Ute Lemper: Last Tango in Berlin

Dressed in a black cocktail gown, with blonde hair cascading down her shoulders, Lemper towers over the room, sucking the audience in from the very beginning with her sultry voice and stately presence. Telling stories of Germany and Paris in nothing more than a whisper, Lemper launches into immaculate renditions of some of the sexiest songs ever written; exactly what you’d expect from an internationally renowned cabaret chanteuse known for keeping the torch of this music aflame.

Joined by the impressive Vana Gierig on piano and Tito Castro on bandoneon, Lemper takes us through the hits of Dietrich and Piaf, opening with a “Falling in Love” that makes the audience do just that; along with the rousing “Milord,” which nearly led into a clap-along. Lemper sings tango songs exceedingly well, too. But it’s the Brecht and Weill where her heart and soul lies.

There aren’t many Brecht and Weill songs on the bill; only the “Tango Ballade” and “Moritat von Mecky Messer” of Threepenny Opera and “Bilbao Song” from Happy End, but these tunes are performed with an unparalleled passion, the kind you only see in foremost interpreters of work. You need not understand English to gather the emotions put forth in the German lyrics; Lemper knows how to act these songs in ways to get the audience to understand. “Bilbao Song” is a particular highlight, turning what could be a rousing drinking song into a quiet, contemplative ballad about time passing us by.

Die Moritat, which closes the show, also proves a highlight, with Lemper scatting her way through the opening song of Threepenny (best known to American audiences as “Mack the Knife”), then segueing into the title number from Kander and Ebb’s Cabaret, followed by Brecht and Weill’s Alabama Song, and finally “All That Jazz” from Chicago. These songs don’t sound at all like we’d expect them to; “Cabaret” is basically turned into spoken-word poetry. It’s a stunning medley — one that will stick in the mind of this Berlin dreamer for years to come.