Photograph taken by Hanneke Wezter
Yes, you read that right. The music of David Bowie in a cabaret show, accompanied by only a piano. And it is divine! If you are in New York City through December 21st, and love Bowie, you really MUST interrupt your Christmas shopping and get yourself and a loved one a ticket to this fabulous show.
This show is titled Where Are We Now, and we are informed that Sven Ratzke, a Dutch/German showman, previously toured with a Bowie-inspired cabaret act titled Starman, for which he received permission from Bowie himself to perform. The entertaining tale he tells in his show includes him sending off a huge box of all his previous CD’s and videos with an outline of his proposed performance and waiting anxiously nine weeks for a response. Bowie’s management wrote back that Mr. Bowie thought Sven was “crazy” and therefore gave him permission to perform his music.
It’s a bare stage at La Mama in the east Village with Sven dressed in a blue form-fitting jumpsuit and boots with wings (he later changes to a red jumpsuit after the intermission) where he talks and sings you songs you know all the words to but have never heard quite like this. These delightful two hours go by way too fast, and you will definitely want more when the show ends. Lucky for us all, the star sells CD’s at the back of the stage (and you can pose for photos with him too). Equally lucky for us all, Sven will be returning to New York City in May, so, if you can’t make this limited run, mark you calendars for the spring.