Berlin To Broadway With Kurt Weill

Berlin to Broadway With Kurt Weill is playing at the York Theatre Company in St Peter’s Church located at 619 Lexington Avenue. It runs two hours with one intermission. The musical closes on February 19 2017.

The show revolves the composer Kurt Weill. He was born in Germany on March 2, 1900 and died in the United States on April 3, 1950. Kurt fled Nazi Germany in 1933 to Paris. He arrived in New York with his wife Lotte Lenya on September 30, 1935 and became citizen August 27, 1943. Kurt is best known for his collaboration with Bertoit Brecht.

Act one are some of the musicals performed in Berlin. They are The Three Penny Opera (1928), Happy End (1929), The Rise and Fall of Mahagonny (1930) and Marie Galante (1934). Act two are some of the ones done on Broadway, Johnny Johnson (1936), Knickerbocker Holiday (1938), Lady in the Dark (1941), One Touch of Venus (1943), Love life (1948) Street Scene (1947) and Lost in the Stars (1949).

The songs are sung by Karl Jose Co (Tenor), Rachael De Benedet (Mezzo), Michael Halling (Baritone), Megan Picerno (soprano) and Brian Rooney (Guide).

Before each musical Brian tells something about Kurt, the musical or the time period it was written in.

The show is “Musicals In Mufti”. It is done in street clothes not much of a set and bottom line no frills. The actors have their songs on a music stand which they pull around with them and refer to them when needed. The show was put together in thirty hours.

Two songs that are still being sung are Mack the Knife (The Three Penny Opera) and I’m a Stranger Here Myself (One Touch of Venus).

Sometimes I found myself distracted when they kept their heads down looking at the music. When they didn’t, especially in the solo numbers it was wonderful. What beautiful voices.

It still is great to hear classic theatre once more. Don’t miss your chance to see it.

Review by Rozanna Radakovich.