ChicagoTribune.com
Cabaret tour de force
Sultriness reminiscent of bygone era rules stage
By Howard Reich
Tribune arts critic
October 16, 2007
Anyone who doubted the depth or breadth of Chicago's cabaret scene should have tried to snatch a ticket to the Park West on Sunday night.
Playing before a packed house, performers funny and dark, witty and wistful, high-strung and laid-back offered a marathon tour of the cabaret singer's art. That only a small segment of this city's cabaret community could be squeezed onto the three-hour program said a great deal about the vitality of this music in Chicago.
The occasion was the annual gala organized by Chicago Cabaret Professionals, an organization that has been invaluable in sending the message that great cabaret artists are not mere lounge entertainers. When featured in an elegant listening room, the subtlety, nuance and ferocity of their best work are unmistakable.
Consider the tour de force performance of veteran jazz singer-pianist Dave Green, one of two artists who on this night received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the cabaret organization. Singing with that famously steeped-in-smoke voice and accompanying himself at the piano with a deep-blues sensibility, Green practically transformed the Park West into a South Side jazz club of an earlier era. There was a bit of Fats Waller in his ebullient version of "Please Send Me Someone to Love," yet barely a hint of Ray Charles in his slow and disarmingly idiosyncratic version of "Georgia on My Mind."
Veteran pianist Joe Vito took the evening's other Lifetime Achievement Award, but his thoroughly musical pianism proved most satisfying as accompaniment to singer Carole March, his wife. Her impeccable pitch and unpredictable phrasings argued for the enduring freshness of her work.
When singer-pianist Judy Roberts took the stage to accept the cabaret organization's first Gold Coast Award, she reaffirmed that she'll be relocating to Phoenix at the end of the year, drawing a lament from the crowd. The sly sophistication she brought to a vocalese on "Take Five" and the ethereal tone of her duet passages with Paul Marinaro on "Autumn Leaves" illuminated how much we'll be losing when she moves away.
Though the evening's indelible moments were too numerous to cite, the high points included a haunting "Angel Eyes" from Audrey Morris, a gutsy set (in the Julie Wilson mold) from Suzanne Petri and gorgeous harmonizing from 3Girls3 (Heather Moran, MaryMonica Thomas and Gail Becker).
What a night.
It’s A Mad Mad Suzanne Petri World
Picture Glenn Close during the bathtub scene of the film, Fatal Attraction. When it comes to crazy, Close has nothing on Suzanne Petri’s hystericaly wacko delivery of “Crazy” (written by Willie Nelson and made popular by the late Patsy Cline). It was a great choice for Petri’s opening song in “The Madwoman of Chicago: Musical Madness Persuzified” (performed at Davenport’s Cabaret and Pianobar, 1383 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago; Phone 773) 278-1830).
Petri takes us on interesting journeys about being crazy or being perceived as crazy. She tells us how, as a teenager, she would discombobulate her straight-laced Minnesota family with her version of the gritty “Aldonza” (from the musical Man of La Mancha by by Dale Wasserman, with music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion), shocking aunties and uncles by belting out the closing line, “I'm no-one, I'm NOTHING, I'm only Aldonza, the whore!"
In the languid “Something Cool”, which is well known in jazz circles, Petri unfurls an encounter with a stranger who’s smile is remembered, while his name is not.She unfoldslovely prosaic details about a dress and a smoke and shares an honest journey about a woman who has known the high life in better days. The woman accepts the tall, cool drink and given Petri’s sultry delivery, we can’t help but wonder what other favors she may accept from the handsome, nameless man.
Petri takes us to the mad side of anger in “Pirate Jenny” written in 1928 by Berthold Brecht and Kurt Weill. We feel the anger of the belittled hotel chambermaid who conjures up murderous revenge on the dismissive hotel patrons.
The best and truest moment in Madwoman comes with “Free Again” by . When we are dumped by a lover we sell ourselves on the notion that the good news is that we have our freedom back. In Petri’s delivery, which is more bitter than sweet, we understand the song’s journey into of self-delusion. Despite the words, this woman takes little joy in the return of her “precious freedom.”
Bob Moreen provides Petri with solid accompaniment and stage partnership. While Petri is a full out performer, Moreen has an understated presence. Their contrasting styles add to the fun. Petri’s dialogue is often improvised and Moreen serves as a first class in the moment straight man.
Another strong moment comes in the encore, “I Regret Everything” (updated by Deborah Boily) ,asa spoof on the work of Edith Piaf. At one point in the number, Petri asks the audience to sing along. As the audience is largely unfamiliar with the tune, the ‘sing-along” bombs. And Miss Petri gets to regret that failed attempt too. The good news is that we surely don’t regret seeing The Madwoman of Chicago
Sound Advice: Summertime Suggestions: Sultry Singers (3) - 7/26/07
http://www.talkinbroadway.com/sound/july2607.html
Suzanne PetriSUZANNE PETRI
DAS GRAND TOUR
OK, I'll admit that I face these albums with the trademark songs of European legends Marlene Dietrich, Edith Piaf and Lotte Lenya and such with a certain trepidation and reluctance. It's not that they are my personal worshiped favorites, but they're so iconic that it's hard for others not to sound like watered-down pretenders to the throne. If a singer is finding a daring new way with them, that's its own tricky path to trod, but the respectful, conservative approach can feel very been-there/heard-that. But if someone is going to follow in the footsteps and carry the torch - or serve as an introduction for the uninitiated - I'm darn glad it's the very able and engaging Suzanne Petri.
This singer's grand Das Grand Tour works quite well. This, her second album, has light moments and a few latter-day songs that keep us from being locked into the history museum. Her throaty voice captures a lot of emotion and committed, focused expression. She can carry off this material because she has the actor's skill of really slipping into the skin of a created character and being convincing. Suzy ("Call Me Suzy", suggests her cute opener by Luke Nelson, so I will) can play it straight or entertain with comic skills that actually make fun of the melodramatic genre of chanteusery.
Based in Chicago, Suzanne has long been active in the city's cabaret community. So, it's especially a hoot to hear her do "Das Chicago Song," the hilarious number brilliantly pastiched by Michael Cohen and Tony Geiss that uses some memorable lines of heavy Kurt Weill pieces mixed in with reasonable facsimiles and parodies. (Weill gets his "real" moment with "Surabaya Johnny" where somehow the sound quality suddenly changes, seemingly in a cloud of fog.) "I Am Your Friend" (Bill Weeden/ David Finkle) is an interesting oddity that has its own wicked fun and surprises. In both, Suzanne masters the antagonistic, world-weary, disgusted-with-it-all attitude she adopts on these twists.
But back to the serious business. Whether it's Noel Coward's "If Love Were All" or Piaf's anthem "Non, je ne regrette rien," the lady goes for the gut with that no-apologies, smiling-through-tears stance. The final track, "Beguiled by Me," was written by Chad Willetts who accompanies her on piano in this haunting and theatrical character sketch that is a highlight. (The recollection in the repeated line, "Oh, how he looked at me," is imbued with such bittersweet longing it is nearly heartbreaking.) Otherwise, Suzy is in the company of just one, two or three musicians, many times including musical director Bob Moreen on the keys. You'll also witness appearances, variously, by clarinet, bass, accordion, sax, percussion and bouzouki. All add to the flavor and authentic feel.
Though the album is mostly in English, it should be well noted that, appropriately, Suzanne slips into other languages on some tracks for her European adventure and sounds quite comfortable. Das Grand Tour has a confident and capable tour guide.Cafe Simone at Cyrano's Bistro
In the intimate Cafe Simone on the downstairs level of Cyrano's Bistro, the
aromas of the fine French cuising aren't the only delights that fill the air.
With musical director Bob Moreen at the piano (doing a better job than one
would have thought possible on the poorly maintained console), Suzanne Petri
conducts what she calls "a grand tour through divadom" that is a rich and tasty
feast for the ears.
"I'm many, many people," she tells us, and that's no lie. Petri is a most
versatile performer, segueing with effortless ease from a sultry Blues In the
Night to the self-defining wittiness of Call Me Suzy (which, on this night, she
used with beguiling charm to draw a large group of late-arriving diners into
her show). In her "divadom," residents include Edith Piaf and Marlene Dietrich
as well as herself, but Petri doesn't impersonate or emulate the legengs;
instead, she draws inspiration from them but brings her own style to grand
interpretations of La Vie En Rose and Hymne a l'amour and the German lyric of Jonny.
Petri returns stateside for a deliciously charactered Laziest Gal In Town and
seductive Honeysuckle Rose.
As when she stopped the show during March's Chicago Cabaret Convention and in
her various appearances in City and Chicago Cabaret Professional
presentations, audiences can always count on Suzanne Petri to entertain with style and
artistry.
Jeff Rossen
Cabaret Scenes
August 1, 2006
www.cabaretscenes.com
I Am What I Am
A Tribute to Jerry Herman
Chicago Cultural Center
Few songwriters have created such hummable collections for the Broadway stage as Jerry Herman. On a sweltering mid-July afternoon, six dynamic cabaret performers gathered at the Chicago Cultural Center for a 90-minute romp through 38 Herman classics and near-classics in a wonderfully enjoyable and occasionally soaring musical escape.
Among the many highlights: Laura Freeman and Bradford Newquist's heartstopping duets on I Won't Send Roses and Time Heals Everything (Freeman was astounding here) and Freeman's character-driven Look What's Happened to Mabel; Suzanne Petri's hilarious Where In the World Is My Prince? and ferocious spoken-then-sung I Don't Want to Know; Kat' Taylor's shimmering Ribbons Down My Back/It Only Takes a Momen and movingly reflective If He Walked Into My Life; Bob Moreen getting percussive support from the audience on Tap Your Troubles Away; Daryl Nitz charging along on Before the Parade Passes By and unleashing his cast of character impressions for "The Gayest Jerry Herman Medley Ever Written," which set up his devastatingly personal interpretation of I Am What I Am complete with Pride rainbow-colored boa. Guest Carol Holmes brought down the house with Mrs. Santa Claus, and all joined together for a rousing finale of Open a New Window paired with The Best of Times, which certainly summed up this lively summer afternoon charmer.
Jeff Rossen
Cabaret Scenes
August 1, 2006
www.cabaretscenes.com
"A cabaret singer can light"
Click HERE to view PDF
Around the Continent with Suzanne Petri
By Carla Gordon
Cabaret Hotline Online
Cyrano?s Bistrot, Wine Bar and Cabaret (546 North Wells Street, Chicago Phone: 312 467-0546) nestles in a trendy block north of Chicago?s Loop. Presenting Suzanne Petri at the microphone with Bob Moreen at the keyboard last Saturday, Cyrano?s offered an evening of international travel without tiresome airport security lines.
Travel? Indeed, Suzanne Petri is among few cabaret vocalists who can sing in a foreign language without leaving us English-speaking gringos in the hallway. First, Suzanne is highly expressive in voice, facial expression, and movement. (Great legs, too.) We may be unfamiliar with the French; yet we find ourselves understanding. In addition, Suzanne uses spoken introductions to tunes performed in other languages to set the story for C-minus high school French students like me. Suzanne also masters the Continental touch in songs having English lyrics. She is a thoughtful interpreter of Kurt Weill and both French and English deliveries of Jacques Brel tunes. (Gringo that I am, perhaps I can persuade Suzy to give us one English verse to Brel?s Ne Me Quitte Pas; the tune was translated by Rod Mc Kuen and true to Brel?s always intense objective.) Because Suzanne is grownup and worldly, we relate to her rendition of Brel?s Jackie. There is respite, even if just for one hour, to be young and callow in that ?stupid ass? way.
Suzanne Petri and Noel Coward make a charming couple. Whether it is the acerbic I Went to a Marvelous Party, the droll Bar on the Piccolo Marina or the bittersweet If Love Were All, Suzy gets it. If Love Were All is not to be sung by anyone lacking longtime acquaintance with life. True, the more we love, the more we are ?bound to lose,? yet the more we are touched by someone ?affectionate and dear?. The typically high-octane Petri offers Coward?s song quietly. Sir Noel would think it ?splendid,? as did I.
Speaking of droll, Bob Moreen on piano and a few vocals certainly enhanced the evening. Moreen is a master of phrasing. His gracefully understated interpretations contrast effectively with Suzanne?s out there style. As accompanist as well as occasional duet partner, Bob provides Suzanne with the space she requires. Their duet of A Pineapple for You from the stage (but not film) version of Kander and Ebb?s Cabaret captured well the humor and sweetness of gentle courtship between old folks.
Cyrano?s owner and chef Didier Durand took a brief turn at the microphone sharing a few jokes and a tune or two with the audience. (Big thumbs up for the food at Cyrano?s: I needed a surgeon to uncurl my toes after the artichoke soup.) Although Durand is not a professional entertainer, something special happens in those moments. When I was twenty years old, my parents took me to Europe and to the home of a woman who cooked for as many as would fit around her table. After wine and a meal cooked with obvious love, we sat at our new friends? table sharing stories and songs. The language differences didn?t matter; we communicated. More than thirty years later, the memory of that evening remained vivid and unmatched. My trip to Cyrano?s, however, felt like a revisit of that night. The friendliness of the entertainers and the host was enthusiastic and genuine. There is an art to making someone feel as much guest as customer. Save me some chocolate mousse. I?ll be back.
Chicago Sun Times June 8, 2003 - SHOWCASE, "Chicago Original - Keeping busy is what a multitasker does best", by Misha Davenport.
Click image to enlarge in new window.
"Noted Chicago actress and cabaret darling, Suzanne Petri, is now
making her sixth appearance at Davenport's Piano Bar and Cabaret in what may be her finest work to date. Her latest cabaret show, "A Marvelous Party!," blends Ms. Petri's honest and emotional acting skills with her marvelous voice as she presents some of her favorite characters from real life (Edith Piaf, Marlene Dietrich) and the stage and screen (Buffy the Barfly of "Milwaukee, Minnesota," Yvette of "Mother Courage," and Madame Hortense of "Zorba"). With a few exceptions, she allows these strong women to step forward and finally have their say. Her "Surabaya Johnny" (as Yvette) is simply chilling and her rendition of "Carousel" and "The Miller's Son" (as Madame Hortense) breathes a new life into these lyrics while never forgetting to celebrate "everything passing by." For those not smitten with "European songs," she also offers up outstanding renditions of American standards like "Miss Otis Regrets" and "Ten Cents a Dance." In this 4-star evening, Ms. Petri proves that she is
not only a top notch interpreter of lyrics, but one of the best actresses in Chicago (at least among those that have graced the cabaret stage). SEE THIS SHOW!"
Cabaret Hotline 2003
"The Hairy Ape" An excellent ensemble that includes Suzanne Petri as
Mildred's Dowager Aunt and later as a union boss.
Hedy Weiss Chicago Sun Times
"Yank's encounter with a Union Organizer--played wittily in male drag by
Petri--conveys everything "The Hairy Ape" has to offer.."
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
2002 "Book of Mercy" Suzanne Petri leads the cast as Stella, a strong
woman by outward appearances who must come to terms with her true love and all of
the vulnerability that will surely bring. Petri is dazzling in the role. She
finds the strength in letting go with the same poise that she uses when she
befriends her ex-husband? new fiancee. Her voice rolls out across the
audience like a sweet mist as she struggles to find answers to questions life has put before her."
Paul Barile, Chicago Arts and Entertainment
"In the central role of Stella, Petri paints a vibrant and intriguing
portrait of a woman of false confidence and insecure bravado."
Jeff Rossen, Gay Chicago
"How the world can change, it can change like that, due to one little word -- Fire!"
That's what singer-actress Suzanne Petri and her husband found out in the early morning hours of March 17th, when a fire broke out in their apartment and destroyed nearly everything they owned. Fortunately, Petri's signature boas and hats survived, as did her saxophone, although the horn was a tad singed and in need of spiffing up. When Petri says during "I'm Still Here, I Think" that "It's great to be here; it's great to be doing anything." you know that she realizes just how close that fact came to not being, and that fills "I'm Still Here" with an overflowing sense of joy, both in the celebration of life and song.
Picture a blonde Elvira swooping through the audience with a candelabra in
hand to the strains of Manuel de Falla's Ritual of Fire, and you'll have the
image that Petri uses to set this crackling set ablaze. Noting the unfortunate
ways some famous folks have met their demise, Elizabeth Doyle (music) and Owen
Kalt(lyric) created a musical expression of how Petri would like to spend her
final moments. I Want To Go Singing, hitting what singers like to call their
"money note," that note that sits at the very best possible point in their
voice. A dynamite pairing of Carousel/The Miller's Son becomes an optimistic
plea to celebrate "everything passing by" in Petri's vivacious performance. The
wry sophistication of the increasingly inebriated Maud sets up Petri's
sax-enhanced Lilli Marlene (when the neck strap for the horn broke, Petri
deadpanned, "Oh this will be a trial"), and a frenetic medley of cabaret songs created
for Petri by her musical director, the unflaggingly wonderful Bob Moreen, that
he had to recreate after the fire, gives Petri a chance to really pull out
all the stops, not that they've been pushed too far in up to this point.
Closing the show is a three song arc in which Petri truly shines from the newly
gained perspective she brings to Is That All There Is? to the achingly poignant
If Love Were All and then the defiance that drives Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien
which may have been a signature song for Edith Piaf, but becomes a newly
inspiring anthem for Petri in this setting. Some fun with fire (well...) closes
the set in a medley of fire-heat songs before Petri returns for the requisite
encore and mesmerizes with the passion she infuses into Here's To Life. Life is
precious indeed, and every moment should be cherished and celebrated,
something Suzanne Petri does with infectious exhilaration in "I'm Still Here ... I
Think." No doubt about it, she certainly is here.
Jeff Rossen, Gay Chicago
Suzanne Petri, "I'm Still Here ... I Think,"
Davenports Piano Bar and Cabaret
9 August 2002, 10:30 pm
As Stephen Sondheim wrote, "A girl ought to celebrate what passes by," and that's exactly what the lovely Suzanne Petri does in her brand new cabaret show "I'm Still Here ... I Think."
Yes, Stephen Sondheim is represented in Ms. Petri's show with a fine rendition of "The Miller's Son," which is nicely paired with Jacques Brel's "Carousel." But, there's more. Ms. Petri stops her own show with her stunning versions of "Non Je Ne Regrette Rien" and "If Love Were All." There's even a killer cabaret medley that strings together songs by the likes of Stephen Sondheim, Bertold Brecht, Jacques Brel, Cole Porter, and Dorothy Fields!
This four star show celebrates survival and living life to the fullest. Ms. Petri is certainly up to that, and she's put together one fun evening of song sand celebration. She will be performing "I'm Still Here ... I Think" at Davenports Piano Bar and Cabaret every Friday in August at 10:30 pm.
Todd Shuman, Cabaret Hotline
"Quite an exciting evening ... Ms. Petri performed ALABAMA SONG wonderfully. She has a gravelly, throaty voice that is perfectly suited for European cabaret songs ... it is a joy to see her perform ... Her rendition of TWENTY SEVEN was also great fun ... like a master. "I Went to a Marvelous Party" pretty much summed up the evening. "
"An actress who can handle classy and brassy with equal ease. Her gritty voice, crisp and witty delivery, and assured stage presence also suit her to musical theater of a certain high style."
"Bringing pathos and Gallic charm to this dark Aegean musical is Suzanne Petri, adorable and touching at every turn as Hortense, the aging chanteuse and party girl who wants nothing more than to marry Zorba."
"Suzanne Petri is the essence of glamour over the edge ...
... she certainly
knows how to make an entrance, growling and prowling the stage predatorily..."
"Successful marriage of cross casting and good acting occurred in the role of Malvolio ... a performance marked by outstanding physical comedy ... just the right combination of over-formality and excess. An acting triumph for Petri"
"Suzanne Petri, whose rendition of "Send In The Clowns"... made the song sound completely fresh. Particularly outstanding ... the scintillating Petri, whose throaty voice and marvelous acting worked to perfection"
"Precisely in tune with the style of the comedy is Petri ... the brassy, wise-cracking ex-vaudeville juggler"
"Master chef ... as Bunny, the boisterous mistress, wonderfully played by Petri."
" A standout performance as Kess. At one and the same time tough but vulnerable, independent but longing to be loved, Petri's Kess is a bundle of contradictions."
"Petri (Bette) has the flashiest role and the stage presence to match."
"A real find, an impressive actress who grabs the stage and does things with it"