BWW Reviews: Charlotte Cohn at Center Stage

From Puccini to Weill, to McCartney, to Richard Rodgers, to Jason Robert Brown...a potpourri of music is what you'll get at Simply Complicated: The Elegant Escapades of a Danish Israeli Opera-Singing Tank Commander at Center Stage through Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011. You'll hear a little Danish, Yiddish, Hebrew, Italian, and English. You may remember Cohn from her work at Center Stage in The Murder of Isaac  and  The Boys from Syracuse. I also remember her performance on Broadway in Baz Luhrmann's La Boheme.

The shows in the cabaret series at  Center Stage all take place in the comfortable and intimate Head Theatre where drinks and snacks are available during the intermission-less one hour performance.

Cohn begins the evening a la Gypsy Rose Lee...where only her leg and high heels are in the spotlight until she enters the stage in her lovely white pant suit and striking red blouse.

Cohn opens the show with the first of three songs by Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock, "Gorgeous" from The Apple Tree. The lyric "Look at me, I'm absolutely gorgeous" is apropos. The other two songs by Harnick and Bock are "If I Were a Rich Man" (I've never heard a woman sing it before) from Fiddler on the Roof and "Ice Cream" from She Loves Me (remember the 1985 version at Center Stage with Boyd Gaines and Dianne Fratantoni?)

The evening is basically an autobiography via music about Cohn's fascinating life. The daughter of Danish lawyer and an Israeli kindergarten teacher, she was born in Denmark and emigrated to Israel when she was five. She was the youngest of four daughters  and they all loved to sing.  They sort of were like a Jewish version of the Von Trapp Family Singers.

When she was 12, she sang in a children's choir in Jerusalem.

Cohn loves Kurt Weill. She did a beautiful rendition of "Surabaya Johnny" from his rarely done classic, Happy End  (also done at Center Stage in 1995 with Pamela Isaacs in the leading role).

She spoke candidly about what it's like to live in Israel.  She still refuses to ride the buses remembering the tragic events of the past. She followed this discussion with the haunting Hebrew song "Boe-ee, Bo-ee" (A Night in the Old Marketplace). This was followed by the heart-wrenching "Jerusalem of Gold".

Young people in Israel all must serve in the military. Men are to serve three years, women two years. Cohn served FIVE years. She said "I was hooked on the uniform and the M16." She became a First Lieutenant and at one time had 2,000 men under her command.

In 2006 she came to Baltimore to perform in Motti Lerner's  The Murder of Isaac in which she played a veteran of the Israeli military with PTSD and burns all over her body. She thanked Center Stage's Artistic Director, Irene Lewis, for the role. Cohn reprised the song from the show "Fire".

Performing with Cohen were her musical director, Alexander Rovane on the piano and Ben Loucheed on the acoustic guitar. Lougheed is studying jazz at the Peabody Conservatory of Music and performed a marvelous solo.

Jason Robert Brown is also one of Cohn's favorite composers. She sang one his loveliest songs "Stars and the Moon" from Songs from a New World. Brown will be performing his composition The Trumpet of the Swan at the Kennedy Center with Richard Thomas March 27, 2011 at 2 and 5 p.m.

Cohn adapted the song "One Boy" from Bye Bye Birdie which became "One Jewish Boy" and then, due to her marriage to Jason Odell Williams, "One Goy". Their wedding song was next, "Till There Was You" from The Music Man done at a very quick tempo.

In the audience was her mother, Nira. "My Yiddishe Mame" was a tribute to her who traveled from Israel.

With only the gorgeous guitar of Lochheed as an accompaniment, Cohn sang Paul McCartney's "Blackbird" (from the White album).

A highlight for me was the lovely "Prayer for Ellie" written by composer Dan Lipton and David Rossmer. Lipton did the music for The Coast of Utopia on Broadway and I did an article on him that can be found elsewhere on this website. The song deals with watching your child as they wait for their first school bus ride.  Tears were flowing down my cheek.

The last number was "Falling in Love With Love" from  The Boys from Syracuse by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart (done at Center Stage in 2006).

Prior to her encore, Cohn plugged her husband's new comedy Baltimore in Black and White which she will be directing at the Cell Theatre in New York from May 2 to 21, 2011 about a White Jewish woman and a Black man. Visit www.baltimoreinblackandwhite.com.

The Artistic Director of the Cell Theatre, Kira Simring, is Cohn's director. She's done a wonderful job. I just wish the numbers she performs were announced to the audience.

For her finale, it came as no surprise that this trained opera singer would return to her roots. She picked Puccini's "Quando men vu" from La Boheme. She got a well-deserved thunderous ovation.

I had a nice conversation with her mother Nira after the performance. This was her first visit to America since Cohn's daughter Imogin was born five years ago. She was very proud of her daughter's performance and she admitted she had no idea what to expect. The family emigrated to Israel and Nira assured her husband what a wonderful life it would be.  One month later, the Yom Kippur War began.  She is very proud to have 14 grand-children. If you go the show, she'll be there at every performance. Stay afterwards to meet her.

For tickets, call 410-332-0033 or visit www.centerstage.org/cabaret to see pictures and video of Charlotte in action.

Center Stage Coming Attractions

Next up at Center Stage is Snow Falling on Cedars playing March 9 to April 3.

Check out the Play Lab Series March 17-20 with a new adaption of Toni Morrison's Jazz by Marion McClinton and featuring Tracie Thoms.

The Cabaret Series continues March 24-27 with E. Faye Butler and May 19-22 with Ken Roberson.

The NEW Baltimore Sun Auction for Center Stage

This year the Center Stage Auction is now TOTALLY on line.

Bidding ends on Monday, Feb. 28 at four different times: 12 p.m., 4 p.m., 8 p.m. and 11:59 p.m. There are Ravens' tickets, Orioles' tickets, theater tickets, BSO tickets, travel destinations, parties and day trips, Baltimore Staycations, Wine and Dine...just a few of the categories. You must first register to bid. Visit www.centerstage.org/auction.

For comments, write to cgshubow@broadwayworld.com.

 

 

 

 

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