Patti LuPone

How exciting that our Patti is at work on a new solo show! Following the success of Patti LuPone on Broadway (at the Walter Kerr Theatre), Matters of the Heart (at Lincoln Center) and Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda (at Carnegie Hall) comes The Torch Show. La LuPone will premiere her newest show at Feinstein's at the Cinegrill in Hollywood, CA, March 29-April 1. The Tony and Olivier Award winner will then bring her Torch Show to Manhattan for an extended engagement at Feinstein's at the Regency, April 6-24. LuPone is again working with Hairspray's Scott Wittman and pianist/musical director Dick Gallagher on the solo evening.

LuPone also has a host of other projects as well: As previously announced, she will join Wicked's Kristin Chenoweth for Candide concerts May 5-8, 2004, at the New York Philharmonic. She has also agreed to her second Encores! outing. LuPone will join Charlotte d'Amboise, Michael Nouri and Reg Rogers for Can-Can, which plays City Center Feb. 12-15. The Cole Porter musical originally debuted at the Shubert Theatre in May 1953, where it played 892 performances before closing in June 1955. Gwen Verdon was among the original cast of the musical, which featured such Porter tunes as "I Am in Love," "Allez-Vous En, Go Away," "C'est Magnifique," "I Love Paris" and the title tune. And, LuPone will reteam with Audra McDonald for the Ravinia Festival's mounting of Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George in September.

So, there's Patti-a-plenty in 2004.

When one watches the statuesque and stunning Ute Lemper perform, it is obvious that the singer has the utmost respect for the songs she chooses. In fact, the German-born Lemper, who knocked 'em dead in the London and Broadway revivals of Chicago, treats each song as if it were a precious gem, giving careful attention to each and every word, investing each lyric and melodic twist with as much emotion and style as possible.

In an hour-long set at the plush Cafe Carlyle, Lemper rarely sings in English. During her "Voyage" — the title of her newest act — the actress singer offers tunes in Yiddish, German, French, Arabic and takes cabaretgoers on a voyage "through the sleepless cities of the world, between yesterday and tomorrow, either right here or somewhere at the end of the world."

Backed by a musical trio — Vana Gierig on piano, Mark Lambert on guitar and Todd Turkisher on creative drums — Lemper makes a strong case for songs that are rarely heard in Manhattan cabarets. For some reason, her expressive eyes, her lanky frame and her striking, angular face seem to lend authenticity to and heighten her interpretations of tunes by Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill and Jacques Brel.

Lemper began her "Voyage" with the Yiddish "Ikh Shtey Unter a Bokserboym" and followed with one of the staples of her repertoire, Spoliansky and Schiffer's "Life's a Swindle." The evening also included Brecht and Weill's "Alabama Song"; Piazolla's "Buenos Aires," with an English lyric by Lemper; two Brel masterpieces, "Amsterdam" and "Ne Me Quitte Pas"; and Hollaender's "Sex Appeal." One of the most moving moments of the show was Lemper's self-penned tribute to the events of 9/11, entitled "September Mourn." She finished her program with a jazz flavored rendition of Anderson and Weill's "September Song" and a version of Threepenny Opera's "Mack the Knife" that also included bits and pieces of Kander and Ebb's "All That Jazz."

There really is no one around quite like Lemper, and if one wishes she would sing a few more tunes in English, it's still an evening cabaret devotees should not miss. Lemper will offer her "Voyage" through Jan. 31. Call (212) 570-7189 for reservations.

FOR THE RECORD Listen to My Heart: The Songs of David Friedman:

Were it not for the late, multi-talented chanteuse Nancy LaMott, this diva lover may have never heard the marvelous songs of New York-based composer David Friedman. Of course, were it not for David Friedman, Nancy LaMott may not have had the success she had, for it was Friedman who recorded LaMott’s first solo CD, "Beautiful Baby," as well as her four subsequent discs. Furthermore, it was Friedman who penned many of what would become LaMott’s signature tunes: “Listen to My Heart,” “Help Is On the Way” and “We Can Be Kind.”

Recently Off-Broadway was a revue of Friedman’s works, simply titled Listen to My Heart: The Songs of David Friedman. Though it was much-too-short-lived, the cast, which included composer Friedman on piano and occasional vocals, recorded the show live at Upstairs at Studio 54, and the two-CD set — featuring complete lyrics — is now available from Midder Music. The revue included the three aforementioned LaMott anthems as well as a host of other heartfelt and comical delights. Friedman has a remarkable ability to capture the longing and the joy that are a part of life, and his truly moving ballads contain a wealth of melody that sends the songs soaring.

The Off-Broadway cast included the talents of alto Allison Briner, baritone Michael Hunsaker and tenor Joe Cassidy, but it was two of Broadway’s finest belters, Anne Runolfsson and Alix Korey, who shone most brightly and who make the recording a must for musical theatre and Friedman fans.

In terms of sheer beauty, there are very few voices around today that can compare to Runolfsson’s. Not only blessed with a powerful and remarkably rangy high belt, she also possesses a ravishing, pure soprano. Runolfsson lends her beautiful sound, which was also heard in Cyrano and Victor/Victoria (Runolfsson was the acclaimed standby to Julie Andrews), to such Friedman gems as “What I Was Dreamin’ Of,” “Nothing in Common” (a duet with Hunsaker) and “We Can Be Kind.”

And, when Alix Korey sings, one may be reminded of the old television commercial slogan, “When EF Hutton talks, people listen.” For when Korey belts, people listen—anyone within a 100-mile radius that is. Korey boasts one of the biggest belts and one of the most expansive belt ranges of any singer today, and when she pours out that voice in a comedic or dramatic number, the effect is always thrilling. Among the Friedman titles Korey interprets are the touching “He Comes Home Tired,” a poignant “If I Were Pretty,” the comedic “I’m Not My Mother” and the hilarious show-stopper “My Simple Wish.” It would be hard to imagine that anyone could wring more laughs out of the latter.

Other highlights of the recording include Cassidy’s heartfelt “Catch Me,” the beautiful opening “Trust the Wind,” and the company’s harmonies on “Listen to My Heart,” “Help Is On the Way” and “As Long As I Can Sing.”

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