A look at cabaret, theater and life from a New Yorker's point of view.

Here is my thoughts on 9/11 from 10 years ago:

SOLIDARITY : Thoughts after 9/11

To all my dear friends,

New Yorkers are a strong, rare breed, much like the European during the "Big" wars, I would imagine. For some reason the image of Marlene Dietrich singing "Lilli Marlene" kept creeping into my mind yesterday as I went about New York for the second day of this assault on our great city. Traffic was a little heavier as businesses started reopening and people found their way back into Manhattan.

Friday morning finds streets opened above Canal and mass transit running fairly well. Heavy rain has hampered the rescue efforts but has washed the foul stench from the air. Already we
are debating how, when and in what form, the World Trade Center will be rebuilt. I only hope in the midst of all this horror, we can continue to act with love and kindness towards all our fellow man. Yes steps must and will be taken, but hopefully not at the expense of further innocent lives.

Anyone who knows me, knows how important music is to my life. I can't image not turning to it in times of happiness or for solaces during times of great sorrow. Now is no different. And I want to thank the many people, for their courage and for giving to New Yorkers their music, helping heal our wounds.

Wednesday Mel Miller had to cancel the matinee of GIRL CRAZY but he managed to assemble 16 of his 18 member cast to preform before a house almost 2/3 filled. He shared a comparison between a childhood tooth ache soothed by ice cream and his show being our "ice cream". And for almost two hours, the audience could sit back and forget the horror outside our door and enjoy this delightful show and its superb cast. It was a bowl of ice cream with a cherry on top!

It was on the way home, however, that I think the impact of the lose of the World Trade buildings took on their reality for me. Up to then it was TV images, horrible but somehow, still
surreal: even the empty canyons of Mid-town and Times Square didn't seem quite real. The thought that I would wake from this "bad dream" still lurked. But taking the cross-town bus and pass 6th Avenue where to my left, should have been an electric view of the Twin Towers, now was only a void. Quite forcefully, the reality hit!

On Tuesday and Wednesday, I'd pulled a number of my favorite singers' CDs to listen to. Three songs stood out, John Bucchino's "Grateful" sung by David Campbell and two David Friedman
songs, "Help Is On the Way" sung by both David Campbell and Nancy LaMott, and "We Can Be Kind" (see below) sung be Nancy. These songs seemed to best describe my emotions and I am thankful to not only have this music but the honor of knowing these people.


WE CAN BE KIND
words and music by David Friedman

So many things we can't control,
So many hurts that happen every day -
So many heartaches that pierce the soul,
So much pain that will never go away.
How do we make things happen?
How do we see it though?
What can we do when there's nothing we can do?

Chorus:
We can be kind
We can take care of each other
We can remember that deep down inside
We all need the same thing.
And maybe we'll find
If we are there for each other
That together we'll weather whatever tomorrow may bring
Nobody really wants to fight
Nobody really wants to go to war.
If everyone wants to make things right,
Then what are we really fighting for?
Does nobody want to see it?
Does nobody understand?
The power to heal is right here in our hands.

Chorus

And it's not enough to talk about it
Not enough to sing a song
We must walk the walk about it
You and I - Do or die
We've got to try to get along

Chorus

And maybe we'll find
True piece of mind
If we always remember
We can be kind.'


I was also grateful the the courage of both Jim Pallone, manager of The Firebird, and Audrey Lavine, singer-extraordinare, who gave a small but enthusiastic audience a place to feel secure and be part of our "cabaret family". There were only 10 or 11 people in the audience, but I sat there and felt safe and strong for awhile, with Audrey pinning small red, white & blue ribbons on us after the show.

Susan along with her husband and I sat surrounded by friends. Stegie, the Chocolate Diva carried out "business as usual", having both chocolates and lemon drops for all. After the show, Ross Patterson's wife brought their newborn, Mercer, to the Firebird for his "Cabaret Christening". And I believe Jim confirmed a date in 2005 for him!

Also, Jim again assured me that ALL shows at the Firebird will go on as schedule, with Joyce Breach tonight, John "Grateful" Bucchino on Saturday and Ben Moore on Sunday.

Jim has also started a wonderful new concept, a "no cover" informal late night show on both Friday and Saturday nights (starting at 11pm). Mark Hartman will man the piano. Natalie Douglas, who was on hand for last weekend's opening, promised to be there on Friday night and on Saturday night Mark hoped to have a Bernstein themed evening ready. Its all very informal, with singers from the audience, getting up and singing a song or two, fellow pianists, also from the audience, playing. So if you're in Mid-town, around 11pm or later, stop by and have a drink. Last week seemed like a small party, with everyone talking to everyone else between the set and people coming and going for the 2 and a half hours Mark was on stage.

As I said before, I plan on continuing to follow my schedule as closely as possible, realizing somethings will not happen, ie. the London Philharmonia, but others will. So tonight I'll
meet friends for UK's Tim MacAuthur at Mama's. Stephanie Pope at Arci's, and if I'm not too tired and the rains stop, pop by the Firebird on my way up-town. And Saturday will bring CAROL + TWO, which will have to lift everyone's spirits, and John Bucchino at the Firebird, where I won't have to worry about "getting-to" the late show. And Sunday, Ben Moore and my Firebird family one more time.

Next week, will hopefully bring a greater degree of "normalcy" to the City with the Stock Market scheduled to reopen and hopefully find much of the lower end of Manhattan reopened so people can start to regain some semblance of normalcy. I'm sorry my friends, Susan & Bill, Jay and Perry will not be able to make into New York as planned but hopefully, October will bring some calm.

I want to leave you with the words of Stephen Sondheim for his just canceled up-coming Roundabout musical. I think it offers an important message:

ASSASSINS
by Stephen Sondheim

Someone tell the story,
Someone sing the song.
Every now and then
The country
Goes a little wrong.
Every now and then
A madman's
Bound to come along.
Doesn't stop the story --
Story's pretty strong.
Doesn't change the song...

* * *
Listen to the stories.
Hear it in the songs.
Angry men
Don't write the rules
And guns don't right the wrongs.
Hurts a while,
But soon the country's
Back where it belongs,
And that's the truth.
Still and all,
Damn you, Booth!



...and so the story continues from New York,

MJN On Line
Friday, September 14, 2001