Bebe Neuwirth: Stories with Piano

"Bittersweet," Bebe Neuwirth says at the beginning of her new cabaret at Feinstein's at Loews Regency. "Music or chocolate, I don't care." And indeed, most of the songs in Stories with Piano balance joy with sorrow, creating an emotional complexity that is rare in most cabarets.

Then again, as her career will attest, Bebe Neuwirth is a rare performer, one who celebrates emotional complexity. And with a song list that comprises numbers from such legends as Stephen Sondheim, Kander & Ebb and Kurt Weill, complexity is the order of the day. Backed by Scott Cady on piano, the evening is simply a celebration of intense, exciting music.

Wearing a baby-doll dress that shows off her famous pins, Neuwirth finds new interpretations for many popular songs, ranging from old-school jazz (an adorable "Slow Boat to China") to classic Broadway (a surprisingly angry and jaded "Another Hundred People," lamenting the lack of connection rather than commenting cynically on it), to Beatles songs (a gentle and lovely "Blackbird").

Cementing her reputation as the premiere interpreter of Kurt Weill's music (after her Weill jukebox musical Here Lies Jenny), five of the songs are by the famous German composer. Her voice, reminiscent of a rich, smoky whiskey, is perfect for Weill's dry wit and jarring rhythms.
Whether witty ("How Much I Love You"), poignant ("Susan's Dream") or gutwrenching (an amazingly powerful "Surabaya Johnny," sung partially in German), Neuwirth brings intense emotion to all of them. Her rendition of "Je Ne T'aime Pas," performed completely in French is likewise memorable for its utter simplicity, and her nostalgic "Bilbao song" is sadly humorous-- a remembrance of things past that would make Proust proud.

But in between the emotional extremes are many songs that are simply fun and utterly enjoyable: "The Trolley Song" from Meet Me in St. Louis, Kander & Ebb's "Ring Them Bells" and Frank Loesser's "Slow Boat to China" demonstrate Neuwirth's playful side, and nicely balance the intensity of the other numbers. Her wry rendition of "Miss Otis Regrets" conjures Velma Kelly for the briefest of moments, and her "I'll Be Seeing You" is surprisingly optimistic.

Neuwirth's skills as one of Broadway's best actresses means that she throws every bit of herself into each song, whether comic or tragic. Likewise, her intense connection with an audience make her an ideal cabaret performer, and her rapport with the crowd at Feinstein's is jovial and friendly. Combining many of her strongest skills (sadly, despite the short dress, she doesn't dance in the concert), Stories with Piano is one of the most intense and thrilling cabarets to hit New York, and would do as well on tour as in Feinstein's.