act Two got off to a jaunty start with "Murder, She Said," a Betty Hutton novelty swing number from a long forgotten Paramount musical of the early 1940's. "That's Him, That's Him" and a haunting "'Round Midnight" quieted the boisterous crowd, but a spirited "The Saga Of Jenny" revved 'em up again. "It's a song my father sang to me my whole life," Jeanette laughed to the audience. Musical fans of the showstopper from Broadway's Lady In The Dark will remember one of the number's most famous "naughty" lyrics-"and in 27 languages she couldn't say no"-and slowly digest that bit of family lore. Her father, a professional musician and voice teacher, joined her for her first encore, the Gershwins' "Summertime." He provided a striking accompaniment on the harmonica for the immortal classic from Porgy And Bess. It was truly a moment to remember. "You have been so great on such a hot night," she gushed to the audience, "you're my first sold out show." Her final encore, the classic cabaret favorite "Black Coffee," ended the evening on a mellow note. Reminding her that Irving Berlin's "Heat Wave" would have been a perfect choice for the Summer Break theme, the exuberant d'Armand laughed and smiled and said, "Maybe next week." Remember the show has only one performance left-tomorrow at 8 p.m. Reservations and information at 328-3800. ALL IN HER HEAD SCORES AT CREPE DE PARIS All In Her Head, the new show on the Cabaret de Paris series at the Crepe de Paris restaurant in downtown Seattle, features three terrifically talent women vocalists and a list of hits songs drawn mainly from the Great American Songbook. Lori Woodbury, Marina Jang and Natalie Jones are all fantastic talents and the show their skills in a long, long of Songbook standards. The three are not well known in Seattle-two are Emerald City newcomers with a lot of off-Broadway "and off-off Broadway" experience. If there is any justice, all three will become major Seattle entertainers. A welcoming audience loved "It's Almost Like Being In Love," "Cry Me A River," "They Can't Take That Away From Me," "My Funny Valentine," "All By Myself," "Maybe This Time," "Someone To Watch Over Me," "I Am What I Am," "Happy Days Are Here Again" and a number of others. Each singer gets her moment in the spotlight with just a few group offerings. Pianist Michael Smith, in his third Cabaret de Paris outing, has strung the classic songs together with a flimsy (and for this reviewer), unnecessary plot thread. Each woman enters for a weekly therapy appointment and greets the "doctor" (at the keyboard) who asks how her week has been. Jones smiles, for example, and announces that she's trouble&"I'm&.Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered." The welcome summer cabaret show plays Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights through Aug. 26. Details and reservations are available at 623-4111. OPENING AUDIENCE CHEERS JEFFRIES' KALEIDOSCOPE EYES Northwest Film Forum hosts the final weekend of Chris Jeffries' intriguing Kaleidoscope Eyes: Songs For Busby Berkeley, continuing through Sunday night at 8 p.m. The original musical work-revue is not the word, cabaret is not the word-is one of the most unusual evenings Bits&Bytes has ever experienced. While the evening did not "work" for this reviewer, it should be noted that a loyal opening night crowd greeted the world premiere with a standing ovation and much cheering. Six talented vocalists with Jeffries at the keyboard added to the polish of the production. How to describe the program? That's a hard one. Jeffries took existing musical numbers from 16 films choreographed by the one-of-a-kind Busby Berkeley and wrote new songs for the sequences. Many-far too many for this scribe-were simply new songs for a traditional solo or musical duet. The most successful-and the most intriguing-were new songs for the elaborate spectacles that Berkeley trademarked for future generations. The incredible (and famous-and infamous) "By A Waterfall" number from 1933's Footlight Parade becomes "Fisherman/Fisherman," a musical extension of the lure of the famous Lorelei sirens of ocean mythology. While the incredible choreography is intact-with its mind-blowing underwater sequin crotch shot-the song now takes on a message of inevitable disaster. Interesting, yes. Intriguing, no. The haunting "Remember The Forgotten Man," Joan Blondell's plea for social justice from Gold Diggers of 1933, takes on new lyrics and music but does little to improve-or even modify-the original musical song/sequence. Friends have asked if this writer could explain the concept. The best example comes from the long repressed teenage memories of this scribe. As a teenage "disc jockey" at neighborhood parties, I would often play the "B" (as in unknown) side of a hit recording on the wrong speed. Thus, Elvis would sing as a female soprano or the McGuire Sisters would become a male vocal group with a distorted sound. Then, I would challenge my party-going classmates to identify the original singer. Yes, that usually stopped a party cold, and the "N" word would surface&"N" as in "nerd." Later, young, young friends would video record Saturday Night Live and replay it with the sound off and challenge friends to improvise new dialog. It may be unfair, but those were the comparisons that came to mind during the show's 75-minute running time. "Why?" was the question in mind. Ticket information about the final stagings is available at (800) 838-3006. The NWFF box office manager expected a sold out house for the world premiere opening last Thursday. When the show started, the house was about 50 per cent full. Bits&Bytes is glad he went. Check it out and decide for yourself.