CINNABAR CONJURES UP EDITH PIAF: CREATING CABARET HOMAGE TO LEGENDAY PARISIAN CHANTEUSE CALLED FOR RESEARCH, INTERPRETATION

Published on January 5, 2006

© 2006- The Press Democrat

BYLINE:    MEG McCONAHEY

THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

PAGE: D1

COLUMN: GETTING OUT

In mounting a musical homage to Edith Piaf, Cinnabar Theater had to summon a bit of the sultry French singer's patented ``La Vie en Rose'' attitude.

Without those rose-tinted glasses, the obstacles might otherwise have proved too daunting.

But the Petaluma theater company, tiny but gutsy like Piaf herself, forged ahead, creating the revue from scratch.

That meant digging up Piaf music rarely found in the United States, creating sheet music for some of the songs by listening to recordings and, for the cast, mastering enough French to understand and then vocalize Piaf's lyrics without losing any of her passion in the translation.

The result is a cabaret show, sans the smoky atmosphere, with a live band and five vocalists, all performing signature Piaf tunes in the style -- but not in imitation -- of the legendary Parisian chanteuse. ``No Regrets: The Songs of Edith Piaf,'' will be performed weekends through Jan. 21.

Cinnabar Executive Director Elly Lichenstein was fascinated by the charismatic-hold Piaf had over her audiences.

``What hit me was how, when she died, Paris stopped,'' Lichenstein said. ``The entire country mourned. How could she have captured the soul of an entire country in such a strong way?''

Lichenstein, who suggested a Piaf review after being unable to secure the rights to ``Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris,'' said there also is a fascinating contradiction in the music itself. ``The sound of her music is so celebratory and so upbeat and the contents of the lyrics are so down and dirty.

``Edith Piaf isn't light-spirited. In her lyrics she looks at the seamy side of life and love, especially love. And it's not a happy picture. Yet the music itself is so uplifting and has that street carnival sound. You close your eyes and feel like you're in Montmartre or the Left Bank of another era.''

It was no accident that Piaf's selection of songs scraped at the raw emotions of life. Born Edith Gassion in 1915, she grew up virtually a street urchin, neglected by her mother, also a singer. Piaf's own child, a daughter she had when she was only 17, died of meningitis at the age of 2.

Tragedy dogged her the rest of her life. According to Radio France International, she was discovered by cabaret owner Louis Leplee, who dubbed his fragile little protege La M[*** HIBIT f4 ***]me Piaf (street slang for ``little sparrow''). Leplee later was murdered. Aided by other mentors like actor Paul Meurisse, by the 1940s Piaf had become a darling of the Paris cultural elite.

She had a string of lovers and helped launch the careers of Yves Montand and Charles Aznavour. But she also suffered lifelong depression after the death in a plane crash of her big love, boxing champ Marcel Cerdan. She survived two car crashes, the injuries from which left her addicted to morphine. She died in 1963 at 47.

Stage director Nancy Prebilich, who also performs in the show with Jared Emerson-Johnson, Gloria Strasburg, Steven Abbott and Karen Thomson Hall (accompanied by musicians Sonia Tubridy, Peter DiBono, Trevor Kinsel and Emmett Ely), culled the program songs from a repertoire of 250 she turned up on a computer search. She listened to all of them, then picked 24 favorites, only a small handful of which she could even locate in this country.

``I put out a desperate call to anybody who did this kind of music in the Bay Area,'' said Prebilich. Through a distant contact, she found a French musician who had a few of the pieces. The rest of the sheet music was created from recordings.

Among those Prebilich was determined to do was ``Heaven Have Mercy.''

``It's a very pure from-the-gut song,'' she said.

Other Piaf pieces up for interpretation include ``C'est l'Amour'' (It's Love); ``Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien'' (No, I Don't Regret Anything); and of course, her signature, ``La Vie en Rose'' (Life Through Rose-Colored Glasses).

The French still revere her.

``There was just something she captured that was very visceral,'' Lichenstein said. ``Her own personal triumphs and pains were right there. People were able to get an emotional hit from her.''

You can reach Staff Writer Meg McConahey at 521-5204 or mmcconahey@pressdemocrat.com.

Infobox:
PIAF STYLE

What: No Regrets: The Songs of Edith Piaf

When: Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Jan. 13, 14, 20 and 21 at 8 p.m. One matinee, Jan. 15 at 2 p.m.

Tickets: $25 general, $23 seniors and students.

Where: Cinnabar Theater, 3333 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma.

Information: 763-8920 or www.cinnabartheater.org.

Keywords: THEATER MUSIC

---

Continue searching:
Visit the main Press Democrat search page
Search the archive again: