What's left for a Broadway diva after winning two Tony awards, achieving national recognition as a Hollywood celebrity (and winning two Emmy awards in the process), and becoming the symbol of a Broadway triple-threat star for her generation?
A Kurt Weill concert, of course.
On February 4th, Bebe Neuwirth, accompanied by Roger Rees and backed up by the Collegiate Chorale Singers, will present a concert of songs by the legendary German composer, playwright, and social critic. Weill's work is not new for Ms. Neuwirth, or for Mr. Rees. While working with Ms. Neuwirth and Ann Reinking on a new production that will use Weill music, Rees invited the Collegiate Chorale's Musical Director Robert Bass to see their work. He, in turn, invited Mr. Rees and Ms. Neuwirth to be in his Weill presentation at Alice Tully Hall. "It's very inspiring to me to do this other investigation of Kurt Weill material," Ms. Neuwirth says, and eagerly adds that she has learned four songs in French from Marie Galante, a 1934 Weill play, for the concert. "The four French songs are another fascinating chapter of this composer's life."
Indeed, the concert will mark Ms. Neuwirth's cabaret debut, and her first time performing in French. "I enjoy singing in other languages," she says. "I'm not a classically trained singer, so it's all about performing the songs, and expressing what I feel in the song.... There's also a physical aspect to it. Being a dancer, I'm engaged physically, and that extends to speech. It's a physical challenge. Expressing is expressing, as long as you know what you're saying."
Having earned many accolades, including her first Tony Award for the 1986 revival of Sweet Charity, before becoming a household name on Cheers, Bebe Neuwirth appreciates her impact on an audience both as a triple-threat performer and as a Hollywood star. "I think for some people it's jarring," she says, "since what I do on stage is so different from what I did with one character. It's strange to see someone from TV walking around on stage talking and singing and engaging the audience in a physical way." Her fame has helped lure newcomers to Broadway, fans who might not otherwise have attended the show but for the chance to see a star. "I think fame helps ensure a certain number of people in the audience. In other words, it's more likely that my name will get people in the seats. It's sad that it's like that, and I wish it wasn't, but that's why I took the job." After winning her first Tony, she says, she noticed a trend with Broadway casting. "Broadway was hiring people from TV, since they didn't want to take risks. They wanted people who might not sing or dance, but would get people in seats. I thought, 'I have my stage chops- I can act, sing, and dance- but if they need me on TV to keep hiring me on Broadway, that's what I'll do.'"
Growing up in Princeton, New Jersey, Ms. Neuwirth began studying classical ballet at age five, and "grew up at McCarter," the Tony-winning regional theatre in Princeton. "I made the switch at 13 when I saw Pippin," she says. "All I knew was that what they were doing resonated with me, and I wanted to do [Fosse's] choreography. I said, 'I can do that!' It made sense to me, physically." Following her dreams of musical theatre and ballet, she attended the Juilliard School for a year. "After that, I toured in A Chorus Line. First I understudied Sheila and Cassie, then played Sheila, then Cassie, then came to Broadway and understudied Sheila. One of my last performances was when the hostages came back from Iran. That was a moving experience. I'm very proud to have been there for it."
