Here Lies Jenny

I am home in the San Francisco Bay Area. When I stepped out the door of the airport, the familiar air surrounded me. The Bay Area is scenery, of course, but primarily it is air and light which seep into your soul until they permeate your whole outlook on life. It is a joy to be home.

On Sunday afternoon we went to see Bebe Neuwirth's show Here Lies Jenny. It is 70 minutes of Kurt Weill, someone we could use more of, played by a marvelous pianist and done in a style that completely suits him. He is best at his most depressing. The gloomy setting in a dingy cellar gave just the right edge to his gritty music.

Remember when I said the great stars bring you a complete performance? Well, Bebe Neuwirth in her Jenny project brings you everything except voice. She could have used more miking. I can't help wondering if it is the performance itself that has made shreds of her voice. You hear little more than a rasp. The songs are pitched too low for her, and her voice is completely unsupported.

It is a show with virtually no plot, just a series of acted songs, well acted songs. It was fun, but I'm not really sure why. She gets points for taking this shot, but would we have gone at all without the presence of a celebrity?