Kim David Smith, Salty Brine, Carol Lipnik and More to Bring 'Alt Cabaret' to Pangea in February
By: BWW News Desk Jan. 30, 2017
At Pangea we celebrate the edge, the cutting edge. And right on the cusp of February are the extraordinary Rachelle Garniez finishing up a run, and Kim David Smith launching another. Add to that Jeremy Lawrence, Salty Brine, Carol Lipnik and another season of Kevin Malony's "Happy Cry Pretty," and it all starts to make sense: Downtown's supper-club Pangea, which Stephen Holden recently called "a bohemian oasis not unlike the fabled Max's Kansas City from days gone by," plays home to some of the best in alt cabaret.
To start, it's bye bye to 2016, as multi-instrumental vocalist and storyteller Rachelle Garniez invites us to her "Farewell Party," a trippy tribute to the dearly departed icons of music who took their leave in 2016. Garniez's genre-straddling séances have been flooring Pangea audiences since last spring and helping to establish her as one of our favorite resident fortune-tellers. Say goodbye to 2016 one more time on Tuesday January 31, at 7pm. Cover is $20.
Australian alt-cabaret provocateur Kim David Smith brings us another encore of "Morphium Kabarett," his critically acclaimed neo-Weimar cabaret salon starting Thursday. "An exploration of the thrills and perils of erotic life," according to Stephen Holden of The NY Times, "Morphium Kabarett" began in May, and performed throughout 2016. With music direction by Tracy Stark, and Skip Ward on bass, each performance features new, exciting guest singers. Experience a truly decadent shot of cabaret mischief as Smith gleefully juxtaposes authentic period material and an arresting selection of stylistically compatible contemporary pop songs. Thursdays February 2, 9; Wednesdays February 15, and 22, all shows at 7:30, cover is $25.
For the latest installment of his Spectacular Living Record Collection series (an on-going series of performances built around popular albums), it's Salty Brine in "Dean. Maybe Frank. Maybe Sammy." This salty and hallucinogenic take on Radiohead's "OK Computer" -- slashed with the Rat pack -- plays Tuesdays, February 7, 21, 28, all at 7:30pm, cover $20.
On Valentine's Day it's Salty Brine and another downtown darling -- the Obie Award-winning composer performer Heather Christian. Get cozy in the soft-rock house built by The Carpenters, as Salty and Heather make soft-rock love in "Baby Baby Baby Baby, Oh Baby" an adoring re-imagining of all The Carpenters' hit singles. Valentine's guarantee: everyone goes home with somebody. Tuesday February 14, 7:30pm, cover is $20.
TWEED TheaterWorks' brings back its popular performance series "Happy, Cry, Pretty!" from last year, this time playing on consecutive Mondays, starting February 20 for eight weeks. Produced by Kevin Malony, the upcoming shows star David Ilku in his character driving comedy "Well This Is Awkward" (Feb 20) David by the way is one half of the comedy duo The Dueling Bankheads and one third of the comedy group Unitard; It's time to spend "An Evening with Claywoman and Friends." Claywoman, a 500 million-year-old enigma from a different galaxy (portrayed by Michael Cavadias) who periodically visits earth to see what's on sale, is now deeply alarmed by the current state of affairs. (Feb 27).
In March: David Cale in his first all-singing show of original songs (Mar 6); innovative storyteller Edgar Oliver with prose and poetry (Mar 13); Bianca Leigh doing jazz her way (Mar 20); comic Steve Hayes (Mar 27); the otherworldly ragamuffin Poor Baby Bree (April 3), and songstress Laura Kenyon (April 10). Mondays at 7pm, cover for all shows $20.
ON-GOING
In a bald reminder that our times bear a striking resemblance to Weimar Germany, Jeremy Lawrence performs of his Bistro Award-winning "Lavender Songs -- A Queer Weimar Berlin Cabaret" through April 8. The noted translator, lyricist and performer trots out his flaming alter-ego Tante Fritzy -- kabarettist extraordinaire - kicks up a storm of risqué, bawdy and gender-bending material in monthly shows: Saturdays February 4; March 11, April 8, all at 7pm, the cover $20. English lyrics and additional material written and performed by Lawrence. Directed by Jason Jacobs, with Ariela Bohrod on piano.
Pangea's new monthly "The Secret Variety Society" is an evening of wild, weird and wonderful pleasures. Hand-picked to fit our comfy confines like a latex glove are these deliciously talented deviants who make up the ensemble: Singer Mad Jenny, piano banger Sabrina Chap, Magic Brian, comedy vaudevillian Matt Roper and contortionist Miss Ekaterina. Wednesday February 8, at 7:30pm. Cover is $15.
The East Village cabaret siren Carol Lipnik continues her Pangea reign in "Goddess of Imperfection" her highly acclaimed and long-running residency on with fellow songwriter Matt Kanelos on piano, and a parade of musical surprises from week to week, including special guests, new material and old heirlooms plucked from the attic. Lipnik's carnival-psychedelic performances, multi-octave voice (which Stephen Holden says "is, in a word, phenomenal") and Cassandra-like pronouncements have transformed this product of Coney Island into the new downtown diva of the moment. Her Sunday séances are February 5, 12, 19, 26 etc., all at 7pm. Cover is $15.
Come in from the cold and feel the heat on the edge. Pangea is the place for Alt cabaret! There is a $20 food and drink minimum for all shows. To purchase tickets online visit www.pangeanyc.com, or for info call 212/995-0900. Fusing uptown sophistication with downtown experimentation, Pangea is located at 178 Second Avenue (between 11th & 12th Streets).
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