Jacques Brel

Last night I saw a performance of Jacques Brel's Lonesome Losers of the Night as conceived by Arnold Johnston and Fred Ansevino. The Theater on the Lake at Fullerton Parkway was the site for this Theo Ubique Theatre Co. and Michael James presentation of a revue of the songs of Jacques Brel. The setting was a waterfront bar with four in the cast, Jeremy Trager as the bartender, Jenny Lamb as the Whore, and Eric Martin and Chris Damiano as two sailors. After an overture (all the music was provided by the excellent pianist Joshua Stephen Kartes) the ensemble introduced the evening with the song Amsterdam. There followed twenty more selections over about an hour and a half directed by Fred Anzevino. I enjoyed the ballads 'My Childhood' and 'I Don't Know Why' the best, as sung by Martin and Lamb, respectively. Of course the evening was not complete without a rendition of 'Don't Leave Me' (Ne Me Quitte Pas) sung well by Lamb and Damiano.
It was an enjoyable evening of song highlighting love and loss and the joys of drinking. Jacques Brell would have approved of this presentation.