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Jean Brassard & Steve Ross
August 14, 2011
“French Lessons”
TheTriad – July 26
We all know singer-pianist Steve Ross, one of the world’s foremost interpreters of good songs. French-Canadian singer-actor Jean Brassard is less familiar, at least on the New York cabaret scene. I first became aware of him a few years ago through his participation in the Kabarett Kollectif, and with his splendid tribute to Yves Montand, “The Kid from Paris,” I became a fan. The two men have joined forces to present “French Lessons,” a winning evening of songs either by French songwriters or about matters French; it made its New York bow at The Triad recently.
The two artists complement each other nicely. Though he can cut loose—witness his animated (and authoritative) performance of Cole Porter’s “Can-Can” (in this show done as a duet with Brassard)—Ross tends to be more reserved and reflective, with a sly and dry wit. By contrast, Brassard is a showman, an entertainer, with Gallic charm and a somewhat broader approach to humor—though he’s certainly capable of depth, as in his darkly dramatic performance of Chico Buarque and Claude Nougaro’s brooding “Tu Verras.” (I’m not sure exactly how Gallic charm differs from other varieties; I suspect the accent has a lot to do with it.) Much of their banter centers around Ross’s alleged weakness with the French language and Brassard’s attempt to correct this deficiency. Of course this is hokey—Ross handles French quite well—but it makes a more-than-serviceable hook to hang the show on, and it’s the source of good-natured fun; what’s more, it gives the men a chance to delight us with the breezy “The French Lesson” (Roger Edens, Comden & Green).
An homage to Josephine Baker has both men performing “J’ai Deux Amours” (Vincent Scotto, Georges Koger, Henri Varna), with Brassard dancing in a banana skirt and floral headdress and bra. One could object that the song’s hauntingly wistful quality is not properly served by this burlesque; nonetheless this clowning is innocent, crowd-pleasing fun, à la Luther Billis. Ross follows with his wonderful, at times gutsy, rendition of “Harlem on [Her] Mind,” written by Irving Berlin in reference to Baker.
Ross shines in a medley of “I Will Wait for You,” “Watch What Happens” (both by Michel Legrand and Norman Gimbel) and “Windmills of Your Mind”/”Les Moulins de Mon Coeur” (Michel Legrand, Marilyn & Alan Bergman, Eddy Marnay). And I have never heard a more touching interpretation of “Fanette” (Jacques Brel, Mort Shuman, Eric Blau)—Ross makes palpable the pain and bittersweet joy that the song evokes.
With “Que Reste-t’il de Nos Amours” (music by Charles Trenet and Léo Chauliac), Brassard starts off in English, as “I Wish You Love” (lyric by Albert Beach). When he switches to Trenet’s original French lyric, he opts not to do it sadly, but, instead, to focus on fond memories. Lovely choice. He does a magnificent job on “La Valse à Mille Temps” (music and French lyric by Jacques Brel), starting off in English (Arnie Johnston translation) then switching to French. In this instance I wish he’d sing the complete song in English, because Johnston’s translation has so much more substance and depth than the merely showy version (“Carousel”) we normally hear, and the unsung English lyrics complete the portrait that Johnston paints.
Brassard and Ross deliver many other strong performances of material by such writers as Georges Ulmer, Vernon Duke, E.Y. Harburg, and Gilbert Bécaud. The numbers switch effortlessly between the two languages and from one singer to the other. This is a new venture, and it’s not quite in polished form—for example, the selections chosen for the closing medley of “Classic Serenades” need to be revisited. But easily 90% of it is a wrap.
Roy Sander has been covering cabaret and theatre for over thirty years. He’s written cabaret and theatre reviews, features, and commentary for seven print publications, most notably Back Stage, and for CitySearch on the Internet. He covered cabaret monthly on “New York Theatre Review” on PBS TV, and cabaret and theatre weekly on WLIM-FM radio. He was twice a guest instructor at the London School of Musical Theatre. A critic for BistroAwards.com, he is also the site’s Reviews Editor; in addition, he is Chairman of the Advisory Board of MAC.
