Announcing Cast, Creative Team & Program for Tiergarten!

Dear friends,

Tiergarten is fast approaching April 17-19, and we're thrilled to share with you the extraordinary cast, creative team, and program that will make up this wild evening of time-traveling Weimar Cabaret madness!

BUT FIRST, some logistics and a word about tickets: Friday night is down to a mere two tables remaining, everything else is sold out... Wednesday and Thursday are going quickly too, so if you want to join us after learning more below, please don't wait to get tickets!

And some more info about what tickets actually get you:

• ALL FOOD DRINKS AND FOOD ARE INCLUDED IN THE TICKET PRICE! We'll have red & white wine, several types of beer, and cider to drink, as well as non-alcoholic cocktails from Curious Elixirs. For nourishment, we'll have a thematically-appropriate buffet of assorted meats, cheeses, breads, fruits, and vegetarian/vegan snacks - don't expect a Michelin Star, but we'll definitely have plenty of victuals to pair with your libations!
• EACH TABLE INCLUDES FOUR SEATS, PLUS A BOTTLE OF SPARKLING WINE IN THE COST! So bring friends, make friends between now and then, or spread yourself out luxuriantly across four chairs... as you wish!
• THERE WILL BE A PRE-CONCERT HAPPY HOUR! You should plan to arrive between 7-8PM, so you can get settled in your seats, grab some food and drink, and prepare yourself for the madness ahead...
• BENCHES ARE GENERAL ADMISSION So arrive on the early side to get the best seats! Tables are organized by section, and we'll determine your location within your section.
• 1920s ATTIRE IS STRONGLY, EXUBERANTLY ENCOURAGED! You don't HAVE to bust out your finest vest or flapper dress, but the more that you can get into the mood, the more we'll all be transported...

PHEW. Now that that's out of the way, let me tell you a bit more about what you can expect from the show!

Our Master of Ceremonies, and host with the mostest – the singular Kim David Smith – will lead us on a journey backwards in time, exploring moments of collective madness throughout human history. Along the way, he'll serenade us with songs by Brecht & Weill, Marlene Dietrich, Vikki Carr, Frank Sinatra, Eden Ahbez, Kylie Minogue, and more.

Joining him will be a company of five remarkable singers: Aaron Reeder, Ariadne Greif, Amara Granderson, Luke Elmer, and Melina Jaharis. They'll sing music ranging from opera to crooner ballads to Revolutionary War songs, and everything in between.

Adding to the party will be Foreshadow Puppetry, performing a newly-commissioned shadow puppet show, Pearls Daily gracing us with a sensational new Burlesque act, and dancers Liana Zhen-ai and Dylan Contreras performing a newly choreographed duet. Music throughout the evening will be performed by crackerjack nine-piece swing ensemble the Grand Street Stompers, playing all-new arrangements by bandleader Gordon Au and Matt Musselman.

Tiergarten is conceived, written, and directed by yours truly, Andrew Ousley (marking my directorial debut!), and we'll have lighting design by DoC veteran Abigail Hoke-Brady, costumes by Everyday Fay and New York Vintage, and stage design by Claire Caverly.

If you're still reading by this point, YOU'RE VERY COMMITTED TO LEARNING, AND WE LOVE THAT ABOUT YOU! Now you can CLICK HERE get your tickets, or keep reading for the full program, cast, and creative team for Tiergarten.

See you in Babylon, friends!
–Andrew

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Tiergarten

The Great Hall under the Church of St. Mary
‍440 Grand Street, New York, NY 10002April 17-19, 2024, 7:00PM

• ‍‍CLICK HERE to see a map of the different seating sections
• ‍Each Table purchase comes with four available seats, as well as a complimentary bottle of champagne!
• Please be aware there are no refunds for tickets

The Long Version

In partnership with Carnegie Hall as part of their Weimar Festival, this immersive, subversive, underground cabaret event takes its name from the Tiergarten—“The Garden of Beasts”—a sprawling central park around which the Third Reich rose to power. The program traces a path backwards in time, exploring historic moments of societal madness through music ranging from Cher to Verdi, Dean Martin to Max Richter, William Byrd to Brecht & Weill, with a panoply of performers that includes singers, dancers, actors, shadow puppets, and more.The magnificent Great Hall beneath a church on the Lower East Side will be transformed into an immersive 1920s Berlin Speakeasy, with period-themed food and drinks, vintage dress, and actors lurking amidst the audience.Tiergarten is directed by Death of Classical founder and Artistic Director Andrew Ousley, MC’d by the great Kim David Smith, whom The New York Times called "a male Marlene Dietrich," and features music by DoC favorites and “pillars of New York’s Hot Jazz scene” (also according to The New York Times) The Grand Street Stompers.

The Short Version

Join us for a wild evening of music, theater, food, and drink, as we reflect on the gathering clouds that enshrouded the crumbling Weimar Republic, and look ahead with increasing angst upon the fragile balance of the present moment.

The Performers

Master of Ceremonies‍
‍Kim David Smith‍

‍The Company of Singers‍
‍Aaron Reeder
Ariadne Greif
Amara Granderson
Luke Elmer
Melina Jaharis
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‍Shadow Puppetry‍
‍Foreshadow Puppetry
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‍‍Burlesque‍
‍Pearls Daily

‍‍Dance & Choreography
‍‍Liana Zhen-ai
Dylan Contreras
Calvin Hitchcock (dramaturgy)
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Band
‍The Grand Street Stompers  
Gordon Au - trumpet
Matt Koza - soprano sax, clarinet
Jay Rattman - tenor sax, clarinet
Matt Musselman - trombone
 Rob Hecht - violin
 Jon Weber - piano
 Nick Russo - guitar, banjo
 Rob Adkins - upright bass
 Andrew Millar - drum set
 Arrangements: Gordon Au, Matt Musselman‍

The Creative Team

Created, Written, and Directed by
‍Andrew Ousley‍

‍Lighting
‍Abigail Hoke-Brady
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‍‍Costumes
‍Everyday Fay and New York Vintage
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‍Set Design
‍Claire Caverly
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‍Production & Stage Management
Alexa Rosenberg‍

The Program

INTRO
Vivaldi: La Folia  
Time Warp (from Rocky Horror Picture Show)  

WEIMAR BERLIN
Marlene Dietrich: Ich bin die fesche Lola
Brecht & Weill: Pirate Jenny
Marlene Dietrich: Ruins of Berlin

WORLD WAR I
Vikki Carr: The Silencers
Eric Bogle: And the Band played Waltzing Matilda  

AMERICAN REVOLUTION
Brecht & Weill: Alabama Song
John Dickinson: The Liberty Song
Abel Meeropol: Strange Fruit

PROTESTANT REFORMATION
William Byrd: Mass for 4 Voices - Agnus Dei

SALEM WITCH TRIALS
Cy Coleman/Frank Sinatra: Witchcraft
Verdi: Azucena’s Song ("Stride la vampa" from Il Trovatore)

FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE
Kurt Weill: The Death of Caesar  
Monteverdi: Pur Ti Miro
Renato Rascel: Arrivederce Roma

33 AD
Eden Ahbez: Nature Boy
Were You There (Traditional Spiritual)
Dinah Washington/Max Richter: This Bitter Earth/On the Nature of Daylight

FINALE
Kurt Weill: Lost in the Stars
Kylie Minogue: All the Lovers
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