Cabaret's Jewish Accent
by Julia Goldman - Staff Writer

Christmas is coming, and it’s time for Gerta Grunen to dust off her dreidels and warm up her vocal cords. The dreidels decorate a miniature evergreen, topped by a miniature bagel — a prop Grunen uses when telling audiences her tale of growing up Jewish in Portland, Ore. A bubbly entertainer with a physical resemblance to Judy Garland, Grunen is performing her semi-annual “Jewish Girl’s Christmas” this month at Danny’s Skylight Room, one of the city’s remaining venues dedicated to the intimate art of cabaret.

“It’s a loving story about being a Jew and loving your heritage,” Grunen says of her show of songs and soliloquies — what she calls “kooky stories” about how “people deal with being Jewish at Christmas time” — ornamented with a Chanukah medley and a bit of holiday history. “It’s kind of like Judaism 101,” Grunen says in an airy voice that seems spiked with helium.

With its small-scale performance settings and emphasis on lyrics, rather than vocal acrobatics, cabaret is a storyteller’s medium.

“You’re not telling lines to a big house,” Grunen says. “You see the people and have to relate to your audience. There is no fourth wall in cabaret,” she adds, referring to the invisible barrier said to separate stage actors from audiences. “Many, many people do this because they love being able to create that kind of atmosphere with people.” 

The vogue today in cabaret is creating themed shows that explore an overarching idea, salute favorite singers and cherished composers, or highlight the performer’s own biographical quirks. Andrea Marcovicci, for example, returned this month to the Algonquin Hotel’s Oak Room for an eight-week tribute to Cole Porter. Other artists recently have devoted their shows to such specialized topics as Hollywood film songs of the ‘40s and ‘50s or music made famous by Frank Sinatra. Grunen, who’s been singing cabaret regularly for 20 years, is one of a handful of performers who use their time in the spotlight to tell distinctly Jewish stories.

Gerta Grunen sings at Danny’s Skylight Room, 346 W. 46th St., Manhattan (212) 265-8133. Sun., Dec. 1, 8 and 15; all shows 4 p.m.; $12, plus $10 food/drink.