Karen Oberlin

Bewitched: The Songs of Rodgers & Hart

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Last Show: Saturday 18 th June 2022

The Pheasantry (Chelsea)

Karen Oberlin is thrilled to return to the Pheasantry with this brand-new show. About Oberlin, the NYTimes said; ““Beyond having a pretty voice, musical intelligence, and interpretive insight, she is a thorough researcher”. A longtime passionate devotee of this songbook, Oberlin illuminates the genius of this sophisticated duo with iconic hits such as “A Lady is A Tramp”, “Manhattan”, “My Romance”, and “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered”, along with other, marvelous song surprises, while delving into the rich details of this deeply devoted yet troubled and fascinating relationship. Once titled the “Kings of Broadway”, this duo did more to transform musical theatre than any team before or since. These songs hit like an arrow from Rodgers & Hart — straight to our hearts.

“Who else but Karen Oberlin should be doing this show? With her charm and beauty, her wit and wisdom, and her skills as a singing actress, Bewitched was an artistic effort that was floating in the ether, waiting to be born. The evening is rich with wonderful moments… with every acting moment fully realized. Stunning”.

Stephen Mosher, BroadwayWorld.com

Karen Oberlin returns to the Pheasantry with a brand-new show which debuted this year at Birdland Jazz Club in New York. The New York Times stated about Oberin: “Beyond having a pretty voice, musical intelligence, poise, and interpretive insight, she is a thorough researcher," and she was reviewed as “thrilling” by Rex Reed. She has been honored to receive every major award in cabaret in New York, and has performed at New York City venues such as Carnegie Hall, The Algonquin Hotel, The Town Hall, Feinstein's/54 Below, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and more. She tours all over the US and in Europe, and has four solo albums, and is working on another. Oberlin has been a passionate devotee and explorer of the Rodgers and Hart songbook for decades, and she is thrilled to be finally realizing her dream with this show, Bewitched. Richard Rodgers and Lorenz “Larry” Hart were once titled the “Kings of Broadway”, and while many people are more familiar with Rodger’s songbook with Oscar Hammerstein II, this earlier duo did more to transform and modernize Broadway musical theatre than any team before or since. Together, they brought musicals out of the florid, faraway fantasies with love-story tropes, and created songs and shows which reflected the true lives, language and hearts of contemporary society. Rodgers’ melodies were beyond compare, and continue to be celebrated widely by audiences and artists today. Although prolific, his art never suffered. Sheridan Morley said of Rodgers, “He was a carpenter who believed in craftsmanship above all else”.  Hart’s lyrics delivered unprecedented substance and sophistication by creating songs which were fresh, substantial, and utterly contemporary, with intricate yet conversational rhymes. Hughson Mooney called Hart "the expressive bard of the urban generation.” The New York Times, stated, "Although he wrote dozens of songs filled with clever wordplay, it is the rueful vulnerability beneath their surface that lends them a singular poignancy.” Sprinkling her show with iconic hits with thrilling Tedd Firth arrangements such as “A Lady is A Tramp,” “Manhattan,” “My Romance,” and “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered”, Oberlin fleshes out the complexities and genius of the Rodgers & Hart songbook while delving into the details of this complicated, troubled, and fascinating relationship. Karen Oberlin was honored to debut a never-before performed Rodgers and Hart song at Birdland, given to her by Michael Feinstein, and looks forward to it’s UK debut at the Pheasantry. With Rodgers & Hart there was love, friendship, and tempestuousness, yet their symbiotic songwriting created a body of work which continues to make us laugh and cry—sometimes in the same moment.