Singer Susanne Mack, who’s appearing in Where I Belong, at Pangea on Thursday, May 16th, Friday, May 17th, Thursday, May 23rd and Thursday, May 30th—her fourth at the venue—has been co-directed by two venerable ladies of cabaret: Barb Jungr and Tanya Moberley. With musical direction by Paul Greenwood, the show features songs by David Bowie, Des’ree, Graham Gouldman, Joe Jackson, Patty Larkin, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Peter Sarstedt, Paul Simon, Tom Waits and Brian Wilson.
NiteLife Exchange (NLE) celebrates Susanne Mack (SM) with Six Questions
NLE: When did you realize you had the gift of singing and what were your early influences?
SM: I grew up in a family where only classical music was played and sung around the house. My grandfather was a bass in a traditional all-male choir and they performed all over Europe. My mother sang very passionately in her church choir and always sang to and with me at home. I was up against Mozart, Bach and Beethoven when I was fighting for my rights to listen to the Beatles, the Police and Nina Hagen. When I was in first grade, before I was even taught English in school, I listened to the songs on the radio and wrote down the lyrics phonetically. When Abba won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1975 with “Waterloo” I was singing “What to do” all over the house on the top of my lungs.
NLE: You’re a native of Germany where you studied with famous Brecht chanteuse Gisela May in Berlin. You also lived in Switzerland for 10 years before moving to New York. What was your musical career like before moving here? Were you performing solo?
SM: It has always been my lifelong dream to sing and to perform. While I was living in Germany and Switzerland, I had been performing solo and I also sang in an acapella group. The cabaret scene in Europe is not as vibrant as in NYC and I am really lucky to live here and be part of the fabulous cabaret community.
NLE: How did you eventually get involved in cabaret?
SM: After moving to NYC in 2008 I continued my vocal work with Barbara Maier and started taking cabaret workshops with Collette Black and Helen Baldessare. I have also been taking David Brunetti’s Acting Songs class. I went to the Cabaret and Performance Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center and became friends with many of the singers and teachers.
NLE: Which is the most memorable experience you’ve had in your singing career in Europe? In America?
SM: The most memorable experience was when I performed my last solo show Reconciliation in NYC in 2016. It’s an autobiographical show, directed by Gretchen Cryer, and is about the secrets and lies told about my father, who I had never met, although he lived in my hometown. Sharing hidden family secrets with total strangers in a show has been a life-changing experience for me. The most moving and unexpected thing was that so many people came up to me after the show and started to share their own family secrets with me. I will never forget that.
NLE: When you’re alone, what do you listen to?
SM: I listen to a lot of different music when I am at home or in the car and I have no special preference. Pop, jazz, rock, classical or rap. I like it all!
NLE: What do you like to do in your spare time?
SM: I love to go to the theater or watch a good movie or go to see an opera at The Met . I enjoy playing tennis and take walks in Central Park with my beloved dog, Alvin, a golden retriever from Bavaria.
For tickets to see Susanne Mack at Pangea, click here
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