DARLINGS, PREPARE TO SWOON!
Meine Lieben, gather your furs, don your best rouge, and prepare for a night of divine debauchery! On Friday, March 21 at 9:30, the wickedly bewitching Kim David Smith and his fabulous band shall unveil Mostly Marlene, his long-awaited Dietrich-drenched album, live at Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater! Ja, ja, you heard correctly—our slinky, glittering prince of Weimar-inspired cabaret is giving us a full evening of Marlene magic, and you simply must be there. You will be attending the scene of the crime, as it were—the album was recorded live at Joe’s Pub—the symmetry alone is worth dropping a cherry in your champagne.
This is no mere concert—it is an Erlebnis, a sensuous experience dripping in smoky decadence and Old Hollywood allure. Herr Smith, our own ethereal darling of the demi-monde, shall weave a spell with selections from the new recording with some old songs (it IS called Mostly Marlene for those with dastardly hangovers who couldn’t put that together). Will it be the sultry “Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt” (Falling in Love Again), the smoldering “Lili Marleen,” or the tantalizing tango “Look Me Over Closely” written by Terry Gilkyson, who penned “The Bear Necessities.” One hopes he will tease us with other bare necessities, “Jonny, wenn du Geburtstag hast” and “The Boys in the Backroom”—because what is an evening of Marlene without a little danger, a little knowing wink, and a whiskey-soaked whisper of the past?
And what a past! The spirit of Dietrich, that luminous, subversive siren, lives on in Smith’s every louche gesture, every sly smirk. His voice, darlings, is a silk stocking slipping down the calf of time itself—equal parts elegance and mischief, kissed with Berlin’s midnight melancholy. Also on board for the festivities is music director Tracy Stark on piano, Matt Podd on accordion, Skip Ward on bass, and David Silliman on drums.
Kim David Smith (photo by Claudio Raschella)
Oh, but this night is not just for listening—it is for making merry, for surrendering to the ghosts of cabarets past! Bring your lovers, your heartbreaks, your most scandalous secrets. Order the strongest drink on the menu and let yourself be utterly, gloriously undone. And, of course, grab a CD so you have the perfect accompaniment for those late night tête-à-têtes and romantic rendezvous. And in case you snagged your fishnet stockings on the way out, and are simply too embarrassed to show your legs in public, pre-order the 21-track album, which features bonus studio duets with the divine Charles Busch, downtown luminary Joey Arias, Australian opera star Ali McGregor, and Smith’s own darling mother Linda Randall.
So, meine Schätzchen, do not hesitate! Snatch up your tickets before the room is filled with revelers and rogues, all pressing forward for a glimpse of our modern-day Marlene’s most devoted disciple. The lights shall be low, the music divine, and the hour—ah, the hour shall be exquisite.
Kim David Smith’s Mostly Marlene—Friday, March 21, Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater. Be there, or forever regret it, ja?
Click here to hear the new single by Smith and La Busch
