"I don't know who I belong to; I believe I belong to myself, all alone." This message in Friedrich Hollaender’s ironically tender melody weaves through Mark Nadler’s I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Music from the Weimar and Beyond.This musical foray explores the explosive creativity of the Weimar era, the years after WWI and the rise of Hitler in 1933.
The piece began as a cabaret piece at 54 Below, but Nadler, with judicious musical exploration, has expanded the historical bio into a two-act theatrical tour de force at the York Theater. Just as director Otto Preminger warned viewers not to reveal the ending of his classic film, Witness to the Prosecution, Nadler warns his audience not to reveal the ending of this show. A wise move since it eventually jolts into place a special personal connection to the intent of the show.
Growing up as a Jew and a homosexual in Iowa, Nadler learned about discrimination early and moved to New York City to develop his entertaining career. Intermingling personal reminiscences with historical anecdotes about Germany and various composers, Nadler broadens the scope beyond socio-political history. The show evokes the era’s heights of free-wheeling passion, sexuality and creativity along with the depths of isolation and fear. He intersperses the narrative journey with songs by European artists including Kurt Weill, Lotte Lenya, Charles Aznavour and Hollaender. Nadler also includes works by American Jewish songwriters like Howard Dietz, Arthur Schwartz and the Gershwins, who were valued as influential contributors to the culture while in Europe, Jews were facing unimaginable threats.
One haunting highpoint in the show is Nadler’s German rendition of, “Ich Weiß Nicht Zu Wem Ich Gehöre” with the line, "I don't know who I belong to; I believe I belong to myself, all alone." He pairs this with Dietz and Schwartz’ “By Myself,” with lines like, “I’ll l face the unknown/ I'll build a world of my own,” reflecting the loneliness felt by outsiders.
Director David Schweizer adds the talents of Franca Vercelloni on accordion and violinist Jessica Tyler Wright to accompany Nadler on piano and vocals. On James Morgan’s set with portholes that suggest a ship, alluding to escape and wandering, the trio elicits the spirit of the artistic and sexual freedom under the encroaching shadow of danger.
Video projections neatly enhance the show’s versatility and Nadler paints his narrative, and the spirit of his music, with impressive emotional colors. The feeling of not belonging is clear in the title song, “I'm a Stranger Here Myself," written by Weill with Ogden Nash (One Touch of Venus). Weill and Maurice Magre’s “Je Ne T’aime Pas,” evinces the agonizing separation between Weill and Lotte Lenya.
Nadler shines his comedy talent in moments like the satirical “Schickelgruber!” (Hitler’s real name). The fantastic free-wheeling days is expressed in an exuberant, “Bilbao Song” (Kurt Weill and Berthold Brecht). “The Lavender Song” (Mischa Spoliansky and Kurt Schwabach) is an anthem to gay pride, perfectly relevant today, and Nadler’s inner imp reaches into the audience, at one point, nestling on a gent’s lap crooning, “Oh, Just Suppose.”
With personal relevance and emotional scope, Mark Nadler has created an important, poignant theater piece in I'm a Stranger Here Myself. An award-winning pianist and singer, Nadler proves his extraordinary sentiment and knowledge of an arresting era. Hopefully, this show, winner of the 2013 Nightlife Award will continue to find venues for future audiences.
