Almost a year after talk of a cabaret revival became passé, and the scene itself had appeared to have stabilised and hit a rut, interesting things have started again. Linden Tree may come from a musical theatre background, and Joyce Falconer is better known as Roisin in River City, but their take on Kurt Weill brings back the Weimar master to the heart of vaudeville.
Falconer’s one woman stand is a remarkable series of changes: from croaking whore during Alabama Song to hopeful teenager for My Ship, Falconer’s selection of tunes ranges across Weill’s career. His earlier, well known collaborations with Brecht – two versions of Mack the Knife get the number back to its psychotic roots and away from the bland jazz it became under Sinatra – gave way to more playful Broadway show-stoppers when he moved to America: yet Weill’s sense of melody retained a sardonic humour and melancholic.
Linden Tree proclaim their mission clearly: to bring cabaret back into the respectable theatre fold. Despite the dark eroticism of some numbers – there’s a touch of burlesque to the story of Jenny – these interpretations are heavy on the theatricality. Falconer switches roles with ease, her voice most suited to the heart-broken numbers and her easy charisma allows her to quickly engage the audience. While the show remains a compilation of superb tunes, it is in the Scots translations of German originals that the savagery of Brecht’s genius comes to light and the striking relevance of Weill’s cabaret is brought to light. It’s an entertaining hour, but with flashes of sudden, mercurial intensity.
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