That the lighting is predominantly bright gold with magenta gives you an idea of the aura of Mark Nadler’s cabaret musical, I’m a Stranger Here Myself. It does get blue at times, though, when he’s talking about sad facets of the Weimar Republic era. That is supposed to be the main matter of his songs and patter but, like most of his show, it turns out to be about Mark Nadler.
Nadler is an excellent pianist, with the advantage of backing by two women who look great, move well, and play their instruments to perfection. Too bad about Nadler’s singing voice, which shows signs of strain from the outset. Good thing there’s the distraction of Justin West’s well-chosen projected pictures and film clips ranging from those of Nadler as a kid to Weimar era clubs and brothels to persecution of Jews and gays to artists and scientists (e.g., Kandinsky, Freud, Einstein) who had to leave Germany and finally to Nadler’s personal concerns.
Of the songs and composers’ lives most lauded are Kurt Weill and Friedrich Hollaender. Lotte Lenya, Weill’s wife, is spoken of but not “heard”--though that would have been interesting, as would have Marlene Dietrich. The singing of Brecht’s “Bilbao Song” is Nadler’s perhaps best vocalization. He does less well trying to vary his program with a bit of audience participation in the house, not onstage.
I get the feeling the version of “I’m a Stranger Here Myself” in its limited engagement at FST is still in development. If so, I hope later versions are more organized to achieve greater coherence.
