While chatting with Sharon Azrieli ahead of her performance last Tuesday presented by OpéraM3F, I learned that the Montreal soprano had also lived in New York. That her classical training is complemented by a deep knowledge of the Great American Songbook and American musicals. That her mind is sharp and incisive, but also affable, warm, and friendly.
I quickly realized that this lady was a more special person than I had initially thought, a colorful character who perfectly represented the Jewish culture of the North American East Coast as it exists in Montreal. Seeing her perform on stage that late afternoon at the 9th floor of the Eaton Center, these impressions were amplified tenfold, and a smile spread across my face.
Thus, the repertoire chosen was predominantly Jewish American and began with “Tonight “by maestro and composer Leonard Bernstein, the very embodiment of modern classicism made in the USA and its incursions into popular culture in the 1950s and 1960s.
Sharon Azrieli fits perfectly into this aesthetic: she fully embraces her classical singing, as evidenced by her heartfelt rendition of “O Mio Babbino Caro”, she also embraces her love of American musicals and films, from “West Side Story” to “Yentl” or “The Nine-Fifteen Revue”, not to mention vocal jazz, whose inflections she knows well and adapts to her operatic technique.
Sharon was clearly raised on the repertoires of Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Michel Legrand (partly of Armenian origin but close to Jewish culture, as we know) Harold Arlen and others, but also to the great American stars of the generation that also preceded her, starting with Judy Garland, whose “Get Happy” she covers in a charming version choreographed with dancers/singers, no less.
In an interview, Sharon said that she had never presented such a blend of pop and classical music before, so she couldn’t be entirely sure of the outcome even she was optimistic. In my opinion, it was worth the risk, because her real personality fits perfectly with this composite culture from New York, combined with a Canadian-Montrealer culture of which she is clearly proud.
In fact, the artist makes an effort to sing in French, notably with a lovely jazzy piano-voice version of “C’est si bon”. We also note the inclusion of French Québécois quotes in a mashup tribute to Canada. . In this regard, however, it should be noted that the excerpt from Gilles Vigneault’s anthem ” Il me reste un pays” is poorly chosen here, as this quote is purely separatist (!), clearly at odds with the Canadian federalism that the main protagonist defends. We can forgive Ms. Azrieli for this oversight, as her performance is entertaining overall and exceeds expectations.
In a musical theater setting, she sings, jokes, and dances while summarizing her own life as a singer, mother, grandmother, and even female cantor, which is (increasingly less) atypical for a woman whose self-deprecating humor (about the shrillness of her own voice when she needs to be heard), absurdity, and mockery are appreciated (about the shrillness of her own voice), absurd, mocking… typically Jewish for anyone who has ever been fueled by Seinfeld and Joan Rivers.
Sharon Azrieli has clearly carefully crafted this hour-and-a-quarter show with the excellent jazz pianist John Roney, accompanied by dancers and singers Ronnie S Bowman, Daniel Z Miller, Bruce Landry, and Matthew Mucha, who are obvioulsy trained in musical theater.
Clearly, Sharon Azrieli worked hard on her show without taking herself too seriously. Seeing such a cheerful, playful, and at times downright cheeky grandmother strutting her stuff on stage, with her friendly demeanor and undeniably professional performance, can only relax and entertain us, as well as teach us about her very important hybrid culture.
It must also be noted that Sharon Azrieli has an ego firmly grounded in her existence. Confident in her abilities, she still showed a great appetite for the love of the audience that filled this legendary downtown venue.
As I conclude this review, I must admit that I am not very familiar with the classical music career of Sharon Azrieli, who is also known as one of the most important patrons of the music scene in Montreal, Quebec, and Canada. I know little or nothing about her professional past, but I now know about her present and perhaps even her future, if life is kind to her.
Although rigorously integrated, all the references in her show are certainly familiar and predictable… except for the human being to whom we owe this more than honest theatrical effort. Sharon is a creation on legs, a work of art in herself, and that is what makes her show unique.
