The Melbourne Cabaret Festival
Chapel Off Chapel, Prahran
Reviewed on June 27, 2013
David Pomeranz is an American singer, composer, lyricist, and prolific writer for musical theatre.
As a composer, his songs have been performed by the likes of Bette Midler, Freddie Mercury, Missy Elliot, The Carpenters, Harry Belafonte, Donna Summer and Cliff Richard. In total, his various song writing projects have earned Pomeranz twenty-two platinum and eighteen gold albums.
Amongst his hits, “Tryin’ To Get The Feeling Again” and “The Old Songs”, were both covered by Barry Manilow. “It’s In Every One Of Us,” from the musical, Time, was also featured in the movie, Big.
By the 1970s, both the look and feel of book musicals on London’s West End and Broadway in New York City changed forever.
Shows such as Hair, Pippin, Godspell, Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita transformed the medium from tuneful boy meets girl stories into thumping sung – through rock operas.
For years to come, the likes of Stephen Schwartz, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice, Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, eventually dominated the theatre scene. Often choosing stories with strong political and religious overtones, their works highlighted some of history’s most controversial figures and events.
Bold and experimental, Chaplin: A Life In Concert uses a similar approach.
Showcasing more than a dozen original songs for 40 major and supporting characters in total, Pomeranz goes with the powerful format full – force.
In his hands, this is a ninety – minute, one-man cabaret routine written and built around key moments in the fascinating career of Charlie Chaplin. Simple in execution, Pomeranz supports himself on piano, with backing slides to help propel the narrative. His show’s potential as a fully-grown Broadway production is evident however from the outset.
The show takes place in 1972 Hollywood, where Chaplin is about to receive a life achievement award at the Academy Awards. From there, Pomeranz treats the legend’s life in dramatic and linear flashback.
Pomeranz pinpoints the actor’s humble start as a struggling music hall performer with his brother. He quickly jumps to their mother’s arrest (and eventual madness) when she can no longer pay the family’s bills. Pomeranz also explores how Chaplin created the little tramp, then the iconic silent masterpiece, City Lights.
Darker themes include Chaplin’s support for Russia’s oppression by Nazi Germany, subsequently being branded a Communist, and a messy paternity suit. These trials by media all result in the stars sudden expulsion from the United States.
A passion project, Pomeranz breaks the fourth wall with the audience and ends the show explaining his intentions. He wants to keep the memory of Chaplin, the man and his genius alive for generations to come.
Image Source: Gold Star