All entries filed under “Stage”

Review: I'm A Stranger Here Myself

Posted by Philip Lederer on Monday Mar 23, 2015 12:34 am

Mark Nadler in I'm A Stranger Here Myself/Photo courtesy FST

Strolling up to Florida Studio Theatre Friday night for renowned cabaret performer Mark Nadler’s production of his original show I’m A Stranger Here Myself, I had little idea of what to expect. My experience with cabaret is limited and my knowledge of the Weimar Republic (The German democratic state established in 1919 and dissolving with the rise of Hitler) was relegated to mostly the political and governmental spheres. Like most, my greatest exposure to the Weimar artists promised by Nadler came from their work in the States and that of those who followed in their toe-tapping footsteps. So settling into the Keating Theatre, facing the stage now dominated by a lone black piano, there was a feeling of What did I get myself into?

Nadler’s appearance dispels all trepidation from the moment he dances down the aisle. A consummate performer, Nadler embodies multiple personas throughout the production, sometimes simultaneously – He’s the archetypal cabaret entertainer, making jokes and ribbing the crowd; he’s every artist whose work he performs, reaching deep for the truth of the emotion; and he’s Mark Nadler, telling in his own way what these people mean to him.

One moment sees the artist telling stories in the crowd, the next making a mad dash for the piano, perching haphazardly on his bench and banging out tunes with an energy and a precision defying credulity. Not alone, violinist Vena Johnson and accordionist Melissa Elledge lend their considerable talents bringing to life the works of Weimar artists such as Kurt Weill and Marlene Dietrich, adding another layer to the performance.

It’s a complicated show, weaving history and biography and good old-fashioned cabaret entertainment for a delicate balance well-sustained through the show’s roughly 90-minute running time. You’ll tap your feet and you’ll laugh at the singularly outlandish moment seeing Nadler skewer the Fuhrer with particular bombast, but behind it all looms large the imminent rise of Nazi Germany and the seemingly inevitable fate that awaited most of the night’s celebrated artists, many of them being Jewish, gay or both.

Therein lies the power of Nadler’s show - to lay bare the humor, optimism and humanity that existed in the eye of the storm that was Germany between World Wars. On stage it’s a deft mixing of both tragedy and triumph; entertaining, thoughtful, and well worth a watch.

Mark Nadler’s I’m A Stranger Here Myself runs in Florida Studio Theatre’s Keating Theatre until April 4th. The conversation continues April 2nd with the panel discussion A Dangerous World: Reflections on Pre-World War II Germany and today from 5pm-6:15pm.

Tags