Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris

At heart, Jacques Brel is a stand-up comedian.

Now hear me out a second. True, it’s not exactly the first thing you think of when listening to music from Brel’s catalog. And one could easily argue that generating laughter is a distant secondary pursuit for Brel, after exposing his audience to dark truths of the world and of the heart. Isn’t that what comedians do, though? They reveal the world as it really is, blanketed in their point of view, with laughter to help it go down easier.

What makes Brel a comedian, though, is less about his content than his structure. Most of the songs in this much-beloved revue show, created and translated by Eric Blau and Mort Shuman and premiering in 1968, follow a typical three-part “setup, pause, PUNCH” joke structure. In Brel’s case, first, we are shown a thing. Then, we see that thing repeated, with certain elements of veneer slipping away. Finally, the true feeling emerges, unable to be contained by their own denial or society or whatever.

In the revival currently running in Falls Church, Creative Cauldron has assembled a fine-voiced quartet of actor/singers (Shaina Virginia Kuhn, John Loughney, Katie McManus, Alan Naylor), all rich in stage presence and wit, to share these truths with the audience. Sometimes we’ll laugh, sometimes we’ll cry, sometimes we’ll do both simultaneously.

It is a credit to all four of them that emotional honesty runs quite high throughout the evening, though there is definitely an arc to this production, jointly directed by Laura Connors Hull and Matt Conner with associate direction by Kara-Tameika Watkins, that sees most of the stronger, rawer moments in its second half. Sharp work is done at the top, sure, in Naylor’s “Jackie”, Loughney’s “Mathilde”, Kuhn’s “I Loved”, and McManus’ “Sons Of”. Through this half, though, there is a sense that something deeper hasn’t quite boiled up to the surface.

That all changes when Alan Naylor fires up “Amsterdam”, and Brel’s personal anger boils up and over the (creative) cauldron and into the playing space. Naylor’s work here trounces his own sillier work from earlier in the evening, and sets course for the rest of the ensemble’s best stuff, as well.

Immediately after, John Loughney gives his most playful performance of the evening in “The Bulls”, which then once again reveals a deep, wounded truth courtesy of the composer that Loughney fires off beautifully. Brel, this show, this cast…they’re all never better than when they’re angry!

Kuhn’s highlight is the tortured anthem “Marieke,” sung partly in Flemish and paying tribute to Brel’s own WWI-battered home of Belgium. The desperate nostalgia brings Kuhn to tears and forms a powerful connection between the viewer and Brel’s life story.

Finally, McManus, who up to this point has shown relaxed, effortless charms in songs like “Brussels”, gives her strongest impression yet in “You’re Not Alone”, reaching out to a dear one in despair yet not immune emotionally to the situation. It’s easy to see the story in detail, the memories of the relationship, and just how far the situation has crumbled, all there in McManus’ face and voice.

A snappy four-piece ensemble, led by Virginia Rice Sircy, gives color to the evening. In particular, Ken Hall’s guitar and Eric Sennett’s marimba add quintessential Brel-ian flavor to the whole evening, though the whole ensemble sounds great together. Sircy has also done admirable work shaping the ensemble vocals in the show, always tight within the patter and strange tonality of Brel’s songs and Shuman’s words.

If you’re a newcomer to the world of Brel, Creative Cauldron offers you a welcome introduction. This is a worthwhile trip up to Falls Church for some of the most heart-rending work of the 20th century.

If, however, you’re already a fan of Brel: who are we kidding, you already booked your ticket, didn’t you? Have fun.

JACQUES BREL IS ALIVE AND WELL AND LIVING IN PARIS
Closes Oct 26
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