I wrote the song “Complaining” in the ’80s, originally for a group of teenage girls in a show called “Marketpace Cabaret” that I wrote with Al Krulick (aka “Al Shakespeare,” the ‘dean of street-performers”).
You can hear the original here …
[audio: https://hipharp.com/cv/audio/kidsmusic/complaining_mc.mp3]And then you can watch what “The Cabaret Series” did with it below – or better yet at the show!
“Complaining” sat on my shelf for years until “The Cabaret Series” put out a call for songs for their new show “Never Far From Home” earlier this year – so I took out the old manuscript and submitted it for the show, curious to see if they’d choose it and what they’d do, with it if they did.
Well, they chose it — and I LOVE what they’ve done with it!
What I love is how the performers and playwright Lydia Diamond took a song I originally wrote for teenage girls and updated to something funny, current and totally adult (and I don’t mean that in the “X-rated” sense) – and then perform the heck out of it.
You can get a sense of it in this YouTube clip , though nothing’s like seeing it live (details on that below)
“Never Far From Home” runs through June 30th at the Central Square Theater in Cambridge — and, along with gobs of great songs, includes 3 of my mine: “Complaining,” “I’ll Be Your Sous Chef, Baby” and “Congratulations, You Made it this Far” – all wrapped inside a new original script by broadway playwright Lydia Diamond, directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian – sung (with some verrrrrry steamy moments in “Sous-Chef,” so bring your fan!) by Cheo Bourne, Jen Ellis, Brian Richard Robinson and Kami Smith – with music direction Timothy Maurice.
“Never Far from Home”
Thru June 30th at the Central Square Theater in Cambridge, MA
Arts Fuse “Pick of the Week”
“An enchanting evening of cabaret… a delightful summer treat!” –
Terry Byrne, The Boston Globe
“consummate performers not only sing gorgeously, they emote like crazy.” –
Boston Arts Review, Beverly Creasey
“They grab our hearts and hold on…It was my first time at their party, but I hope they keep the series going until they’re all ready to leave home. ” –
Broadway World, Nancy Grossman
Get Tickets Here
Use my name, “DHC” and get them for ½ price (see the secret location you add the code here – but get’em soon! Tickets are going fast!
And I’ll see you in the dark!
I enjoyed listening to both versions 🙂