Cabaret

 

And now for something entirely non-holiday related… I watched Blazing Saddles for the first time the other day (well, the first time in my “adult life” where I could actually get the humor), and for some reason I had no idea that Madeline Kahn had a cabaret number in the movie.  Some of you may remember my love for her in a previous post about Clue: The Movie.  For her performance as Lili von Shtupp she was nominated for an Academy Award.  (And to be clear Oscar nominations for comedies, especially Mel Brooks comedies, are basically non-existent). Unfortunately none of the videos of her cabaret performance, “I’m So Tired” are available for embedding but you can follow this link to see it on youtube!

 

Since we’re on the subject of cabaret music, and since it is dreadfully grey and rainy outside, I thought I would put up a couple of my other cabaret favorites.  Given my love for the genre I could fill several blog posts with clips but I figure most of you didn’t even follow the first link so I won’t clutter you’re browser up with too many other ones.

Last year when I was doing auditions in New York I was staying with my friend Jamison, and as a thank you for housing me I took him to see German-born (aren’t they all) cabaret singer Ute Lemper at Joe’s Pub.  Basically it was one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to.

(Not from Joe’s Pub, btw)

 

As long as we are talking about Jamison, here is his favorite Kurt Weill song as sung by the immeasurably talented Teresa Stratas.

Biscuit be CRAY CRAY!

The lyrics are too good and too depressing not to put up as well:

It was almost to the end of the world
That my wandering boat
Straying at the will of the waves
Led me one day
The isle is very small
But the kind fairy that lives there
Invites us
To take a look around

Youkali
Is the land of our desires
Youkali
Is happiness, pleasure
Youkali
Is the land where we forget all our worries
It is in our night, like a bright rift
The star we follow
It is Youkali

Youkali
Is the respect of all vows exchanged
Youkali
Is the land of love returned
It is the hope
That is in every human heart
The deliverance
We await for tomorrow

Youkali
Is the land of our desires
Youkali
Is happiness, pleasure
But it is a dream, a folly
There is no Youkali

And life carries us along
Tediously, day by day
But the poor human soul
Seeking forgetfulness everywhere
Has, in order to escape the world
Managed to find the mystery
In which our dreams burrow themselves
In some Youkali

Youkali
Is the land of our desires
Youkali
Is happiness, pleasure
Youkali
Is the land where we forget all our worries
It is in our night, like a bright rift
The star we follow
It is Youkali

Youkali
Is the respect of all vows exchanged
Youkali
Is the land of love returned
It is the hope
That is in every human heart
The deliverance
We await for tomorrow

Youkali
Is the land of our desires
Youkali
Is happiness, pleasure
But it is a dream, a folly
There is no Youkali

But it is a dream, a folly
There is no Youkali

 

Finally, so as not to leave you too utterly despondent, here is a charming parody of cabaret music by the British comedy troupe, Fascinating Aida, that my friend Jeremy introduced me to.  It’s basically a road map on how to sing this style of music absolutely correctly.

Artist: John Kander, Fred Ebb/ Album: Cabaret