''Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris'' is a musical

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own dur ...

of the songs of Jacques Brel. Brel's songs were translated into English by

Eric Blau Milton Eric Blau (June 1, 1921 – February 17, 2009) was an author and is best known as the creator of the Off Broadway show ''Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris''. Biography Blau was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut on June 1 ...

and

Mort Shuman Mortimer Shuman (12 November 1938 – 2 November 1991) was an American singer, pianist and songwriter, best known as co-writer of many 1960s rock and roll hits, including "Viva Las Vegas". He also wrote and sang many songs in French, such as " ...

, 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 A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

adaptation was released in 1975. In 2003,

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

included the cast recording in a list of 25 of his favourite albums, "Confessions of a Vinyl Junkie".

Early productions

The revue debuted Off-Broadway on January 22, 1968 at

The Village Gate The Village Gate was a nightclub at the corner of Thompson and Bleecker Streets in Greenwich Village, New York. Art D'Lugoff opened the club in 1958, on the ground floor and basement of 160 Bleecker Street. The large 1896 Chicago School structu ...

Theater in

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and ran for more than four years. Its original performers were

Elly Stone Elly Stone (May 30, 1927 – June 11, 2020) was an American singer and actress best known for her interpretations of the music of Jacques Brel. Biography Stone was born in Brooklyn, New York, and attended the High School of Music & Art in Ma ...

, Shawn Elliott, and Alice Whitfield. The production was directed by Moni Yakim. The revue, consisting of around 25 songs, is performed by four vocalists, two male and two female. Brel contributed most of the music and French lyrics; English translations were provided by

, Stone's husband, and

, a

Brill Building The Brill Building is an office building at 1619 Broadway on 49th Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, just north of Times Square and further uptown from the historic musical Tin Pan Alley neighborhood. It was built in 1931 as t ...

songwriter. The show enjoyed considerable international success. In 1968 Yakim directed a Canadian production in Toronto featuring Robert Jeffrey, Judy Lander, Arlene Meadows, and Stan Porter. In the 1970s, a production by Taubie Kushlick in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

, South Africa became the longest-running musical production in that country's theatrical history. A cast recording was released and is regarded as containing the definitive English-language versions of some of the songs. During that decade the show also enjoyed successful runs in Sydney, Paris, Dublin, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen. In 1973, Ray Shepardson produced "Jacques Brel" in the lobby of the State Theatre in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, Ohio. It was intended to play for two weeks, but continued through 1975, with a 522-performance run that became the longest theatrical run in the city's history to that point. The production is credited as a major factor in the rescue and restoration of the theater and its adjacent venues, which are now

Playhouse Square Center Playhouse Square is a theater district in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is the largest performing arts center in the US outside of New York City (only Lincoln Center is larger). Constructed in a span of 19 months in the early 1920s, ...

. In 1974, the revue was revived at the

Astor Place Theatre The Astor Place Theatre is an off-Broadway house located at 434 Lafayette Street in the NoHo section of Manhattan. The theater is located in the historic Colonnade Row, originally constructed in 1831 as a series of nine connected buildings, of ...

for a limited run. In 1975, a film adaptation of the original production was released as part of the

American Film Theatre From 1973 to 1975, using approximately 500 movie theaters across the US, The American Film Theatre presented two seasons of film adaptations of well-known plays. Each film was shown only four times at each theatre. By design, these were not films ...

series. The film included a few new songs. Despite Brel's death in 1978, and his last years having been spent sailing around the world and living in

Polynesia Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...

, the name of the show has remained unchanged.

1980s and later revivals

A production was presented at the original company of

Equity Library Theater The Equity Library Theatre (ELT) was a New York City theatre company active from 1943 until 1989. The original company Founded in 1943 by Sam Jaffe, representing Actors' Equity, and George Freedley, at the time curator of the New York Public Lib ...

in New York City in 1985. It starred Louise Edeiken, Richard Hilton,

Jan Horvath Jan Horvath (born 31 January 1958) is an American singer. She was a member of the original Broadway company of ''The Phantom of the Opera'' where she performed the roles of Christine and Carlotta. Other Broadway credits include ''The Threepenny Op ...

, and J.C. Sheets A 1988 revival served as the 20th anniversary production of the show at The Town Hall in Manhattan (and one night at

The Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

). It was produced by Blau and Reuben Hoppenstein and was directed by Stone, starring

Karen Akers Karen Akers (born October 13, 1945) is an American actress and singer, who has appeared on Broadway, and in cabaret and film. Early life Akers was born Karen Orth-Pallavicini in New York City on October 13, 1945. Her immigrant father, Heinnick C ...

Shelley Ackerman Shelley Ackerman (October 14, 1953 – February 27, 2020) was an American astrologer, writer, actress and singer. She was a frequent guest and commentator on radio and television news and entertainment shows. Biography Early life The daughter o ...

, Elmore James and Kenny Morris. In 1994 the show was performed in Dublin's Andrew's Lane Theatre and featured Irish actress and singer

Camille O'Sullivan Camille O'Sullivan is an Irish musician, vocalist, and actress. O'Sullivan is known for her unique, dramatic musical style and covers of artists such as Radiohead, Tom Waits, and David Bowie. As an actress, O'Sullivan has appeared in Mrs Hend ...

. In 1995 the show was revived in the West End, starring Michael Cahill, Alison Egan, Liz Greenaway, and Stuart Pendred. A cast recording of this production was released on August 12, 1997 with Jay Records. In 2006, a production opened Off-Broadway at the Zipper Theater in New York City. While this revival used most of the Blau-Shuman translations, there were also significant changes: the order of songs was rearranged, numbers were reorchestrated, and some songs were dropped or added. The revival also included expanded staging and choreography. The production ran for more than a year. It was nominated for several awards including the Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle. It was directed by

Gordon Greenberg Gordon Greenberg (born 1969) is a stage director, a theater and television writer, and an Artistic Associate at The New Group. Education Greenberg attended Stanford University and NYU Film School Tisch School of the Arts, as well as The Lincoln ...

and starred

Robert Cuccioli Robert Cuccioli (born May 3, 1958) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for originating the lead dual title roles in the musical ''Jekyll and Hyde'', for which he received a Tony Award nomination and won the Joseph Jefferson Award, th ...

, Natascia Diaz,

Rodney Hicks Rodney Hicks (born March 28, 1974) is an American playwright, stage, television, and film actor. He is perhaps best known for originating the role of Bob in the Broadway musical ''Come from Away,'' as well as playing various roles in the origi ...

and Gay Marshall. The role played by Hicks was later done by

Drew Sarich Drew Sarich (born August 24, 1975) is an American stage actor and singer songwriter from St. Louis, who performes in the English and German languages. Biography Sarich received a BFA in Musical Theatre with a concentration in Directing from Bost ...

Jim Stanek James Stanek (born August 5, 1971) is an American theatre, film, and television actor. Early life Stanek was born in Havre de Grace, Maryland and raised in Cranberry Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. He attended the ...

and

Constantine Maroulis Constantine James Maroulis (; born September 17, 1975) is an American actor and rock singer. He was the sixth-place finalist on the fourth season of the reality television series ''American Idol'', and received a nomination for the Tony Award f ...

. Ann Mandrella, the wife of Sarich, was an understudy. A cast recording by Ghostlight Records was released in 2006. In 2008, a production starring Leigh McDonald, Tony McGill, Emma Yong and George Chan, ran at the DBS Theatre in Singapore. In 2010, a production ran at the Stratford Festival in Canada. It starred Jewelle Blackman,

Brent Carver Brent Carver (November 17, 1951 – August 4, 2020) was a Canadian actor best known internationally for performances in both London's West End and on Broadway in '' Kiss of the Spider Woman'' as Molina, for which he won the Tony Award for Best L ...

, Mike Nadajewski, and Nathalie Nadon. In 2014, the show opened for a limited run in London at Off-West End Charing Cross Theatre with

Gina Beck Gina or GINA or ''variation'' may refer to: Gina Gina may refer to: * Gina (given name), multiple individuals * Gina (Canaan), a town in ancient Canaan * Arihant (Jainism), also called gina, a term for a human who has conquered his or her inner p ...

Daniel Boys Daniel Boys (born 26 March 1979) is an English musical theatre actor, who was a contestant on the BBC talent series '' Any Dream Will Do'' in 2007 before becoming known as a stage actor in various musicals including ''Avenue Q'', ''Spamalot'' an ...

David Burt David Burt (1953) is a British actor, known primarily for his many and wide-ranging West End performances. David Burt is the son of Pip Hinton, better known for her role in '' Crackerjack'' alongside Eamonn Andrews and later Leslie Crowther. ...

and Eve Polycarpou. This production had a song list similar to the 2006 New York revival. In 2017, a new production opened at the Gate Theatre in Dublin directed by Alan Stanford and featuring music direction by Cathal Synnott, with a cast featuring Karen McCartney, Risteard Cooper, Stephanie McKeown and Rory Nolan.

Musical numbers

Original Off-Broadway production

#Overture #Marathon (Les Flamandes) #Alone (Seul) #Madeleine #I Loved (J'aimais) #Mathilde #Bachelor's Dance (La Bourrée du Célibataire) #Timid Frieda (Les Timides) tune also used in an Ovaltine television advert GB # My Death (La Mort) #The Girls And The Dogs (Les Filles et Les Chiens) # Jackie (La Chanson de Jacky) #The Statue #Desperate Ones (Les Désespérés) #Sons of... (Fils de...) #

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

#The Bulls (Les Taureaux) #Old Folks (

Les Vieux Les Vieux (''The Old Folks'') is a 1963 song written and performed by Jacques Brel. It appeared on the album '' Les Bonbons'' and was co-composed with Brel's frequent collaborative musicians Gérard Jouannest and Jean Corti. Lyrics The song is a ...

) #

Marieke Marieke, sometimes written as Marike or Marique (), is a Dutch-language feminine given name, a diminutive of Maria. The Polish, Greek and Japanese equivalent is Marika. The ''-ke'' suffix is characteristic for Flemish, Brabantian and Limburgis ...

#Brussels (Bruxelles) #Fanette (La Fanette) #Funeral Tango (Le Tango Funèbre) #The Middle Class (Les Bourgeois) #You're Not Alone (Jef) #Next (Au Suivant) #Carousel (La Valse à Mille Temps) #If We Only Have Love (Quand on n'a Que L'amour) Songs added for the 1975 film version: #The Taxi Cab (Le Gaz) #My Childhood (Mon Enfance) #The Last Supper (Le Dernier Repas) #Song For Old Lovers (La Chanson Des Vieux Amants) #Ne Me Quitte Pas, sung by Jacques Brel

2006 Off-Broadway revival

;Act One #Le Diable (Ça Va) #If We Only Have Love (Intro) #Alone #I Loved # Jackie #My Childhood #Madeleine #Bachelor's Dance #Fanette #

Le Moribond "Seasons in the Sun" is an English-language adaptation of the 1961 Belgian song "Le Moribond" (in English "The Dying Man") by singer-songwriter Jacques Brel with lyrics rewritten in 1963 by American singer-poet Rod McKuen, portraying a dyi ...

/My Last Supper #The Desperate Ones #Timid Frieda #The Girls And The Dogs #Statue #Sons Of #Amsterdam ;Act Two #The Bulls #Brussels #Ne Me Quitte Pas #Middle Class #Old Folks #Funeral Tango # My Death #Marieke #Song For Old Lovers #Next #No Love You're Not Alone #Carousel #If We Only Have Love

Recording(s)

- An original cast album was released in 1968 by Columbia in the US and CBS in the UK. It featured: Stacey Boyle, Shawn Elliott, Mort Shuman, Elly Stone, and Alice Whitfield. - A cast recording of the successful South African production was released in 1968 and is regarded as containing the definitive English-language versions of some of the songs. It featured: Jean Dell, Ann Hamblin, Ferdie Uphof, and Alain D. Woolf. - In 1973 Playhouse Square released a double album featuring the Cleveland cast: Cliff Bemis, David O. Frazier, Providence Hollander, and Theresa Piteo. - Atlantic Records release a double album of the film soundtrack in 1975, featuring: Shawn Elliott, Judy Lander, Joe Masiell, Joseph Neal, Annette Perrone, Mort Shuman, and Elly Stone. - Ghostlight Records released a cast recording of the Zipper Theater Off-Broadway production in 2006. Included in the cast were: Jacques Brel, Robert Cuccioli, Natascia Diaz, Rodney Hicks, Gay Marshall, Michael Sommers, and Eric Svejcar. https://castalbums.org/search/?search=Jacques+Brel+Is+Alive+and+Well+and+Living+in+Paris

References

* ''The Singer's Musical Theatre Anthology'' by Stanley Green and Richard Walters {{Authority control Cultural depictions of Jacques Brel Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris Revues Sung-through musicals Mort Shuman albums