Josephine Conquers Europe

The author in the Ronacher Theater, Vienna

by Katie Cavera

Vienna, Austria, June 30, 2009

Two years ago, Chris Tyle wrote an article for Jazz Me News about the hit show in Paris, La Recherche de Josephine. I’m happy to report that we just finished a successful run in Vienna, Austria and marked our 3-year anniversary of the show. Over the past three years Josephine has been presented over 350 times throughout France as well as in Spain, Italy, Denmark, Switzerland, and now Austria and Germany. We actually have 4 versions of the show—the original in French and versions in Spanish, English (for a short run in Denmark), and German.

The show combines a bit of jazz history with the story of Josephine Baker and the effects of hurricane Katrina on present-day New Orleans. And it’s a musical comedy. I know this sounds like a strange combination but it allows director Jerome Savary to tie together many diverse styles of early jazz, all which lead up to a grand recreation of Josephine Baker’s original 1920s hit revue show in Paris.

Josephine did very well in Paris, where we enjoyed two exclusive runs at the Opera Comique in November 2006 and April 2007, as well as an additional run the summer of 2008 at the Casino de Paris—where the original Josephine Baker had her revue show. While we were at the Opera Comique in 2007, Josephine was nominated for a Molière Award (the national theatre award of France bestowed by APAT, the Association Professionnelle et Artistique du Théâtre). We also spent almost 4 months in the spring of 2008 touring over most of France and playing short runs in smaller theaters. It’s interesting doing the show for French audiences because the French people still have a great love for Josephine Baker. Most of them recognize the songs and will often begin applauding on the introduction of "J’ai Deux Amours" and sing along on the chorus to "Ma Tonkinoise." I wasn’t so sure the show would do as well for Spanish audiences. But Savary is fluent in Spanish—he was born in Buenos Aires—and has special ties with the theaters in Spain, so everything translated well and we were successful with it in Perlada, Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, and Pamplona.

Bringing the show to Austria was perhaps more of a gamble, but so far it’s been working well. When we opened the show in Vienna three weeks ago the house wasn’t full and we were a bit apprehensive. We had heard that the show that proceeded us—The Producers—had closed early due to lack of ticket sales. But by our fifth show the house was full, and we performed to sell-out crowds for the rest of our 3-week run.

Left to Right: Charon Aldredge, David Boeddinghaus, Katie Cavera, Otis Bazoon, Nicolle Rochelle, Jason Rodgers, "Bunchie" Johnson

I feel the success of the production is due to several factors. For one thing, director Jerome Savary really knows how to put on a spectacular show. Trombonist David Sager, who played in the band during the premier run in Paris, called Savary the "French Florenz Ziegfeld" and I couldn’t agree more. The sheer spectacle of the show is perhaps what allows it to translate so well to a variety of audiences and languages.

The lead actors have all been well-cast. In particular, Nicolle Rochelle—who plays the Josephine role—is an extremely talented actress, singer and dancer. Her charisma adds so much to a part that with another actress might come off as trite. And she is a consummate professional, learning different songs to cater to different audiences. When we were in Barcelona, she learned her encore in Catalan—a romance language still spoken in the region. And here in Vienna, for her encore she has been singing a popular song from the '30s that Josephine Baker recorded. Not only does she sing it in German, but choreographer Brian Scott Bagley joins her in the middle of the song to waltz with her before she finishes the vocal and encourages the audience to sing along. They do.

Of course everything is tied together by the music. And the show's musical director is David Boeddinghaus, who Savary hired after hearing him play in a club on Bourbon Street in New Orleans in 2005. (Click here to read Chris Tyle’s previous article, "New Paris-Based Show About Josephine Baker Gets Raves.") David arranged all the music with a keen ear for the traditions behind it, and as a result he created a very authentic-sounding score. Not only does the music sound stylistically correct but it’s a lot of fun to play. At different times we sound like a hot '20s dance band with "Then I’ll Be Happy," "Where’d You Get Those Eyes?," "Hot Feet," or an early '30s swing band with "The Joint Is Jumpin’," "Jumpin' At the Woodside," "Stomping At The Savoy," or Josephine Baker’s cabaret band with "J’ai Deux Amours" and "C’est Lui." I’ve yet to grow tired of playing the same show every night because there’s a really good mix of arranged ensembles and hot solo sections. Plus the band is fun to play with. Many evenings we’ll get together in the pit and jam until they open the house to the public.

For the original run of the show, David hand-selected musicians that could play with the right feel for the material. Having run the show for three years now, he has made some changes in personnel, and in some cases was able to enlist the help of talented friends—including Duke Heitger and Michel Bastide. When I was unable to make the summer run at the Casino de Paris, Banu Gibson covered the run there, which lasted a little over three months. Most people know Banu as a talented singer and bandleader but she also plays great tenor banjo and rhythm guitar. And she’s been an important part of this show from the beginning, not only filling in as a musician but helping us with the business side of this.

Playing onstage during "The Joint Is Jumpin'"

Sometimes the production company has appointed subs for the band with varying results, but—remarkably—we just finished our run in Vienna with close to the same mostly New Orleans-based personnel we started with: David Boeddinghaus on piano, Otis Bazoon on reeds, Tom Saunders on bass instruments, Bernard "Bunchy" Johnson on drums, French trombonist Philippe George, and from the West Coast, Chris Tyle on trumpet with myself on banjo and guitar.

It’s been a remarkable experience playing this kind of music for a European audience. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. I get the feeling that they really appreciate hearing American musicians play traditional American jazz. We’ve often wondered how the show would translate for an American audience, and it looks like we may soon get the chance to find out. While we were in Vienna, a theatrical company from Montclair, New Jersey came to see the show and discuss the possibility of bringing it to the States later this year.

I’m just thankful to have had the opportunity to play a style of music that I am very passionate about with people that feel the same way.

All photos courtesy Katie Cavera.