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| Tracy Martin |
Now, I must confess that I had never heard of Jacques Brel or the Revue of Brel's songbook that was off-Broadway in the late 60's.
Of course, I googled Brel and researched all I could and realized I had heard of some of the music, but performed by American Artists from Sinatra to Andy Williams to John Denver. In Europe, Brel was known as the French Sinatra and was an influence for Bowie and Cohen.
I had already wanted to see the ACT/5th Ave co-production of Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, because; A) The Brillant, David Armstrong was Directing and B) The King of Seattle Musical Theater, Louis Hobson (Balagan's former Artistic Director) was part of this 5-person ensemble.
Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris is a musical revue of the songs of Jacques Brel. Brel's songs were translated into English by Eric Blau and Mort Shuman, who also provided the story. The original 1968 Off-Broadway production ran for four years and spawned international and regional productions, as well as a West End production and Off-Broadway revival, among others. A film adaptation was released in 1975.
