Choosing some great songs, applying your singing talents and acting skills with accompaniment from a fine pianist has resulted in a very entertaining show. Paul Capsis and Francis Greep’s acoustic show evokes 1930’s Berlin’s cabaret scene while recounting an
emotional story of infatuation and heartbreak.

Opening with Wilkommen from Cabaret set the tone for the evening. It was followed by the Berthold Brecht / Kurt Weill Alabama Song allowing Paul Capsis to draw the audience in with his expressive facial expressions and embodied choreography. Paul’s captivating style added another layer to this marvellous song.

Mack the Knife was given a local update with references to a fire in Bankstown and the demise of twenty refugees and a cat. Popular versions of this song, such as Bobby Darin’s or Frank Sinatra‘s, seem to focus on the catchy tune whereas Paul Capsis and Francis Greep bring a disturbing level of malevolence to this song.

Paul kept up an entertaining banter with the crowd during the show including a few references to the lovely clean theatre we occupied. The Neilson Theatre is the recently restored venue at Wharf 2/3 in Walsh Bay, and it presents as a modern, tasteful venue with a nod to its significant heritage. Acoustics, seating and ambience were all excellent.

In his introduction, Francis Greep mentioned the wonderful grand piano on stage. Francis playing on this grand piano perfectly complemented and supported Paul’s singing. The timbre of Paul’s voice covered a whole range of emotions: torment, despair, desire and playfulness, and Francis’ piano beautifully matched and augmented these emotions.

I was impressed by the heartfelt rendition of Little Girl Blue and the change of tone in the melancholy drinking song One for My Baby.

These songs were telling parts of the DRY MY TEARS  narrative and also provided some enjoyable tonal variety in the evenings entertainment.

The Song Company’s : PAUL CAPSIS : DRY MY TEARS
was performed at The Neilson and can next be seen at Waterloo Studios, Sydney Film School, 242 Young St, Waterloo on Saturday 30th, Sunday 31st July. 

This performance is highly recommended.

Photos by Warren Lee.