It appealed to me: Lake Shore Salon Series, a series of concerts performed at private residences. I’m in! I don’t really know what to expect. Will I know people? I know from the address that the home will be impressive. It’s in Evanston, IL where I lived all through college and a bit afterwards. I exit my taxi. The home is a beautiful, spacious lakefront property in Evanston, filled with objets d’art, artwork and good vibes. The invite says: “dinner and champagne before the show.” What I got was a fabulous, healthy buffet, free flowing champagne and a hostess who was all open arms and heart (“want some whiskey in your coffee?”) all night long.
We guests don’t know each other at first but as we sit at the huge dining room table and marvel at the food, we begin to sort each other out. We have the run of the first floor of the house. I know people here. I run into a singer from last “Monday Night Live.” My buddy Steve Starr (the photographer) is there. I recognize someone from my retail days in Evanston when I first got out of Northwestern more than twenty years ago. The rest of the group appears to be theater and music lovers and a few artists like myself. This is gonna be awesome!
After an hour we are called into the living room to be seated – facing the Steinway. A staircase runs upstairs to the rest of the house. We pick our seats – various vintage chairs and couches – and after a brief intro from our hosts, we wait for the music to begin. The pianist plays brightly as we turn our heads slightly stage left as the first gorgeous notes flow from the top of the staircase. We look up to see KT Sullivan as she saunters down the staircase in a strapless black beaded gown with a train, holding a glass of champagne and singing – in German.
OH MY GOD!!! Her voice is gorgeous – operatic, she is gorgeous and statuesque and posed there less than six feet in front of me. She sings another tune which she says is from Vienna – Nineteenth Century. It is naughty, she sings in German first, “and now in English!”
Then enters Ms. Kohler, descending the stairs in a man’s tuxedo, also carrying a glass of champagne. Her approach is sultry, and deep – all Berlin in the 1920’s. You can almost see the cigarette smoke. She sings some Marlene Dietrich:
Falling in love again
Never wanted to
What am I to do?
I Can’t help it
They duet, they waltz, they mingle through us as we sit there: touch a knee, a shoulder, we toast, we laugh, they bring the house down. I can not believe my good fortune in experiencing such talent – such theater – right before my eyes.
Afterwards, we all socialize and marvel over the experience. Everyone was smiling. KT and I feel as though we know each other from somewhere. Everyone has another cocktail.
Life is good.
Karen Kohler gives me a ride home. We chat about show biz and the truth in singing. I am taking her master class in a couple days: “Beyond the Beautiful Voice.”
Life is very good.
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